Cruyff died on Thursday at the age of 68 after losing his battle against lung cancer.
The Dutchman spent five years at Barcelona as a player, but was even more successful with the Catalan giants as a manager.
Cruyff guided the Spanish side to four back-to-back La Liga titles and helped create the 'dream team', which included now-Bayern Munich boss Guardiola.
"I knew nothing about football before knowing Cruyff," Guardiola told Spanish radio. "He protected me in my early days as a footballer. He gave me a footballing lesson in how to conduct myself, to keep my distance from the media.
"At half-time when you had played badly, you expected to get an earful and be told to push yourself and fight more. He told you that you were playing badly because you were running too much. You had to send the ball where you wanted it to go and not to run after it. Lionel Messi is the [Barcelona] player who runs the least and in that he was Cruyff's best pupil. He told you completely the opposite to what you had always learned.
"He left us many things. We have all followed him in one way or another. Some as coaches, others as sporting directors, others commentators, and that's only possible if someone gives you something. He helped us to understand football, and he encouraged you to trust your instinct, your nose, to make decisions."
Cruyff won 13 major trophies as a manager during his spells at Ajax and Barcelona.
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