Documentary reveals Pep Guardiola almost in tears during Manchester City bad run
By Andy Hampson, Press Association
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 points 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, A Beautiful Obsession.
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.
:: A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK & Ireland 19 August 2026.
