According to L’Équipe, Luis Enrique held talks with Nàstic in November 2006 shortly after ending his playing career. The former Spain international was interested in beginning his coaching journey and proposed bringing Pep Guardiola into the staff as his assistant.
At the time, Nàstic were competing in Spain’s top division and searching for a replacement after dismissing Luis César Sampedro. The club had won promotion to La Liga under Luis César, but the board wanted a new manager to help secure their place in the division.
Josep Sicart, then Nàstic’s sporting director, supported Luis Enrique’s candidacy. The proposal also offered a way to bring Guardiola into coaching, with both former players looking to take their first steps on the touchline.
However, the club’s leadership ultimately favoured experience over the prospect of appointing a pair of newcomers. Paco Flores was selected instead, ending the possibility of Luis Enrique and Guardiola starting their managerial careers together in Tarragona.
The decision looks striking in retrospect. Luis Enrique would go on to coach Barcelona, Spain and Paris Saint-Germain, while Guardiola established himself at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Both became known for teams built around possession, pressing and detailed tactical preparation, although their careers developed independently.
Nàstic’s choice did not deliver the desired result. Flores was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the 2006-07 season, and the club returned to the second tier after just one campaign in La Liga.
Luis Enrique eventually entered coaching in 2008, taking charge of Barcelona’s reserve team. Guardiola had already moved into the senior role at Barcelona after guiding the club’s B team, leaving Luis Enrique to follow a separate route into management.
The story has resurfaced almost two decades later as a reminder of how uncertain the early stages of a coaching career can be. In 2006, Nàstic had little reason to know how far the two candidates would rise, but the club passed on a pairing that would have made an extraordinary chapter in football history.