Tito Vilanova will be FC Barcelona's head manager through 2014

Barcelona (FCB).- FC Barcelona have come to an agreement with Francesc ‘Tito’ Vilanova. This season's first team assistant manager will be the head coach of FC Barcelona for two seasons, through June 30^th, 2014. Barça’s new manager will sign his new contract this Friday, at noon.

With Vilanova at the helm of Barça’s bench, the continuity of Barça’s play style is secured. FC Barcelona’s new coach was Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola’s assistant manager during the most glorious era of Barça football. Both of the men, in 2007, took hold of Barça’s reserve side and led the team to Segunda Divisón B and in 2008, they were named managers of the first team.

On April 27^th of this year, Guardiola, accompanied by FC Barcelona’s President Rosell and Sports Director Andoni Zubizarreta, announced his decision to step down from his position as head manager during a press conference at the Camp Nou. During the same press conference, Rosell announced the name of FC Barcelona’s new manager for the 2012/13 season, Tito Vilanova. The new manager will be the 16^th Catalan manager of the football first team in FC Barcelona’s history. During the press conference Zubizarreta said that the new manager “represents the play style, the analysis, the planning, the commitment and the personality” that have characterised the team these past four years.

Tito Vilanova, who was born in Bellacaire d’Empordà (near the Costa Brava) on September 17^th 1969, is a La Masia graduate. The Azulgrana manager joined Barça’s youth system in 1984. After making the jump to Barça B and featuring in three first-team friendlies, his career took him to Figueres, Celta, Badajoz, Mallorca, Lleida, Elche and Gramenet. Once he hung up his boots, he started his managerial career with FC Barcelona’s Cadete B (U15) team in the 2001/02 season. In 2007, after managing other teams, Vilanova returned to the Barcelona sports club where he started to train the reserve side with Guardiola. Five years later, he's officially been named FC Barcelona's head manager.