Foot Africa
·28 juillet 2025
Guardiola Closes Barcelona Chapter Forever and Reveals Retirement Plans

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Yahoo sportsFoot Africa
·28 juillet 2025
Interview
Guardiola Closes Barcelona Chapter Forever and Reveals Retirement Plans
Pep Guardiola's officially ruled out any future return to Barcelona calling time on that chapter of his life as both player & coach.
In candid interview with GQ Magazine , the Man City boss said:
"That chapter's over forever. It was beautiful but it’s done. Return as Barcelona president? I’m not fit for that"
Guardiola also confirmed he’ll step away from coaching for indefinite period once he finishes at City:
"One year, two, three, five, ten .... I’ll stop. Maybe I’ll come back later maybe not"
Touching on comparisons between Lamine Yamal & Lionel Messi, Guardiola advised patience:
"Let Yamal build his career. Comparing him to Messi's like comparing painter to Van Gogh. That alone shows he’s talented but we must let him grow"
Still, he emphasized:
"Messi was something else. We’re talking about 90 goal in season for 15 straight years. That’s another level"
Reflecting on City’s recent struggles, he admitted:
"Maybe we should’ve changed more players. We went 13 or 14 game without win that never happened before. But it was valuable experience. Success can confuse you"
Guardiola also revealed the mental toll of management:
"For months , away fans screamed: He’ll be sacked in the morning No other profession has 60000 people hoping you lose your job"
He added that passion has evolved:
"Someday I’ll say: enough. No more players, tactics, press conferences .... I’ll be my own boss , no alarms, just peace. That day'll come"
Guardiola ended with reflection on squad management:
"I pick 11 out of 23 every 3 day. Those who don’t play think I don’t love them. But it’s the opposite I suffer for them. That’s where the conflict starts"
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