Pep Guardiola fined himself for comment towards Phil Foden during Man City Champions League match | OneFootball

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Pep Guardiola decided to fine himself after an outburst aimed at Phil Foden during a game caused the Manchester City midfielder to confront his manager.

The incident occurred against FC Porto a couple of years ago and was a result of a free-kick not being taken in the way that the City manager had originally instructed.

Incensed, he launched into a tirade aimed at Foden, and it's safe to say the Englishman wasn't happy about it at all, according to James Ducker.

During the game, a free-kick was taken that didn't quite follow Guardiola's instructions, and it saw the manager launch into a rant aimed at Foden.

Mid-game, the former Barcelona manager said: "“F***ing hell Phil! F***ing hell! You haven’t done what I said!”

The Englishman wasn't happy at all with the way his boss had spoken to him, though, and after the game, he wasted no time confronting Guardiola.

Waiting by the dressing room after the game, Foden blasted his boss, saying: “Don’t ever do that to me again! You wouldn’t do that to other players.”

The manager agreed as well, apologising immediately, before calling a full team meeting to apologise to Foden again, this time in front of the entire squad.

The City boss had apparently been encouraging the youngster to stand up for himself for a couple of years, so the move actually impressed him, and he saw it as the now 23-year-old's official transition from boy to man. Guardiola even went one further and paid a self-imposed fine for the incident. You don't see that very often.

Taking charge of Man City in 2016, Guardiola has been Foden's manager throughout his entire career, and the Spaniard's influence on his career has been stressed numerous times over the years.

The Englishman was eased into the City team, with playing time initially hard to come by, but the patient approach to his introduction to the squad has been praised by many, with the star's incredible performances over the last few years largely looked at as a result of the way he was brought into the side.

Too often, players are either thrust into the first team too early, or shipped out on numerous loans to lesser sides, and it doesn't always benefit the talent's career. With Foden, though, Guardiola decided to take his time, slowly introducing him to the first team, and keeping him at the club, when many called for him to go out on loan in search of regular football.

Instead, staying at the club, and learning around the likes of some of football's greatest players has been vital for Foden's progression, and it's clearly done him the world of good.

After he was finally cemented as a first-team regular during the 2019-20 season, the 23-year-old quickly became a stand-out talent for City, and he has regularly been regarded as one of the best young talents in the Premier League and the world. Having scored in double figures for three straight years now, there's simply no denying how big an influence Guardiola, and the way he approached Foden's career, has been for the talented midfielder.