'I’m drained. I want to quit' - new doc highlights Pep Guardiola's Man City strain
Pep Guardiola looked particularly under strain when Manchester City threw away a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League in November 2024. Pic: Carl Recine/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola clashed with his captain and almost broke down in tears as he railed at players during his worst run as Manchester City manager.
The Spaniard stood down at the end of last season after winning 20 trophies in a glorious 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.
One of the lowest point of his glittering reign came during a testing run in the autumn of 2024, when City lost nine times and won just once in the space of 13 games.
Guardiola outwardly showed signs of strain, notably when he scratched his face after City surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League.
Behind closed doors he was also angry and upset with his players, as shown in a new fly-on-the-wall Amazon Prime documentary, .
At one point he argued in the dressing room with then captain Kyle Walker, who felt he was being unfairly singled out.
“You keep saying my name in every meeting,” complained Walker after a defeat at Liverpool. “Every ******* meeting it’s my name… You’ve somehow brought my name into it.”
Walker, who had been voted captain by his team-mates, also claimed Guardiola did not want him to be skipper.
Guardiola responded by saying Walker was taking the issue too personally but also showed signs of emotion as he explained why he had extended his contract despite their poor run.
“If I am a problem you have to tell me,” said Guardiola in a broken voice. “I won’t stay here for the money or just for the fact of staying.
“I extended my contract because I want to be with you. I want to fight. I don’t want you to feel like I’m leaving or running away.”
Another extraordinary outburst came in November 2025 after a dismal 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Guardiola, whose decision to make 10 changes had backfired, threatened to quit in the dressing room afterwards.
He said: “It’s unacceptable this lack of courage, passion and love and desire to win and do it better.
“I work for you. I leave my life, my divorce and my family is away, and everything for all of you. And what do you give back? The ******* performance you have done.
“It’s a disgrace guys. I’m really ******* tired. When I see that I’m exhausted, I’m drained. I want to quit.”
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak recently said Guardiola must have threatened to leave “100 times” during his tenure but he too had his concerns after the Leverkusen game.
In a remarkable release of voice notes between Khaldoon and chief executive Ferran Soriano, the chairman said he was “so angry” after “probably one of the lowest points we’ve had”.
Soriano said the response should not be “too negative or aggressive” but “not too kind or accommodating either”.
The four-part series, which covers the past two seasons, also includes some frank boardroom discussions about transfer policy and the long-serving Kevin De Bruyne’s disappointment after being told his contract would not be renewed.
Meanwhile, Guardiola's City lynchpin Rodri headed to Barcelona on Monday to finalise a €76.50 million move to the Nou Camp.
The two clubs agreed a fee over the weekend. The midfielder (30), who lifted the World Cup with Spain this summer, had entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and was the subject of interest from both Barcelona and their Spanish rivals Real Madrid.
Barca had seen an opening offer of £40m rejected last week and failed with an increased bid before reaching an agreement on Sunday.
He is set to undergo a medical today and, if all goes to plan, his signing could be announced later, with a formal presentation pencilled in for Wednesday.
City had hoped to keep Rodri, with manager Enzo Maresca describing him as a “top player” and saying, “All the teams need Rodri” after the Community Shield on Sunday. However, they have been unable to persuade their lynchpin to stay and sign a new contract.
Rodri had only returned to City on Friday having undergone back surgery following the World Cup.
The former Atletico Madrid player has spent seven seasons with City, winning the Premier League four times and scoring the only goal when they beat Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final.
The following year he won the Ballon d’Or but by the time he was presented with the trophy he was sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out of most of the 2024-25 campaign. Further hamstring and groin problems then limited him to 33 appearances in Guardiola’s final campaign in charge.
City have already undergone major changes in midfield this summer, spending £116m on Elliot Anderson, while agreeing a deal to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadisah.
They have also been linked with Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.
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