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From Zlatan to Walker: Players who clashed with Pep Guardiola

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Pep Guardiola's demanding management style has led to public fallouts with several high-profile players across his career.
  • Players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Toure, Joe Hart, and Joao Cancelo have spoken critically of their experiences with the manager.
  • These disputes often involved disagreements over playing time, tactical roles, or perceived personal issues.

Pep Guardiola is widely celebrated as one of football's greatest managers, but his intense and meticulous approach has also been a source of conflict with some of the game's biggest stars. From his time at Barcelona to his current role at Manchester City, numerous high-profile players have publicly shared their difficult relationships with the Catalan tactician.

Ibrahimovic later described Guardiola as a great coach but questioned him on a personal level, with their strained relationship becoming one of the most talked-about player-manager disputes of Guardiola’s career.

— Planet FootballDescribing Zlatan Ibrahimovic's falling out with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's tenure at Barcelona in 2009/10 was marred by a strained relationship with Guardiola. The Swedish striker, who joined for a significant fee, struggled to become a key player and later criticized Guardiola personally, despite acknowledging his coaching prowess. Similarly, Samuel Eto'o, another crucial forward for Barcelona before Guardiola's arrival, eventually left for Inter Milan in 2009. Eto'o later spoke critically of his time under Guardiola, taking satisfaction in Inter's Champions League victory over Barcelona in 2010.

The former Ivory Coast midfielder once accused Guardiola of having problems with African players. He later apologised for the comments and admitted that what he said was wrong.

— Planet FootballRecounting Yaya Toure's past accusations against Pep Guardiola.

Yaya Toure experienced a complex relationship with Guardiola at both Barcelona and Manchester City, once accusing the manager of having issues with African players before later retracting the statement. Despite his importance to Manchester City, Toure departed in 2018. Goalkeeper Joe Hart found himself out of favor shortly after Guardiola's arrival at City in 2016, with Guardiola explaining he didn't fit the profile of goalkeeper he desired. This led to Hart's departure on loan and eventually a permanent move away from the club.

Hart recalled Guardiola telling him during a lengthy conversation that he did not see him fitting the profile of goalkeeper he wanted.

— Planet FootballExplaining Joe Hart's departure from Manchester City under Guardiola.

More recently, Joao Cancelo, a key player for Manchester City, saw his relationship with Guardiola break down, resulting in a loan move to Bayern Munich in January 2023. Cancelo later expressed feelings of being unappreciated by the club and refuted claims of being a disruptive influence. Even Kyle Walker, who has enjoyed significant success under Guardiola, winning every major trophy, has reportedly had his own moments of friction with the manager, though the specifics remain less publicized than other cases.

Cancelo later claimed that City had been “ungrateful” towards him and rejected suggestions that he had been a disruptive presence in the dressing room.

— Planet FootballDetailing Joao Cancelo's perspective on his exit from Manchester City.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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