In the glorious history of Spanish soccer, the stories between referees and players are often full of tension and wisdom collision. Former La Liga referee Perez Brewer recently shared a little-known anecdote between him and legendary coach Pep Guardiola in an interview, an experience that not only showed the youthfulness and challenges of his first foray into La Liga, but also revealed the unique charisma and far-reaching influence of Guardiola as a leader.
Perez Brewer recalls the early days of his career, when he had to adapt quickly and show his authority in the face of heavy pressure from the La Liga giants. He mentions having to send Guardiola off for a misjudgment in his first game enforcing Barcelona, a scene that became an unforgettable starting point in his career. However, it was Guardiola's words to him after the game that really stuck with him for the rest of his life: "You'll know what Barcelona is."
The sentence happened during a match in which Perez-Brule was in poor enforcement form, and he made a number of misjudgments due to his nervousness, including wrongly sending off Barcelona center back Cueto and misjudging Rivaldo's penalty kick hitting the post as a corner kick. Faced with such a predicament, Perez Brewer felt unprecedented pressure, but Guardiola's words were like an invisible force that inspired him to keep going.
"Guardiola's words made me realize that no matter how big a challenge I face, I must remain calm and focused." Perez Brewer lamented, "His words were full of pride and perseverance in the Barcelona spirit and made me realize that as a referee, I must have the same strong beliefs and determination as the players."
In the end, Perez Brewer learned a valuable lesson from that game, even though he called multiple fouls and gave multiple yellow and red cards. He realized that enforcing the law in the top league requires not only professional knowledge and skills, but also a strong psychological quality and the ability to deal with pressure. And the famous quote from Guardiola has become an indispensable spiritual pillar in his career.
