A new documentary has revealed dramatic backstage moments from the most turbulent period of Pep Guardiola’s tenure at Manchester City. The series documents tense exchanges between the Spanish manager and his players, including a fallout with former club captain Kyle Walker and the moment Guardiola admitted he was close to walking away from the club.
اضافة اعلان
According to the Amazon Prime documentary series, Guardiola spoke to the Manchester City squad before a match against Chelsea—just days after Walker joined Milan on loan in January 2025—expressing his sadness over how the captain's relationship with the club came to an end.
"How sad what happened with Kyle," Guardiola told his players before criticizing the English defender's actions, emphasizing that Walker could have come to him directly to say he was tired or wanted a new challenge.
"As a captain, you can't act the way he did—you just can't, especially during the toughest moments of our lives," the Spanish manager added, before turning to the rest of the squad and asking: "What did you do, my friends? What did you do to your captain?"
While the documentary does not explicitly reveal the exact incident that angered Guardiola and prompted his statement, other scenes capture a heated confrontation between the manager and Walker following Manchester City's loss to Liverpool in December 2024.
During that match, Walker lost possession to Luis Díaz in a play that led to a Liverpool penalty. Back in the dressing room, Guardiola criticized his captain, stressing the dangers of losing the ball in that area.
Guardiola told the players that losing the ball there meant conceding a goal, which sparked Walker's anger. "In every meeting, I get singled out," Walker fired back.
Guardiola replied, "Maybe because you're the captain," to which Walker responded, "Well, you guys didn't want me to be your captain."
Walker had been voted team captain by his teammates for the 2024–2025 season, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva serving as vice-captains.
The documentary reveals that the rift with Walker coincided with a deeply difficult personal period for Guardiola, coming amid a four-game losing streak—the first in his managerial career—alongside declining team results and mounting pressure.
In one scene, Guardiola admits telling club management after that losing streak that he might have reached the end of his road with the team, saying: "Maybe it's over."
Although the Spanish manager signed a contract extension with Manchester City in November 2024, the film highlights just how difficult that decision was. Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak acknowledged he was uncertain whether he could convince Guardiola to stay.
In another emotional moment, Guardiola is seen brought to tears in front of his players, insisting that his contract renewal was not about money or remaining for the sake of staying, but because he wanted to keep fighting with the team and restore their competitive edge.
"I extended the contract because I want to be here with you. I want to win this fight. I don't want to feel like I'm leaving or running away from you," the manager said.
He added: "If you feel—the leaders first, then the rest—that there is a problem, tell me. It won't change my love for all of you for a single second. I want to fight, that's all."
The crisis also bled into Guardiola’s personal life. Manel Estiarte, a close member of his technical staff, noted that the players noticed a distinct shift in the manager's demeanor during that period, describing him as sad and unlike his usual self.
Estiarte shared that the players were concerned for Guardiola, adding that he advised them to see the human being behind the manager, as Pep was enduring difficult personal circumstances following his divorce.
These crises unfolded during a season in which Manchester City fell out of contention for all major titles, making the 2024–2025 campaign one of Guardiola's hardest since taking charge in 2016—compounded by Rodri’s prolonged absence due to injury and the pressure surrounding the club's financial cases.
Despite the heavy strain, Guardiola chose to stay, turning a crisis that nearly drove him out into a fresh start in his journey with Manchester City. The documentary offers a rare look at the manager away from the spotlight and inside a dressing room shaped by disagreements, tears, and moments of doubt during one of the most successful managerial runs in English football history.
