Pep Guardiola’s Most Used Players Including 3 He Blocked From Joining Bayern Munich

• Pep Guardiola is in his ninth season as Manchester City boss
• He had previously managed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich
• The Spaniard had some loyal players during his 16-year career

Pep Guardiola is in his 16th season as a football manager, his ninth at his current club, Manchester City, having been appointed in 2016 following his time at Bayern Munich.

He began his managerial career at his former club, Barcelona, after he was promoted from the B team to the senior team to replace Frank Rjikaard. He is constantly evolving, but some players have stood the test of time under his leadership.

Sports Brief looks at his most used players based on the number of games played as Lionel Messi misses out.

Pep Guardiola's most used players

1. Bernardo Silva

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Per Transfermarkt, the Portuguese has played more games for Pep than any other player. He has featured in 340 games in seven seasons at Manchester City, scoring 63 goals and providing 64 assists. Almost every season, he is linked with a move away, but he affirms his loyalty each time.

2. Kevin De Bruyne

The Belgian midfielder is one of the three players to have played for Guardiola in half his career, playing 328 games in eight seasons. He could have played more, but injuries hampered a few seasons. He has scored 82 goals and added 152 assists – the most of any player to feature for the manager.

3. Ederson

The Brazilian goalkeeper is a typical Pep's shot-stopper. One who goes beyond traditional duties and combines sweeper roles with excellent passing. He has featured 324 times for the manager at City. Per 888Sport, he has four assists, all of which came from long balls on quick counters.

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4. Ilkay Gundogan

Per Planet Football, the German midfielder was City's first signing after Pep was announced as manager. He arrived from Borussia Dortmund for £21 million. He left the club last summer, captaining the club to a historic treble in his final season. He featured in 304 games, scored 60 goals and provided 40 assists.

5. Raheem Sterling

The England winger moved to the Etihad Stadium a year before the manager arrived. He featured in 292 games and made the top five despite leaving the club in the summer of 2022 and joining Chelsea. He notched 120 goals and 85 assists.

6. Kyle Walker - 290

7. Phil Foden - 257

8. John Stones - 250

9. Fernandinho - 244

10. Rodri - 242

Unsurprisingly, the top 10 are all players at the English club, as he only managed Barcelona for four years and Bayern Munich for three years. Lionel Messi, the best player for Pep, came in at number 13 with 219 games.

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Guardiola blocked Bayern from signing KDB

Sports Brief reported on Fernandinho disclosing how Guardiola blocked Bayern from signing De Bruyne before the Belgian joined Manchester City in 2015.

A viral social media post from 2015 reported that the German club ended interest in Sterling and Gundogan, both of whom later played for the former Barcelona midfielder in England.