Guardiola's world: Cruyff, the best Real Madrid and how the Premier League sells itself Football The coach spoke to Jorge Valdano

Real Madrid may have won four of the past five Champions Leagues, but Pep Guardiola believes that the team of the late 1980s and early 1990s of Emilio Butragueno was the best one in the capital city club's history.

Even though they didn't win the European Cup, he loved their way of playing.

"The Quinta del Buitre Real Madrid side were, with all due respect, the best I have seen," he said in an interview with Jorge Valdano on Movistar+.

Guardiola, though, did point out that Johan Cruyff always praised his own Barcelona players and the current Manchester City coach spoke about the day when Real Madrid lost the league title on the final day, when Valdano's Tenerife side beat them.

"Cruyff always told us that we were better and before the Tenerife game he told us he was sure Real Madrid would lose," the Catalan said.

Speaking further about Cruyff, Guardiola was full of praise for the Dutch legend.

"He had this presence, with his Ray Ban glasses," he said.

"I always thought that many of the things he said he didn't believe, but he made you think that things were that way.

"He didn't have preparation methods and he trusted others to take decide how to train, but he did have a playing method.

"He didn't move onto plan B, as he instead made plan A stronger.

"Everything was new.

"Since he was always in good shape, he didn't explain things to you as he just showed you.

"Cruyff didn't convince me, he made me fall in love."

He discussed a number of other topics, clubs and players, one of which was Roberto Baggio.

"Roberto Baggio is one of the most incredible players I've played with," Guardiola said.

"He'd had two operations on his knees and was half-lame, but he was always were I thought he should be.

"I can't imagine what he'd have been like had he been fully fine and surrounded by good players."

Guardiola and Baggio coincided at Brescia at the very beginning of the 21st century.

Nowadays, Guardiola is impressing in the Premier League on the sidelines and he spoke about the English top division too.

"The Premier League seems better than it is because of the way it's sold and the way they broadcast the product," he said, before speaking about the English press.

"After having been in Barcelona, everything is more bearable.

"The badness and cruelty that there is in the press in Spain doesn't exist in England or Germany."

Guardiola is currently in his third season at Manchester City and looking to retain the Premier League title.