Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told his players he was “incredibly sad” after captain Kyle Walker asked to leave the club, while accusing the defender of failing to behave appropriately as a leader, a new documentary reveals.
The Amazon Prime series, which follows Guardiola through his final two years at City, captures the emotional address shortly after Walker moved to AC Milan on loan in January 2025.
Speaking before a home match against Chelsea, Guardiola 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 does not make clear which specific actions Guardiola was referring to. However, it shows a heated exchange between the manager and Walker after Manchester City’s defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in December 2024.
Walker was involved in the incident that led to Liverpool forward Luis Diaz winning a penalty after the defender lost possession. Guardiola later told his team: “Kyle has to know that if you lose the ball it’s a goal.”
Walker reacted angrily, saying: “Every meeting, it’s my name”.
Guardiola replied: “Maybe because you’re a captain.”
Walker then said: “OK. You didn’t want me to be your captain”.
The England defender had been selected by his Manchester City team-mates to captain the side during the 2024-25 season. Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Bernardo Silva were appointed vice-captains.
Walker joined City from Tottenham in 2017 for £50m and made 316 appearances for the club before his move to AC Milan. He won six Premier League titles under Guardiola.
His final season at the Etihad was affected by a poor run of form and results, with City ending the 2024-25 campaign without a trophy. It was only the second time that had happened since Guardiola became manager in July 2016.
Guardiola’s personal struggles and decision to stay
The documentary also reveals how close Guardiola came to leaving Manchester City before signing a contract extension in November 2024.
After the club suffered four consecutive defeats, the first time Guardiola had experienced such a run in his career, he told director Kevin Macdonald: “Maybe it’s over.”
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he had doubts about whether he could persuade Guardiola to remain at the club.
“You know the boy that cried wolf? He is the boy that cried wolf,” the Emirati said.
“I always convince him, but last year, I knew, this time he actually saw the wolf.”
City’s disappointing 2024-25 campaign came amid several difficult circumstances. The club had 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules hanging over it, while Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, suffered a long-term injury.
Guardiola was also going through a divorce. His mental state became the subject of media speculation after he appeared with several scratches on his head and nose following a 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord in November 2024.
Guardiola does not say that his personal problems affected his work, but Manel Estiarte, a long-standing member of his technical staff, describes how players became concerned about their manager.
“They were worried because Pep was anxious,” he says.
“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’.”
The series includes footage of Guardiola focused intensely on tactics, as well as scenes in which he gives emotional team talks and criticises his players.
After a defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in November 2025, Guardiola tells the squad: “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.
“When I see that, I am exhausted, I’m drained, I want to quit. When you play like this, I feel alone.”
On other occasions, Guardiola warns the players that they will “get a new manager” unless their performances improve. He also talks about using a knife to get into their hearts, demands that the squad hug each other and him before matches, and attributes poor performances to celebrations that lack enthusiasm.
Guardiola left Manchester City at the end of the 2025-26 season after a decade at the Etihad. He won 20 trophies during his time in charge, including the FA Cup and League Cup in his final campaign.
Asked about his future, he says: “I don’t know even myself what I am going to do,” adding: “It will be difficult to come back. That’s my feeling today. I need to refresh many things that happened in my personal life.”
De Bruyne departure and Cherki concerns
The documentary also examines City’s attempt to rebuild an ageing squad during the 2024 winter and summer transfer windows.
Kevin De Bruyne, who won 16 trophies in 10 years at the Etihad, left the club at the age of 35. French winger Rayan Cherki, then 22, arrived as one of the club’s major additions.
De Bruyne did not want to leave, the series suggests, and is shown becoming emotional as he discusses the effect of the decision on his family.
Guardiola describes the difficulty of allowing a player who had played such an important role at the club to depart.
“It kills me,” he says. “Without Kevin, that period – forget about it. He was crying here [in the office]. Oh God. I have affection for that player. We lived incredible things together. Then you have to be more cold.”
Sporting director Hugo Viana also reveals that City had concerns about Cherki’s attitude before completing his £30m transfer in June 2025.
Cherki was brought in partly to fill the creative role previously occupied by De Bruyne. Viana says: “The information on Cherki was not so positive, I will be very honest. Everybody knew about his abilities, but there was this idea that he was chaotic.”
Despite those concerns, Cherki became one of City’s leading performers last season. He scored four goals and provided 12 assists in 33 Premier League appearances, the second-highest assist total in the division.
