Both of these managers honed their skills in LaLiga with Catalan giants Barcelona, starting out as assistant managers. They have become the most sought-after managers in the business not only by various clubs, but by star players too, who want to work and grow under their tutelage.

Over the years both Mourinho and Guardiola had some of the very best players such as - Messi and Ronaldo playing under them. But, there have been very few lucky players who had the opportunity to spent some time with both the managers at different clubs.

So, with the managers facing each other in the upcoming Manchester derby, let us now take a look at the four current Premier League players who had played under both Mourinho and Guardiola at some point in their career.

#1 Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez, the current player donning the legendary No.7 jersey at Old Trafford, used to play for Barcelona before he moved to the Premier League with Arsenal. Sanchez was signed by none other than Pep Guardiola for Barcelona in 2011, following a stellar season in the Serie A by the Chilean.

He became the first Chilean ever at the Camp Nou and was immediately inducted into the first team by Guardiola.

The Chilean winger blossomed at Camp Nou under the Catalan and in the single season they spent together he scored 12 goals. After Guardiola left Barcelona, Sanchez spent two more seasons in Spain, finally earning a move to Arsenal in 2014.

His goal-scoring threat at Arsenal attracted the attention of Jose Mourinho, who signed him from his bitter rival Wenger this January. All we can say is that he was performing much better under the Spaniard and is yet to find his rhythm under the former Chelsea boss.

#2 Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas, a La Masia youth product started his professional career in the Premier League with Arsenal. After spending eight seasons with the Gunners, he went on to play for Barcelona and Chelsea as well.

He was brought back to Camp Nou by Pep Guardiola in 2011 for €29 million. He carved a place for himself in the Barcelona midfield that already had players like Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets all in their prime.

After spending three successful seasons with his childhood club, he agreed to move back to England this time with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2014. He had an instant impact at the Stamford Bridge, winning the league in his first season there and also grabbing the top assist-provider award for that campaign.

The Spaniard was an outstanding midfielder under both the managers, but his spell with Mourinho could be considered as the more fruitful one.

#3 Pedro

Pedro was a player who was promoted by Pep Guardiola into the Barcelona first team in 2009 from the reserves. The current Chelsea winger was a first-team regular under Guardiola for most of his time at Camp Nou, winning the LaLiga’s Breakthrough player award for 2009-10 season.

He played a crucial role in the treble-winning campaign of Barça in 2015, but his first team opportunities were gradually decreasing since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in 2011.

So, after a long association with his childhood club, in which he won every major trophy with the club, he signed up for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the summer of 2015. The Blues #11 was quickly established himself as a key player at Stamford Bridge, scoring on his debut for the club.

He only spent six months with the ‘Special One’, but this brief period was enough for him to observe a key similarity between Guardiola and Mourinho.

#4 Kevin de Bruyne

Probably the best player ever coached by both Mourinho and Guardiola is Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian was already a Chelsea player before Mourinho took charge at the Stamford Bridge in 2013.

Under the Portuguese, De Bruyne could only make three league appearances for the Blues and by the end of 2013, it was clear that the Belgian wasn’t part of Mourinho’s plans at Chelsea.

So, he left the club in 2014, only to return to the Premier League with Manchester City as a world-class midfielder to join Mourinho’s arch-rival Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne has been a star under Guardiola, while he was not even given a chance by Mourinho.

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