Jose Mourinho is one of the few managers in the history of the game to have managed against both Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
While Mourinho only faced Ferguson when he was coaching Manchester United, the Portuguese icon went toe-to-toe with Guardiola when he was at Barcelona as well as Manchester City.
As a result, Jose Mourinho might have seen more sides of Pep Guardiola as a tactician than Sir Alex Ferguson.
Plenty of big names within the game have chimed in on which manager is superior, with Gerard Pique claiming Guardiola has surpassed Ferguson.
While Jamie Carragher thinks Guardiola has pipped Ferguson as well.
But Jose Mourinho has the unique first-hand experience of competing in not just games but for pieces of silverware against both Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Jose Mourinho undecided over Sir Alex Ferguson vs Pep Guardiola as he hails Claudio Ranieri
As a result, Mourinho’s opinion is arguably more valid than most, with Guardiola and Ferguson often dividing opinion between fans and pundits alike who debate which out of the two is the undisputed greatest manager of all time.
The Manchester City boss has proven that he can succeed in the Premier League, which has perhaps bridged the gap between him and the Manchester United legend.
When quizzed about the comparison between Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho admitted he could not split the pair.
Mourinho said on The Obi One Podcast: “Fergie or Pep? Oh it’s impossible to compare, it’s impossible to compare generations. It’s impossible to compare the potential to do things, you know.”
According to Jose Mourinho, where Claudio Ranieri has the edge over both Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson is that he won an unprecedented Premier League title with Leicester City in 2016.
“Both of them are historical in the Premier League. I would still say for me, the historical one in the Premier League for me is [Claudio] Ranieri. To win the league with Leicester is unique. For me, it’s the most incredible title.”
Comparing Guardiola, Ferguson and Claudio Ranieri in the Premier League
Perhaps one of the best ways to compare Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Claudio Ranieri would by analysing their respective records in the English top-flight.
| PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD | SIR ALEX FERGUSON | PEP GUARDIOLA | CLAUDIO RANIERI |
| TITLES WON | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| HIGHEST POINTS TALLY | 92 | 100 | 81 |
| WIN % | 65.2% | 72.3% | 45.8% |
Based on the statistics, Guardiola has the edge over both.
The Catalan tactician has a superior win percentage (72.3%) while having accrued the most number of points in Premier League history (100).
However, Sir Alex Ferguson’s longevity is one of a kind and he won a record 13 league titles at Manchester United with an impressive win percentage of 65.2%.
While Claudio Ranieri’s statistics are far inferior to both Guardiola and Ferguson, his title triumph with Leicester is arguably the greatest managerial achievement in the history of the game.
Despite Jose Mourinho aiming a dig at Pep Guardiola about Manchester City’s alleged financial breaches, he had no choice but to laud the Spaniard’s greatness alongside Sir Alex Ferguson by not choosing between either being the better manager while giving Ranieri the credit he deserves as well.
