"All at Barcelona deserve recognition. But in the attempt to get my head back in order, I thought: Here we have an initiator [Cruyff], an idea, a mission to spread the idea, and for all these things, we need something that is not written in any training manual: an artistic coach.

From my standpoint, it is impossible not to recognise the Ballon d’Or belongs to Pep Guardiola, the ultimate coach.

He confronted a difficult mission with artistry, faith and the love of the game, and all along, separated himself from the common vulgarity that a top coach has. He achieved a cultural revolution which reached dimensions that had never happened in the last 30 years.

The winner could have been Xavi, Iniesta or Messi. It could also have been Busquets, Pedro, Pique or Puyol but nothing would be achieved without someone introducing a new and different culture into the game, where every player feels the joy of encountering a person like Guardiola – someone who unites them with loyalty, who can communicate with them, who can educate them.

All the above are good players and today they have achieved excellence because they have a coach who teaches them that when the collective intelligence of the team is at its highest, the better the team is equipped to confront and analyse any special obstacle that may arise.

When three players are nominated for the Ballon d’Or, I am of the opinion that it is unfair that two must be left by the wayside. But then it would also be unfair if all three were to win. So just for my own peace of mind and conscience the real winner of the award is the creator of the work of art that is the FC Barcelona football team: Pep Guardiola."