Barcelona's star names weren't immune to Pep Guardiola's axe

Pep Guardiola's decision to sign Claudio Bravo rather than stick with Joe Hart as his first-choice Manchester City goalkeeper was a major call by the incoming head coach.

But history shows that Guardiola isn't afraid of such decisions. In fact, his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich saw many big-name players moved on…

See Torino's fans welcoming Joe Hart ahead of his move from Man City See Torino's fans welcoming Joe Hart ahead of his move from Man City

Barcelona

The departure of World Cup-winning utility man Gianluca Zambrotta might have been anticipated but Ronaldinho was Barcelona's biggest star. That wasn't enough to persuade Guardiola to keep him at the club. Xavi recently recalled that it was in their very first training session that the new coach emphasised the importance of hard work, putting him at odds with Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian was moved on to AC Milan with Deco, another member of the team's 2006 Champions League winning squad, leaving for Chelsea. Samuel Eto'o did survive but only for a season, after which he was traded to Inter in order to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

However, the Swede also struggled to win over Guardiola - staying only one season himself. This is a coach who demands quality on the ball to be matched by attitude off it. Yaya Toure was another who perhaps lacked the intensity required and he joined Ibrahimovic in leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2010.

Bayern Munich

After having a one-season sabbatical, Guardiola had plenty of time to evaluate the Bayern side that won the treble. The team's success didn't stop him making tweaks, however, with Luis Gustavo and Mario Gomez, each of whom had played in the Champions League final victory, both gone by August.

Mario Mandzukic did survive Guardiola's first season but he was out of the door the following year, while, perhaps surprisingly, Toni Kroos joined him as well. With Xherdan Shaqiri also unable to persuade Guardiola, it's clear that talent alone isn't enough to make you one of Guardiola's men.

Summary

Full-backs and centre-halves, midfielders, wingers and strikers, and now a high-profile goalkeeper - no player is safe from Guardiola's axe. Not that Hart should be too downcast. Given the list of players deemed surplus to requirements over the years, he's joined quite a club…