Pep Guardiola's most memorable games against Real Madrid: The good, the bad and the ugly

This was the game when everyone stood up and took notice of Guardiola's powers as a coach. His Barca were already stunning onlookers in his debut season in charge and he had won his first Clasico at the Camp Nou. But Madrid were beginning to reel his side in under Juande Ramos, and a victory for Los Blancos at the Bernabeu would have put them right back in the title race.

Gonzalo Higuain gave Madrid the lead, but Barca came flying back at them, producing an utterly formidable performance. And it was all down to Guardiola's secret plan for Lionel Messi, who he fielded as a 'false nine' for the first time, with devastating consequences.

Jose Mourinho was seen as the one man who could re-establish Madrid as the dominant force in Spain, especially after his Inter had knocked Barca out of the Champions League the previous season. But in his first Clasico as Blancos boss, the Portuguese's side were annihilated.

Xavi and Pedro got the ball rolling with early goals before David Villa struck twice and Jeffren completed the rout, leading to a gleeful Gerard Pique holding up his five fingers in celebration, one for every goal.

It was one of the great press conference displays of all-time, followed by one of the greatest goals of all-time. Guardiola had been mocked by Mourinho earlier in the day in the aftermath of a bitter Copa del Rey final defeat just four days previously, and he marched into the press room at Santiago Bernabeu meaning business. He called Mourinho "the f*cking chief, the f*cking boss" when it came to dealing with the media, but said his side would do their talking on the pitch in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

They did exactly that. Mourinho devised an ultra-defensive tactical scheme with Pepe in midfield, which backfired when the Portuguese was sent off. Barca exploited the extra space and Messi broke the deadlock before scoring an extraordinary second, slaloming his way through the Madrid defence from the halfway line before scoring.

Even considering the long-running history of rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, tensions between the two clubs were at an all-time high when they met in the Spanish Super Cup just three months after their unforgettable series of four matches within a two-week period.

The first leg at the Bernabeu had ended 2-2, and the return match at Camp Nou was another epic. Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Andres Iniesta's opener and then Karim Benzema levelled after Messi had restored Barca's lead. But Messi, typically, had the final say, at least on the pitch.

The Argentine genius scored in the 88th minute to clinch the trophy for Barca, but the game is remembered far more for Mourinho poking Guardiola's assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye in a furious clash between the two benches.

All winning cycles must come to an end at some point, and Guardiola's glorious era with Barcelona was effectively ended when Ronaldo sunk his side with a late winner at Camp Nou.

Barca had staged a late resurgence in the weeks before the second 'Clasico' of the Liga season and had reeled Madrid in to the point that a victory would have put them just one point behind their eternal rivals. But Mourinho had studied Pep's Barca on 10 occasions by this point and had the perfect game-plan, leaving enemy territory with a seven-point gap. It proved unassailable and Madrid won the title with a record 100 points.

Madrid led for most of the game through Sami Khedira's strike, but Alexis Sanchez bundled in an equaliser midway through the second half. Barca's relief would last less than four minutes, though, as Ronaldo beat the offside trap and fired inside the near post, celebrating by gesturing at the Camp Nou faithful to 'calm down'. Just six days later, Guardiola announced he was leaving Barca.

After a year-long sabbatical in New York to recharge his batteries before taking charge of Bayern, Guardiola was back in his element, in a Champions League semi-final against Madrid. His side had lost the first leg while monopolising the ball, but confidence was still high of a comeback back in Munich.

Guardiola agonised over which formation to deploy in the second leg, but after speaking to his players, he caved in to pressure to go all out and attack Carlo Ancelotti's side. He told his team pre-match: "You are going out there to do some damage. Go for the jugular. You are German, so be German and attack."

The plan backfired and Madrid romped to a 4-0 win thanks to two goals each from Sergio Ramos and Ronaldo. Guardiola was furious, most of all at himself for going against his instincts. He told the journalist Marti Perarnau: "I got it wrong, man. I got it totally wrong. It's a monumental f*ck up. A total mess. The biggest f*ck up of my life as a coach."

City had out-played Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, but Los Blancos, as ever, had stayed in the game and left with a dignified 4-3 defeat thanks to a late Karim Benzema penalty.

Guardiola's side did everything right in the second leg, too, controlling the game before Riyad Mahrez scored in the 73rd minute. Fans were ready to book their flights to Paris for the final, but if Madrid have taught football anything in their history, it is to never count them out.

In stoppage-time, Rodrygo scored twice in less than two minutes to send the tie into extra-time. City were spent, and a Benzema penalty sent Madrid through to the final, completing their third remarkable turnaround in the knockout stages and condemning Guardiola to yet another agonising elimination. He later referred to the defeat as "swallowing poison".

"When we got Madrid in the draw I said 'I want it'," Guardiola recalled just after his side had outclassed Real and booked their place in the Champions League final. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and more than a year had passed since the excruciating elimination at the Bernabeu.

City showed no remorse, and in this semi-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium, they played the 14-times European champions off the park, Bernardo Silva scoring twice in the first half before Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez twisted in the knife in the second.

Guardiola could not contain his joy and hailed the performance as the best of his long and glittering coaching career.