Wolfsburg's 'Gouda Guardiola' Simonis is big fan of Man City coach

UPDATED Jul 01, 2025, 07:30 PM

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BERLIN - Dutch coach Paul Simonis earned the nickname 'Gouda Guardiola' for his faint resemblance to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, but the new VfL Wolfsburg boss said on Tuesday he was actually a fan of the real thing.

Simonis, who took over at Wolfsburg for the coming season after leading Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles to their first ever Dutch KNVB Cup victory in April, said Guardiola was one of the coaches who inspired him.

He also named Paris St Germain's Luis Enrique and Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa.

"Good question," Simonis told a press conference when asked about which coaches inspired him. "I really like, not because he looks like (me), but I really like Pep Guardiola.

"He looks like me. I was already bald before he was bald. What I like about these guys is how the players talk about them. If you take good care of them, they will pay you back."

"These types are capable of doing that, besides having a good technical and tactical plan to watch the games," Simonis added.

The Bundesliga season starts on August 22. REUTERS

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