Last Updated: Fri, 09 May 2008 09:23
Barcelona claim boss Frank Rijkaard has made 'history' at the club after confirming he will be replaced by Josep Guardiola this summer.
Dutch coach Rijkaard still has one more year left on his contract at the Nou Camp but the Catalan giants have decided to make a change following a disappointing campign in which they sit 17 points behind newly-crowned Primera Liga champions Real Madrid and lost to Manchester United in the Champions League semi-finals.
Former midfielder Guardiola will step into the hot seat at the end of the current La Liga campaign, but Barca president Joan Laporta would not let Rijkaard go without a glowing tribute, following a five-year stint in which he won two league titles, the Copa del Rey twice and the 2006 Champions League.
Laporta told the club's official website: "Frank has done an excellent job and behaved excellently.
"We will remember Frank Rijkaard as the coach who led the recovery of the team and in three years took it to the (Champions League) glory of Paris.
"His record was exceptional and should not be obscured by the results of the last two seasons. We can conclude that Frank Rijkaard has made history.
"However, it's the end of a cycle and the results haven't gone our way. It's proof that the mistakes we detected last year haven't been corrected."
On Guardiola's appointment, Laporta added: "We believe in Guardiola to lead the new sporting project. He guarantees renewed continuity in the footballing style that has given us success.
"He has the knowledge, the enthusiasm, the self-confidence and the love for the club that are necessary."