It is sometimes said that you can judge a man by his friends. It is also said that you can judge a man by his shoes but we won’t go down that path today. So, if we do judge a man by his friends, or at least get some insight into his character and personality, then let us look briefly at Pep Guardiola, the former coach of Barcelona now bound for the apparent delights of Munich.

According to this story by Jon Carlin published in the Financial Times, one of Guardiola’s best friends is the Spanish novelist and film director David Trueba. Wait, this is different. No, really. It is. Trueba and Guardiola first met in 1995 when Pep was a 24-year-old player with Barcelona. At a poetry reading.

David Trueba and Pep Guardiola discuss Cervantes. Possibly. Or Levante v Getafe.

Trueba wrote a film called The Girl Of Your Dreams, directed by his Academy Award-winning brother Fernando. The film, about a group of Spaniards who travel to Germany (OK, during World War II not in 2013), starred Penelope Cruz. As you do.

Guardiola and Fernando Trueba recently (ish) made a great-looking short film together. Actually, it’s not a film but a conversation/interview about “The Future”. It helps if you speak Spanish but worth checking out even if you don’t.

Guardiola has – now famously – taken a year off from his job, spending 12 months or so living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York. According to David Trueba: “I went over to see him and we went to shows and museums – we even had dinner with a famous economist. For the American elections he stayed up until the final result was in, peppering me with information all night on the phone, following Obama.”

What does all this mean? Nothing much. But, personally, it’s more interesting than a football coach who is interested in horse racing. Or nothing but football. But that’s just me.