Pep's farewell interview!

0:04I was going to start with some questions about titles, trophies, the treble, but just seeing your goodbye video and listening to that press conference you've just done upstairs made me realize it's more about the people, it's more about the relationships. Is that what you're really taking? It's the last thing I think about it, honestly. Trophy is always, as I said, give you the chance to have work, to continue, and the moment is happy, but I know it's the memories we have with the people you know absolutely so many many good things so unfortunate because normally I don't know what happened when we pass away you never listen when the talk the people talk about you now is look I'm pass away but the people I listen or how much love I can get and I get so it's that's really cool so I'm so blessed I have heard people talk about that before I can't quite picture who but them sort of leaving a big job and saying it's a bit like being at your own funeral is that almost how it's felt yeah you're seeing your own phone and how nice that people talk about you so it's a little bit 10 years a lot of time a lot of games a lot of uh a lot of good moments bad moments and now this is in the perfect perfect summary that how nice is i would i would say would i i live this this decade with uh this in a special city that will remain for me forever yeah when did manchester really get under your skin because Because again, watching that goodbye video, it clearly has.

1:28You talk about the industrial revolution, the color of the bricks, some really tough times and things you've experienced personally. So it's all in there. It's that. I tried to reflect. I was more than two hours and a half to write this speech and after the people from Manchester City make an incredible edition, I would say. But yeah, I was completely, completely sure what I want to say. that is not my team, my club, what does it mean to Manchester for me? And I think what I would like to remember that Man City was not just playing good. We were workers, we were competitors. We were the sense of that city and when expressed with my team.

2:08And I think we did it and that made me proud. Do you think it's actually more those hard times? It's the hard times that kind of bind you to a place? The biggest success or what you achieve when it's easy doesn't count. It's not important. It has to suffer, it has to be difficult. It has to be on the pitch and off the pitch. And this city is a tough city for the weather, but I have history behind. I have a really, really, really history. And in 10 years, it gave me time to know a little bit. Did it all feel quite alien to begin with? Was that a gradual process that became your place? I came from 25 degrees 11 months, I have for the Latin people the sun, you know, and it's completely the opposite.

2:53It's 25 degrees on Sunday though. It's a perfect farewell for me, from John and from Bernie. Yeah, absolutely. You know, you need time, you need time to adapt. But it will happen also time from Munich. So it's normal. I do remember actually during that first season, seeing you sort of with the coat zipped up, sat on a bench, you know, it's dark at four o 'clock, the rain sideways, thinking, I don't know how long this guy's going to be here. It's true, it's true, it's true that they're losing games, they're losing games, not as much like last season. This season I have a incredible good memories, the first season.

3:33I think you start to understand a little bit the Premier League and build the team and And yeah, I didn't expect, I didn't expect as 10, 10 years, definitely. I didn't expect at that time. So that first season, that's a happy memory for you, is it? Yeah, a lot, a lot. My first season I have big, big memories. I always, I have, I want to confess something, I have just one, I have regrets when you take a lot of decisions. A lot, a lot of decisions. you make mistakes. But there is one regret that I have deep inside for many years that don't give the chance to Joe Hart to be with me, to prove himself how good keeper he was.

4:18You know, and I should have done that. Not because all respect for Claudio, all respect for Eddie came in was important. But in that moment I had to, okay, Joe, let's try to do together if it doesn't work and okay we change it because it's happened but it's happened you know life is sometimes i have to take a decision and sometimes i'm not fair enough that's the life of a manager though it's so interesting though all the decisions you've made that one which is probably your first decision really i mean certainly the perception from the outside is that you'd almost decided on joe straight away really that he didn't fit how you played yeah yeah for you but maybe with time we have done and learning but i regret it for the time in that moment i said i have to be i believe in that always i'm a store in my decisions when i believe in that when i have doubts i talk with the people but when i'm completely sure 100 i said guys you have to do it in that way and and i'm in a club that they support me absolutely in everything uh with that so but this yeah this is what it is has to be like that so people need to be to be guide you know But when you try to guide with empathy, with all the mistakes.

5:29So always I try to make them feel the players, the players are completely disappointed with me because they are not selected in the start 11 or being in the bench or being in the tribune. That is fine. But then the rest, always I try to be incredible in the relations and the humanity and respectful as a human being. If that filled it, I do apologize. But never, never was my intention or the intention of the club. It's clear that when you speak to any top manager, the emotional burden of managing a top club, going every three days, making these decisions, is really big. I mean, I actually... It's much higher than any decision about you play the four in the back or five in the back.

6:12That is nothing. It is with you. Nothing. So you will live 11 months with people, and people have feelings. How you handle that? How do you push them? How do you attach? you know how we attack how be that is the most important thing and one of these energy after 10 years has been dropped for that relations and it's good directions are really good this is a bit better than maybe many years but how you are energy to deal with this emotion with the players not about winning nothing's going to change my life one more year two more years we want more public or no one more premier league you know or the champions league or no champions league it's not going to change my life have your energy to deal with the players you don't play you're going to tribune or go to you know all these stadiums to put the energy that and arrive a moment that i said it's enough simple so how big is the emotional burden of being a manager for you but also for your family i interviewed michael arteta yesterday and he was emotional obviously for different reasons but where he was speaking about his family it's clear that going every three days the the pressure you're under the expectation um it just lives with a manager every second of the day you are not there you are not there you're not a family you are part of you are part of the furniture at home but honestly it's part of the furniture so you are not this guy yeah you are not there so it's so because it's the only way it's the only way to to be there and the people feel that you are there 24 hours.

7:48It's 24 hours. Otherwise, and I have a moment that's it. Okay, maybe will happen in 10 years time, but sometimes when you can decide, you can take a break. So when we ask you all those questions, like what next, what next, is that actually what's next? Being there, being present, being with the people you love, that's what it's about. Yeah, it's like game, game, game, game. and always, okay, I want to see my life come through in front of me with a little bit more time to see what happened in front of my eyes. So it's no more than that. So the old things that I've not done and I want to do and do it.

8:30So still I have my father alive. You know, I want to, maybe last year I want to spend with him more time and my kids. and a lot of things that as a human being can do it and how fortunate I can decide I can do it so that's why I took the decision so in some respects it's quite deep questions you start asking yourselves okay I think you're 55 is that right I don't want to so you get to that point you think okay what is next things we all ask ourselves how long have I got what am I going to do with my time yeah yeah that I wouldn't yes listen I I love my job so until the last day in Bournemouth or when we won the FA Cup or whatever I love it but I wouldn't I want to do another things you know for it for one time I don't know how long will be I want to learn because I think it's a process I want to learn to do another thing as simple as that so and I think the life today give you an incredible spectrum to many things.

9:31So that you can, before you could not travel quite often, you couldn't realize how many things, exhibitions or masses can do it. So I don't go to the concerts, I don't go to the theatres, I don't go to the cinemas, I don't go to the many, many things I just want to do. And I want to learn to live a different life. So what do you want to see, whether it's a concert or a landmark or a country, Where are you off to? Where are we going to see you with your backpack? I don't know. Many things I'm going to do. I'm going to do many things I have in my mind. And of course I've been bowling football, watching my Man City, my Barcelona, my Bayern Munich, the big games still I'm watching.

10:12Football is part of my life. I cannot get it off completely, 100%. But day by day, day by day, day by day, I have to just take a break. That's all. You're going to come back and sit in the Pep Guardiola stand? Oh, God, yeah. I'm so happy for my dad. When Khaldun this morning called me and said, we decide, I decide, Shukman, Shukman, Shukman, I think no words to say. I immediately thought of my dad, you know, he's coming inside and seeing his name in a place that had been so special for me. So the club is really cool. They are really good. They are really good. How proud of you? I don't think I've heard you during the 10 years.

10:56I think he's not aware. He's Barcelona fan. He's this guy at Man City. Yeah, of course he's not aware. I'm happy that tomorrow, maybe on Sunday, he will be aware that how much the people love his son. So, wow, that is really good for me. Just something you mentioned in the press conference, when you told the players that you were going, You said in your press conference it was a disaster. Yeah, I was nervous. These kind of things, when I put on motions, it's easier when I talk 4-4-2 or 5-4 in the back, so it's easier for me. But yeah, I try to express that, yeah, what I said, new chapter has been neat in this club and it'll be good.

11:43I just want to sort of lastly ask you about your connection to England because it was always that thing at the start like could Pet do it on a wet windy night it was a stoke wasn't it and it always felt like Pet versus England but just seeing the way you've talked about the country mainly sort of this season I've kind of really noticed it again in your goodbye video you talk about the industrial revolution you know you've had Neil Warnock here to interview you it's it's clear that sort of you love this place and I think this place hopefully you feel that there's a lot admiration for you as well absolutely i fell home no mention in uk so i loved your culture i love so many times guys william shakespeare is from here you know that your traditions your uh uh i would listen always i think that own one has to be critical for his own country i'm so much critical for my country catalonia but i love him so much so i will not be the one you critic your country i will not be critical always i make a compliment about how good you are and you decide if you want to be critical to to your own self how will you be on sunday i would tell you i will tell you after after the game but i think it will be i said being with bernardo and john will be so nice and of course with Eddie that is coming to say a proper goodbye, a keeper that defined this 10 years and I'm really, I'm looking forward, you know, to hopefully they can express how happy and gratitude for all the people that made me feel home from the day one.

13:26Pep, thank you so much. You're very welcome. We'll see you around. We'll see you around. Thank you. Yeah.

13:37Major championships, tour playoffs and the Solheim Cup. There's so much amazing golf to look forward to over the next few weeks and months. Jamie Weir here, host of the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, where we'll have it all covered. Join me every week to get the best analysis from the top pundits and to hear from some of the world's star players. Can Scotty complete the career Grand Slam on what will be his 30th birthday? can a freed up Rory surpass Sir Nick Faldo and become officially the most successful European golfer of all time? And what about Tommy Fleetwood perhaps lifting the claret jug just a stone's throw from where he grew up at Royal Birkdale?

14:17And can Charlie Hull inspire Europe to claim back the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands? That's the Sky Sports Golf Podcast. Listen and give us a follow wherever you get your podcasts. Find us through your Sky TV or watch us on YouTube. you