The pair had the opportunity to get to know one another during the Catalan’s spell in Bavaria, with his relentless passion for the game standing outside.
The nephew of Bayern Munich legend Uli Hoeness fondly remembers his experience with Pep Guardiola and saluted the Manchester City boss because of his”obsessed” approach to soccer.
Sebastian Hoeness, 37, is now in charge of Bayern II at Germany’s 3. Liga, having moved up from the Under-19s for the start of the 2019-20 season.
But with a relative synonymous with the Bavarian giants, even before beginning work with Die Roten, he was no stranger to the workings of the club.
The coach, whose brief playing career ended in 2010 following spells at Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim, had the chance to watch Pep up close throughout the Spaniard’s trophy-laden remain in the Bundesliga.
And he affirmed that the City manager’s most impressive trait is his enthusiasm for the sport – even if it can be a little overwhelming at times.
“I particularly remember this unbelievable obsession with him about needing to discuss football,” Hoeness told Target when asked about the prior Barca and Bayern boss.
“I sat with him and he spent an hour talking to me intensively about football. It was really exciting for me.”
Another Hoeness favourite, despite his time at Bayern’s Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, is Thomas Tuchel, currently on the seat at Paris Saint-Germain.
I felt early on that he’s a young coach who represents a new philosophy,” he added.
“I really wanted to watch him and then had the chance to have a long conversation with him. It showed on the one hand that we have quite similar footballing thoughts, but on the other hand, we also have the same doubts in certain locations.
“I personally was just a training observer and concentrated on strategic aspects.”
Having won the last seven consecutive Bundesliga titles, Bayern now find themselves in one of the most competitive races in the last decade as none, but three challengers seem determined to push the Bavarians right to the wire.
Hansi Flick’s charges currently lead the standings, but they’re closely chased by RB Leipzig, who trail them by just a single point ahead of their meeting on Sunday.
Dortmund lie a further two points back, tied on 39 with Borussia Monchengladbach, having picked up three consecutive wins at the start of 2020 – thanks in good part to sensational teenage signing Erling Haaland, who has netted seven of his new side’s 15 goals in the league since coming from Red Bull Salzburg.
