Former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova loses battle with throat cancer

Former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has died away of throat cancer at the age of 45. Barcelona FC's official Twitter feed tweeted: 'The FC Barcelona is in immense mourning. Tito Vilanova has died at the age of 45. May he rest in peace.'

Vilanova took over at club ahead of 2012-13 after his boss Pep Guardiola took a break from football and was Guardiola's assistant in the most successful period in the club's during which they three out of four La Liga tiles and two Champions League titles in 2009 and 2011, outclassing Manchester United in both finals.

After his former boss took a sabbatical, Vilanova took over the reins at Barcelona which saw Barcelona winning 18 of the first 19 games of the season. That's when his cancer relapsed and at times his assistant Jordi Roura was forced to take charge of the team on occasions he was undergoing treatment. At the end of the season Vilanova announced he was resigning to concentrate on his recovery from illness. Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona, expressed his condolences on Twitter: 'Tito Vilanova was a wonderful person, and will never be forgotten at FC Barcelona. Thank you for everything you taught us. Rest in peace.'

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