Top 8 sporting directors in the world right now

#2 Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Manchester City v Newcastle United - Premier League

From 1988 to 1995, Aitor "Txiki" Begiristain played for FC Barcelona. In 1999, he retired from playing football and in 2003 he came to the position of the sporting director at FC Barcelona along with Joan Laporta who became the president of the club.

When they came in 2003, Barcelona had gone four years without a trophy and were lurching from crisis to crisis. In their mandate, Barcelona went on a whole new level. Txiki deserves all credits for discovering Pep Guardiola whom he appointed as Barcelona's manager in 2008.

Laporta once said: "Bringing in Txiki was the best desicion I ever made."

Laporta left Barca in 2010, and Txiki also followed his steps. In 7 years under their guidance, Barca won 5 league titles and 2 Champions League titles.

In 2012, Txiki came to Manchester City. Once again, he was able to bring in Pep Guardiola. The Catalan manager has already won 3 trophies in 2 seasons at Manchester City. Most importantly, they play in familiar "Tiki-Taka" style and with Txiki and Pep in charge, Manchester City's future looks very bright.