Manchester City assistant coach Juanma Lillo was the reason Pep Guardiola turned down a move to the club in 2005. As explained by Stuart Brennan, Stuart Pearce was keen to sign the former Barcelona midfielder after an impressive trial, only for Lillo to intervene at the last minute.
Lillo, who was in charge of Mexican side Dorados De Sinaloa at the time, offered Guardiola a contract. The lure of playing under Lillo, one of his coaching heroes, proved too strong for Guardiola, who snubbed City and moved to Mexico before hanging up his boots six months later.
Lillo, 54, has joined City after a spell with Qingdao Huanghai in China. He has also coached in Spain, Chile, Colombia and Japan during his career.Manchester City captain David Silva.
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