Documentary reveals Pep Guardiola almost in tears during Manchester City bad run

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