Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told GQ magazine that while his time at Barcelona—both as a player and coach—was “a beautiful chapter,” he considers it permanently closed and wouldn’t return to the club, not even as president.
“It’s over. It’s over forever. It was beautiful, but it’s done. Return as president? No, I’m not cut out for that,” said Guardiola, who also shared that once his time at City ends, he’s fully decided on taking an indefinite break. “One year, two, three, five, ten, fifteen… we’ll see.”
When asked about rising star Lamine Yamal and comparisons to Lionel Messi, Guardiola was cautious:
“I think Lamine Yamal should be allowed to make his own career. After 15 years of playing, we’ll be able to say if he’s better or worse. Just let him develop. The fact that he’s being compared to Messi already is a big deal. It’s like comparing a painter to Van Gogh—if they say that, then wow, it must mean he’s good. But comparing him already just shows how promising he is. Still, let him build his own path.”
While he acknowledged the Barça winger is “very good,” Guardiola stressed that Messi’s legacy is on another level:
“We’re talking about 90 goals a season, for 15 straight years, without injuries. That’s next-level. Just let it be. Let it be.”
The inevitable dip at Manchester City
Guardiola also reflected on City’s recent season:
“When you win six Premier Leagues, eventually there’s a drop. It’s human nature. Maybe we should’ve moved more players, but that’s easy to say in hindsight. It was a fall that needed to happen, and it hit deeper than we expected.”
Looking back, he said it may not have been as bad as it seemed:
“We went months without winning. Thirteen or fourteen games without a win—that had never happened. But it brought us back down to earth. It was healthy. Success can cloud your vision.”
On coaching pressure and his salary
Finally, Guardiola reflected on the reality of his profession:
“For four or five months this season, every away stadium I went to, people were chanting: ‘You’ll be sacked in the morning.’ No other job—architect, teacher, doctor, journalist—has 60,000 people wishing you’d lose your job. But our profession is so well paid, we’re compensated for this. If you can’t take it, do something else.”
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