When Real Madrid look across at the other dugout and see Pep Guardiola, they are not just facing another coach. They are facing a man whose career has been shaped by beating them – and who has helped shape their modern history in return.

Across three clubs and more than a decade of clashes, Guardiola has built one of the most impressive records any manager has ever had against Real Madrid. The numbers are strong, the scorelines are famous, and the story is still being written.

Pep Guardiola vs Real Madrid: Why the Numbers Don’t Agree

Try to Google Guardiola’s record against Real Madrid and you fall into a stats maze. One social media post might claim 14 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses. Another well-sourced breakdown says 9 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats in 17 games. More recent tallies, including his Manchester City years, put it at 13 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in 23 matches.

So which one is correct?

The most trustworthy figures come from detailed records of his competitive games. One set of data tracks Pep’s Real Madrid meetings up to his Bayern Munich spell: 17 matches, 9 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses, with a goal difference of 33-20 in his favour. A later update that includes his time at Manchester City lists 23 matches, 13 wins, 5 draws, 5 defeats, with a goal difference of 47-29.

Those numbers already put Guardiola in elite company. Very few managers face Real Madrid so often. Even fewer come out with a positive record this strong.

“How many times does Pep have to beat Madrid before we just call it dominance?”

What about that Instagram-friendly 14-7-7 claim? It does not match any full competitive record. It may mix in friendlies, double-count some games, or simply be based on old numbers from before Guardiola’s most recent Champions League ties with Real Madrid. With new matches and new wins, that line is now outdated at best and misleading at worst.

Bernabéu Master: Seven Wins in Madrid’s Fortress

If there is one stat that really tells the story of Pep vs Real, it is this: Guardiola has seven wins at the Santiago Bernabéu, more than any other coach in history.

As Barcelona manager, he walked into Madrid’s stadium seven times. He did not lose once in that spell. Later in his career, he finally tasted defeat there only once overall. That level of control in Real Madrid’s own home is almost unheard of.

For generations, the Bernabéu has been a place that chews up visiting managers. Yet Guardiola has turned it, time and again, into a stage for his ideas: control the ball, control the tempo, and punish the spaces Real leave behind.

A more recent Manchester City win at the Bernabéu pushed this story even further. Reports around that match spoke of Pep reaffirming his dominance with a “stunning new record” in City’s victory in Madrid. It did not just add another win to the total. It underlined that, even after leaving Barcelona and then Bayern, Guardiola still knows how to go into Madrid’s house and walk out smiling.

Breaking It Down: Barcelona, Bayern, Manchester City

The shape of Guardiola’s rivalry with Real Madrid changes depending on the shirt he is wearing on the touchline. The numbers by club tell a clear story:

• Barcelona: 15 matches – 9 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses
• Bayern Munich: 2 matches – 0 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses
• Manchester City: 6 matches – 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss

Barcelona: The Peak of Pep’s Power

Guardiola’s spell at Barcelona (2008-2012) is still the gold standard. His team was not just successful; it changed how football is played and watched. And Real Madrid were the main victims.

His LaLiga record vs Real Madrid is backed up by StatMuse: 6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. That run includes two of the most iconic Clásicos ever:

• 6-2 at the Bernabéu in 2009 – a demolition in Madrid that felt like a power shift in Spanish football.
• 5-0 at Camp Nou in 2010 – a one-sided clinic that showed just how far ahead Pep’s Barca were.

Then came Europe. In 2011, Barcelona met Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. Guardiola’s side won 2-0 away at the Bernabéu and drew 1-1 at home, knocking Real out and going on to lift the trophy.

Across league and Champions League, this era built the foundation of Pep’s dominant record. Against prime Real Madrid teams, often packed with world stars, Guardiola’s Barca were simply better more often than not.

“Those 6-2 and 5-0 games changed what El Clásico meant for a whole generation.”

Bayern Munich: The One Big Bruise

When Guardiola moved to Bayern Munich, many expected his dominance over Real Madrid to continue. Instead, it stalled.

The record is simple and painful: two games, two defeats. Both came in the 2014 Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid knocked Bayern out by winning home and away, ending Pep’s run that season and giving his critics a rare chance to point at a clear failure against Los Blancos.

In football narrative terms, that tie was important. It showed that Pep’s style, so perfect at Barcelona, could still be hurt by Real Madrid’s pace and power when the balance tipped the other way. It planted the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, Madrid had started to figure him out.

Manchester City: Rivalry Reborn

Any doubts that grew from the Bayern years have been answered in Manchester.

With Manchester City, Guardiola has rebuilt his edge over Real Madrid: 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss in 6 meetings. These games have been high-level, high-pressure Champions League ties where small mistakes usually decide everything. And yet, more often than not, it is Pep walking through to the next round.

One particular highlight is City’s win at the Bernabéu, which not only added to his already strong away record there but also led to talk of a “new record” being set. For a coach already leading the all-time chart for Bernabéu victories by a visiting manager, it was another reminder: this rivalry is not just a memory of Barcelona days. It is very much alive.

“If Madrid are the kings of the Champions League, then Pep is the one coach they never quite sleep easy about.”

How Guardiola Compares to Other Madrid “Nemesis” Coaches

When you stack managers by how often they beat Real Madrid, Guardiola is near the top.

Historical records suggest only two coaches have more wins against Real Madrid than him:

• Helenio Herrera – the legendary coach linked with catenaccio and Inter’s golden years, credited with 22 wins over Madrid.
• Luis Aragónes – a key figure in Spanish football history, with around 16 wins against Los Blancos.

Even if the exact totals for those older eras can be hard to verify fully, the pattern is clear. Guardiola is in a very small, very elite group of managers who did not just survive against Real Madrid – they regularly beat them.

Why This Record Matters So Much

Real Madrid are not just any opponent. They are the most successful club in European Cup and Champions League history. Beating them even a few times is a career highlight for most managers. Beating them more than you lose to them, over more than 20 games, is something else entirely.

Guardiola’s record against Real Madrid tells us several things:

• His football idea – based on the ball, space and pressing – works at the very top level.
• He can adapt that idea across different leagues and squads (Barcelona, Bayern, Manchester City) and still compete with Madrid.
• He has a special feel for big games at the Bernabéu, where many others freeze.

Yes, the Bayern tie in 2014 stands out as a black mark. Yes, Madrid have had their own big wins in the rivalry. But when you pull back and look at the full picture, Guardiola’s numbers are outstanding.

The Next Chapter in Pep vs Real Madrid

This rivalry is not over. Real Madrid will keep reaching the latter stages of the Champions League. So will Pep Guardiola, as long as he stays at Manchester City or moves to another giant club.

Every new knockout tie, every new visit to the Bernabéu, will adjust his record. That might mean pushing his wins total even closer to the likes of Herrera and Aragónes. It might mean new heartbreaks. That is the nature of a great football rivalry: it is never truly finished.

What we know already, though, is enough to set his place in history. Guardiola is not just one of the best managers of his generation. He is one of the few who can look at Real Madrid, with all their trophies and all their aura, and say: We have gone toe to toe, and more often than not, I have come out on top.

In an era defined by super clubs and super coaches, that might be one of the most powerful numbers on his CV.