Pep Guardiola reels into
the Catlunya spring sunset punch-drunk, deserving a rest, his job
well done. Most agree that he's likely to take a significant break
from management – perhaps an eternal one – before moving back to
the scrutiny of club control.
To witness the change inhis appearance from appointment to last week's press conference is to
see what daily hour-long media sessions will do to a man. He looks
exhausted, has lost a considerable amount of weight and what remains
of his hair is prematurely grey.
In many ways, I hope he
chooses not to manage again. Particularly, I hope not to see him at
a different, less stressful club. This may seem odd, given his
record of dignified success; however, for him to return would be to
risk a legacy which now stands unparalleled. He's
won everything there is and leaves the game at his own
discretion. To come back would not gamble his reputation; he will
always be loved in Catalunya. But neither would – or could – it
achieve anything of real substance. Those who suggest he's yet to
assemble his own squad, or should attempt management overseas to
complete his resume are snidely ungenerous.
He is/was great; he now
moves forward. A four year term helming the greatest club side in
memory saw him astride the world; to return from this break to boss a
different club would subvert his stature as a Catalan deity, achieved
the remarkable with his hometown club. His narrative shouldn't need
to rely on piffling things like football management for completion.
He is regarded at a different level from every other manager; his
story becomes
infinitely more compelling by refusing to countenance further
management jobs.
That he represents a
standard of Catalunyan success and pride that transcends sport, leads
me to remember the legacy of “Rocket”
Richard.
The image to the right best exemplifies what Richard means to the Quebecois: this representation is one of a parade of Quebec heroes that stops Montreal, QC every St. John Baptiste Day.
His tale also mimics that
of J.K. Rowling, the Omnipresence ruling over the magical (and
tremendously marketable) world of Harry Potter. After
suffering several
high-profile bouts with writers' block and sustaining excellence
and interest in teen writing for a decade, it was only fair to expect
her to withdraw somewhat to recuperate. Her novels were so
comprehensively successful – on every level – that she had
achieved all she could.
Rowling announced last
year that she was returning to the computer to write a new, adult
novel (who
features a major character named Barry!) due for release in
September this year. Her background, audience and profit margin are
nonpareil; to return to a different genre invites criticism. “The
Casual Vacancy” will break all sales records, but will never be as
well-received as Potter.
