Meho Kodro (foto: //)
During their time as roommates at FC Barcelona, Pep Guardiola's keen interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina deeply impressed former player Meho Kodro, highlighting Guardiola's thoughtful nature and leadership qualities.
Former Bosnian footballer
Meho Kodro enjoyed an illustrious playing career, peaking during his time at
FC Barcelona, where he shared a room with
Pep Guardiola. Kodro recalls the early days at the Catalan club, being surprised by Guardiola's inquiries about Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kodro, who began his career with Mostar's Velež before moving to Spain's Real Sociedad in the summer of 1991, where he became a club legend. His career highlight came in the summer of 1995 when Kodro transferred to Barcelona for 5.5 million euros, a move prompted by then-coach Johan Cruyff.
Recently, the former Bosnian international appeared on the show "Mojih TOP 11," hosted by Serbian journalist Nebojša Petrović, and reminisced about his time at Barcelona. Kodro shared a particular memory from the summer of 1995 when he arrived at Barcelona from Sociedad. He explained that during a preseason camp in the Netherlands, lasting about ten or twelve days, he roomed with Pep Guardiola, who was already showing signs of being a coach on the field.
"Cruyff had a policy of pairing incoming foreign players with local ones during the preseason to help them assimilate the club's values, talk tactics, and help the new player adapt faster," Kodro explained.
"I was rooming with Guardiola during that camp. It was incredible; conversations with him were exhaustive because he was interested in everything. How I play, what I like, how Barcelona and even the city functioned—not just on the pitch but off it as well," Kodro continued.
"He was particularly interested in the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was incredible. I've never had someone so keen to understand what was happening in our country as Guardiola was," he added.
At the time, José Mari Bakero was the captain, and Guardiola was the vice-captain, but he always acted like one of the leaders—essentially Cruyff's right hand on the field.
Kodro only spent one season at Barcelona before moving to Tenerife for three million euros. He managed to win the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona and played a total of 43 matches, scoring 15 goals, including two memorable ones in a 3-0 El Clasico victory over Real Madrid. Barcelona decided to sell Kodro after acquiring Brazilian striker Ronaldo from PSV for a then-substantial 15 million euros.
The native of Mostar spent three seasons in Tenerife and then one with Deportivo Alaves. After a brief stint at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kodro announced the end of his playing career.