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Man City documentary reveals Guardiola’s ‘I want to quit’ moment

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Pep Guardiola’s final years at Manchester City, including his fallout with captain Kyle Walker and the impact of his divorce, have been revealed in a new Amazon Prime documentary charting the manager’s final years at the club.

The documentary shows Guardiola fighting back tears, questioning whether his time at City was over and confronting his players during a difficult period that ultimately preceded his departure after a decade in charge.

One of the most striking moments, according to GB News on Tuesday, centred on Walker’s decision to leave City for AC Milan on loan in January 2025 after telling Guardiola he wanted a fresh challenge.

Ahead of a home match against Chelsea, Guardiola expressed his disappointment over the defender’s departure and questioned Walker’s conduct as captain.

He said, “So sad, what happened with Kyle.

“It was so easy for him to come to me [and say] ‘I’m tired’. But you cannot behave as a captain the way he has done it. You cannot, in the toughest moments in our lives.

“What did you do my friends? What did you do with your captain? Tell me, what did you do?”

The documentary also captures a tense exchange between the pair after City’s defeat by Liverpool in December 2024.

Walker had lost possession to Luis Diaz before the Liverpool forward subsequently won a penalty, prompting Guardiola to criticise the defender inside the dressing room.

“Kyle has to know that if you lose the ball it’s a goal,” Guardiola furiously said.

An irritated Walker responded: “Every meeting, it’s my name.”

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Guardiola replied: “Maybe because you’re a captain.”

Walker then said: “OK. You didn’t want me to be your captain.”

The confrontation came during a difficult period for Guardiola, who had seen City lose four consecutive matches for the first time in his managerial career.

Although Guardiola had signed a contract extension in November 2024, the documentary reveals that he came close to leaving the club.

Guardiola recalls telling City “maybe it’s over”, while chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak described the situation as a genuine concern.

“You know the boy that cried wolf? He is the boy that cried wolf.

“I always convince him, but last year, I knew, this time he actually saw the wolf,” Al Mubarak said

Guardiola was also dealing with the breakdown of his marriage during City’s difficult 2024-25 campaign.

His long-time colleague Manel Estiarte said players became concerned about the manager’s emotional state.

“They were worried because Pep was anxious,” Estiarte said.

“He was sad. He was different. And only I knew the reason.

“And I said to the team, ‘please, you have to understand, you’re not playing with a coach who can be a bit impulsive, who can be a bit intense, who can be sometimes up and down. You’re seeing a human being. He’s getting a divorce’,” he added.

The pressure also featured in Guardiola’s dressing-room talks.

After a defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in November 2025, he told his players: “I work for you and 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, all of you. It’s a disgrace guys.

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“When I see that, I am exhausted, I’m drained, I want to quit. When you play like this, I feel alone.”

The documentary also covers other departures during City’s rebuilding process, including Kevin De Bruyne’s exit after a decade at the club. Guardiola admitted the decision “kills me”.

PUNCH Online reports that Guardiola eventually stepped down after 10 years at City, having won 20 trophies during his spell, with the FA Cup and League Cup providing the final honours of his tenure.

Source: punchng.com

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Alex Ferguson opens up about recovery from brain haemorrhage

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Ex-Man United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has opened up about his recovery from a brain haemorrhage, recalling the fear and uncertainty he experienced after undergoing emergency surgery in 2018.

The former Manchester United gaffer suffered the haemorrhage in May 2018 and returned to Old Trafford four months later to watch United face Wolves in the Premier League.

Despite spending 26 years in charge of the club and becoming one of football’s most successful managers, Ferguson admitted he was nervous about returning to the stadium.

As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Ferguson was quoted as saying, “I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn’t,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson, who was accompanied by his wife Cathy, received a standing ovation from supporters when they took their seats in the directors’ box.

“My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said ‘that’s fantastic’,” he recalled.

Ferguson was 76 when he suffered the haemorrhage and had already retired from management five years earlier. He went on to make a gradual recovery, although the early stages were particularly difficult.

“I had lost my voice; I couldn’t speak,” he said. “That was a frightening moment.”

He recalled how his grandsons visited him during his recovery and saw him struggling to speak.

“I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice,” Ferguson said.

A therapist then helped him begin the process of regaining his speech through a series of exercises.

“Then they brought in a therapist and she started doing things like asking me to write down the names of birds, names of animals, names of rivers,” he said.

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“That way my voice came back.”

Now approaching his 85th birthday, Ferguson says he is feeling well despite dealing with some minor injuries.

The Scot has also reflected on his extraordinary football career in his new book, _Games of My Life_, which recounts 21 defining matches from his playing and managerial career.

Ferguson spent 26 years managing Manchester United, winning 38 trophies during his time at the club and establishing himself as one of the most decorated managers in football history.

His recollections offer a personal insight into both his remarkable career and the difficult period that followed one of the most serious health challenges of his life.

Source: punchng.com

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FIFA blocks Argentina’s plan to retire Messi’s No. 10 shirt

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Argentina’s plan to retire Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 shirt has been blocked by FIFA regulations, according to GOAL.com reports on Thursday.

The Argentine Football Association reportedly wanted to permanently retire the number following Messi’s retirement from international football.

Messi announced on August 31 that he would retire from international football after more than two decades with Argentina.

The Inter Miami forward is expected to make his farewell appearance before the Argentine public on October 6 when the country faces Benin in a friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Messi, who has 207 international appearances and 125 goals, has worn Argentina’s No. 10 shirt throughout much of his international career.

However, FIFA regulations require teams competing in international final tournaments to use squad numbers from 1 to 26, preventing Argentina from permanently retiring the No. 10 shirt.

Liberia encountered a similar issue after retiring the No. 14 shirt in honour of former striker and president George Weah.

FIFA regulations subsequently required the number to be used during the country’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has yet to decide who will inherit Messi’s number.

“We are not obliged to assign it for the upcoming matches, so we will give it to no one until after Leo’s farewell match. We just have not yet decided who,” ESPN quoted Scaloni as saying.

However, ESPN Argentina reporter Federico Bueno reported that Nico Paz is the leading candidate to take over the shirt if Scaloni extends his contract.

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“If Scaloni extends his contract as Argentina head coach, then Nico Paz will be the new number 10. That has been decided internally,” Bueno said.

Paz, 22, is an attacking midfielder who previously played for Real Madrid before joining Italian side Como permanently for €60m last summer.

He has made 11 appearances for Argentina and scored once.

Source: punchng.com

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Michael Jordan’s ‘last dance’ jersey sells for record $12.3m – Report reveals

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Michael Jordan’s jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $12.3 million (£9.3 million), setting a new record for Jordan memorabilia as reported by BBC Sport on Thursday.

The Chicago Bulls jersey was worn by Jordan during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, the season later immortalised as his “Last Dance”.

Jordan led the Bulls to a 4-2 series victory over the Utah Jazz, securing his sixth and final NBA championship.

He was also named Finals Most Valuable Player for the sixth time.

The sale surpasses the previous record for Jordan memorabilia, $10.1 million (£7.6 million) paid for his jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 Finals.

The jersey was sold by entrepreneur Ryan Gough through Joopiter, the digital auction house founded by Pharrell Williams.

It had been estimated to sell for between $10 million and $15 million.

“Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan’s game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals,” Joopiter said in its auction listing.

“Worn during the Last Dance… it marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon.”

The auction house added that the jersey “stands among the most important game-worn sports artifacts ever to come to market.”

Jordan memorabilia has continued to command major prices at auction. His 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello also recently sold for $2.7 million, four times the previous auction record for the model.

Despite the latest sale, Jordan’s jersey does not hold the record for the most expensive game-worn sports memorabilia.

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That distinction belongs to Babe Ruth’s jersey associated with his famous “called shot” during the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.1 million (£18.2 million) in 2024.

Source: punchng.com

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