After the league match against SS Lazio on November 4, he was found positive again. On November 22, the Italian Olympic Committee CONI announced that after the competition match against Piacenza Calcio on October 21, Guardiola had found a too high level of nandrolone in the urine during doping control. However, a quick transfer ultimately failed to materialize and Guardiola only found his new club in Brescia Calcio in Italy in September. Shortly after Guardiola announced his departure from FC Barcelona, Newcastle United FC, AC Milan and AC Parma were named as interested clubs. The leader in the Premier League lost 2-1 to Liverpool in the last minute, but saw to his relief that Manchester United, who would have become champions with a victory over West Ham United, france mbappe jersey got stuck at 1-1 against The Hammers. He exchanged Fiorentina for West Ham United in August 2018. Guardiola was also convinced at an early stage by Fàbregas by giving him a signed FC Barcelona kit in 2001 with the inscription "for the future number four of Barça". Guardiola made his debut in the first team on December 16, 1990 at the age of 19 against Cádiz CF in the Primera División.
Guardiola is the record holder for the number of red cards in the Primera División for a FC Barcelona player. The year 1992 was a top year for Guardiola. During the celebration of the European Cup win, Guardiola asserted himself as a public speaker for the first time. At the time he wore shirt number ten, but eventually number four would become Guardiola's characteristic shirt number. From the 1991/1992 season, Guardiola was an important link in Johan Cruijff's so-called Dream Team. The Dream Team with Guardiola also won the national championship in 1993 and 1994. Although Guardiola did not always agree with Van Gaal, he always publicly supported the Dutch coach until his departure in June 2000. At the age of 10 he was admitted to the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella di Napoli in Naples, studied with I. Piazza and obtained his diploma as a performing flautist in 1893. He then studied piano with Vincenzo Romaniello, organ with Marco Enrico Bossi, composition with Nicola D'Arienzo and music education with Niccolò van Westerhout, but he was forced to interrupt his studies to support his parents financially. Moreover, Cruijff dared to let players make their debut in the first team at a young age, something that was still highly unusual in Spain at the time.
Players like Xavi Hernández, Gerard López, Mikel Arteta, Andrés Iniesta, Cesc Fàbregas and Marc Crosas later followed in his footsteps. Several players and eventually Cruijff left, but Guardiola also remained a fixed value under the new trainer Bobby Robson. The 1997/98 season, in which he won a fifth national title, eventually passed almost entirely to Guardiola due to a serious ankle injury. On September 26, 2001, he signed a one-season contract with Brescia. On April 11, 2001, Guardiola announced at an emotional press conference that he had decided not to renew his expiring contract, which meant that the Catalan would leave FC Barcelona after many years. Furthermore, in 1992, Guardiola received the Trofeo Bravo for best European footballer aged 21 or under, awarded by the Italian Guerin Sportivo. Ampadu made his debut for Venezia FC on September 27, 2021, when he came on for Antonio Junior Vacca before half-time in the home game against Torino FC (1-1). Four days later against Cagliari (1-1) he started in the starting eleven for the first time. Antonio Couceiro was appointed as the new president by the Galician major shareholder Abanca. He paraphrased the historic words of Catalan President Josep Tarradellas when he returned from exile after the death of dictator Francisco Franco ("Ciutadans de Catalunya, ja soc aquí! – Citizens of Catalonia, here I am!") by "Ciutadans de Catalunya, ja la tenim aquí! (Citizens of Catalonia, here we have him!)"
In the end, president Josep Lluís Núñez convinced Guardiola to stay with FC Barcelona with a contract improvement. Louis van Gaal was appointed as new coach and in 1997 Guardiola was appointed captain of FC Barcelona after the departure of José Bakero and the Romanian Gheorghe Popescu. The midfielder was named captain of the team in October 2001 when first captain and star Roberto Baggio injured his knee. On the day Iniesta trained for the first time with FC Barcelona's first squad in February 2001, Guardiola remarked to the squad "Don't forget this day, Andrés Iniesta is training with you" and to Xavi Hernández "This kid is going to give us both retire!" Guardiola this final. The club reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the final of the Copa del Rey in 2017/18. During the celebration of the Copa del Rey some time later, Guardiola, when he was given the floor, referred to this incident with "Avui no faré el ridícul que vaig fer l'altra vegada." ("Today I won't make such a fool of myself as I did last time").