Pep Guardiola to leave Barcelona at the end of the season Guardiola, who saw his side knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea and, effectively, out of the race for the La Liga title by Real Madrid in the space of the last week, will take time out of the game after admitting that the effort of guiding the greatest club side of this generation was something that could only be managed for a short period of time due to the intense pressure. Guardiola's career has been spent solely with the Catalan club, famously appearing as ballboy as a child, educated in at La Masia, Barcelona's heralded youth training facility and then going on to play in a side that won the European Cup at Wembley as part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' in 1992. On winning the fifth and final piece of silverware in that campaign - the 2009 World Club Cup - he broke down in tears on the pitch at the sheer enormity of his debut in the Barcelona dugout. His incredible side, featuring the talents of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi won the Champions League twice and during his time in charge he claimed three La Liga titles. A host of English clubs will be chasing his signature in the summer, most notably Chelsea, whose owner Roman Abramovich is a huge admirer. However, it is believed Guardiola will take some time away from the game to recharge his batteries before making any decision about his next role.