Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola Wednesday agreed to a one-year contract extension that ties him to the European champions through 2011. The announcement ended weeks of speculation over the 39-year-old's future. His contract had been set to expire in June. “It was an unanimous decision that Pep should continue as coach,” Barcelona club president, Joan Laporta, told a packed press conference. The club said the deal would be signed by Guardiola and whoever wins the club's presidential elections scheduled for this spring. Guardiola led Barcelona to an unprecedented six major trophies in one year after replacing Frank Rijkaard at the start of the 2008-09 season, winning the Champions League, Spanish league, Copa del Rey, European and Spanish Supercups and the Club World Cup. Guardiola said he liked to think his contract was being renewed not because of what he had won so far but for what he intended to achieve with the club in the future. “Sooner or later I know I will have to stop being coach of FC Barcelona and I know that I'm not going to be better off anywhere else,” he said. Laporta said the club aimed to keep Guardiola for many more seasons but Guardiola said he preferred to sign short-term contracts. “I believe you should for sign for short periods in which, as coach, you have to win things, win the players, win the fans,” he said. Although the agreement ties him to the club for the short-term, Guardiola's long-term future will remain open to speculation with Manchester United reportedly considering the Santpedor-native to replace Alex Ferguson once the manager steps down. Guardiola said he put off contract talks to stay motivated, but recent public clamor appeared to have helped progress the deal, with Laporta having initially given him until Easter to make a decision. Guardiola became only the sixth man to win Europe's top competition as a player (1992) and coach when Barcelona beat Ferguson's Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final in Rome last May. Led by a potent attack, spearheaded by world player of the year Lionel Messi and midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, Guardiola's success has been marked by trademark flair and bravado. Barcelona won last year's league title with a record points haul and added a record 25th Copa del Rey title after two seasons without silverware. It also scored a record 6-2 victory over arch rival Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Guardiola was a former key player for Barcelona under Dutch coach Johan Cruyff in the 1990s, and also played for Brescia and AS Roma in Italy before retiring in 2006. He made 386 appearances for Barcelona as a skillful defensive midfielder and went on to become team captain. He won the Spanish league title six times, the Copa del Rey twice, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 11 years in the team. He also played 47 times for Spain.
