'Pep is my boy'- RONALD KOEMAN

Ronald Koeman(Everton Manager) said in a recent interview how he helped a young Pep during his playing days at Barcelona. Koeman ,who is set to go head to head with Pep in the English league this weekend.

Koeman talked about how he took the Catalan under his wing when he was promoted to the first team at Barcelona. "Johan Cruyff had seen this young player in the academy, seen him develop into a decent player in the reserves and he thought the time was there to draft him into the first-team squad,"Koeman said.

"According to Cruyff this boy was very bright, he had a quick brain and he needed a more experienced player to look after him. I told him it was fine.
"If the player was a talent and a good kid, I would help him. So he told me that from now on I was going to look after a BOY called Pep. He told me I was going to be his tutor, help him develop and make sure he learns the Dutch style of playing. I then spent several years with Pep in hotel rooms before every game, every trip -- in preseason, in Europe, you name it.

"Pep was a fantastic guy. He was eager to learn, he wanted to know everything. Pep wanted to know about the Dutch school of football. More than any other player he wanted to know about one-touch football, about positional play, one touch in small spaces. He loved the way Cruyff wanted to play with Barcelona.

"But what struck me with Pep was that he was a very ordinary, down-to-earth guy. He never had arrogant streaks. He did not behave like a star because he was playing for Barcelona -- he was driving a second-hand Golf when he came in the squad and after three years in the first team, he was still driving the same car."

Many Barcelona and Catalonia fans will be thankful to Ronald for helping Pep grow and develop under Cruyff style of football and made him great footballer and a greater manager.....

 An interview from the daily mirror.