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#3 Gerard Pique (Manchester United to Barcelona)
Gerard Pique was the first of Pep Guardiola’s signings as manager and what a bargain it proved to be. Despite spending four years at Manchester United after leaving La Masia, Pique never managed to break into the first team at Old Trafford.
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However, on the advice of Pep Guardiola, Barcelona decided to bring him back to the Camp Nou and he went on to establish himself as a world-class centre-back.
Pique was a crucial part of the historic Barcelona and Spanish national teams. His strength, physicality and intelligence coupled with his ability to read the game and pass out from the back, made him the perfect central defender to suit Pep Guardiola’s plans.
#2 Dani Alves (Sevilla to Barcelona)
Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique all had a massive role to play in Barcelona’s defining success under Pep Guardiola. However, the system had little chance of working if not for the presence of right-back Dani Alves in the team.
Signed from Sevilla in the 2008 summer window, Alves became the engine of the side. His constant runs up and down the right flank proved to be a scorn for opposition coaches. Alves also formed a formidable partnership with Lionel Messi on the right-hand side, making it almost impossible to bog him down.
The Brazilian went on to spend eight successful seasons at Barcelona and he ended up defining the right-back position with his offensive contribution and Pep Guardiola’s tactical instructions. Now he's back for more.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund to Bayern Munich)
Signing one of the world’s best strikers for no cost from your opposition team might sound too good to be true. But that’s exactly what happened when Robert Lewandowski decided to switch allegiances from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich.
Lewandowski’s signing would go on to inspire an immensely successful era for Bayern Munich and several of those seasons were helmed by Pep Guardiola.
Although Champions League success eluded them during that period, Lewandowski went on to score 67 goals during the two seasons he spent with Guardiola. Without the shadow of a doubt, it has been a defining signing for Bayern, with Lewandowski maturing to become one of the best strikers in the world.
