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Pep Guardiola Gives Hilarious Reason for Ignoring Epic Champions League Semifinal

The Man City manager was spotted at a League One match instead of watching PSG vs. Bayern Munich.
Sophia Vesely|
Pep Guardiola is regarded as one of the best managers of this generation.
Pep Guardiola is regarded as one of the best managers of this generation. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shocked the world on Tuesday, when he was spotted in the stands of Edgeley Park to watch a League One match between Stockport County and Port Vale.

Guardiola’s interest in England’s third tier isn’t what’s most surprising—the Spanish boss has a well-documented history of appreciating English soccer, especially the grittiness of the lower tiers, explaining that visiting lower league venues over the years has provided some of his “most enjoyable memories.” Additionally, Stockport is a town within Great Manchester, easily accessible even to the Premier League manager who has stated he doesn’t have much time to see other teams play.

The truly baffling part of Guardiola’s outing was that it came at the exact same time that the two best teams in the world right now—Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich—were having a record-breaking battle in the Champions League semifinal first leg, a match that had the rest of the world glued to their televisions.

Guardiola gave a hilarious reason on Friday for choosing the Stockport loss over the 5–4 goal frenzy that saw titleholders PSG leave Parc des Princes with a slight advantage over the German champions.

Guardiola’s Response to Missing Champions League Semifinals First Leg

“The day before, I saw the calendar and the game PSG versus Bayern Munich, and I said ‘Bleh! What a disaster game,’” Guardiola told reporters with a sarcastic smirk. “Managers are not good, [PSG’s] Luis [Enrique] and [Bayern’s] Vincent [Kompany]. Really, really s--- players.”

Guardiola and Enrique have a deep, long-standing friendship, having played together for Barcelona from 1996–2001. Kompany was a former player and captain under Guardiola at City between 2016 and 2019, winning six trophies during that time. Kompany has been outspoken about his respect and admiration for Guardiola’s coaching style, even naming him as “the best coach I ever had.”

Man City had the week off—hence Guardiola’s shock outing—after being eliminated from Champions League last month and not back in Premier League action until Monday, when they face Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

With just five games left in league play, the Cityzens are in the homestretch of the Premier League title race, breathing down the necks of Arsenal who lead by three points, after City briefly usurped the top position with a 1–0 win over Burnley last week.

Whether Guardiola will tune into the second leg of the Champions League semifinal between PSG and Bayern remains to be seen, with the powerhouses reuniting on Wednesday at Allianz Arena for what will surely be a similarly thrilling outing.

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Sophia Vesely
SOPHIA VESELY

Sophia Vesely is a writer, reporter and editor for SI FC, with an emphasis on North American coverage. Her experience comes from regional journalism as a former sports reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, Dallas Morning News and Seattle Times. Vesely graduated from Swarthmore College, where she played collegiate soccer as a wingback. She specializes in MLS, NWSL and NCAA soccer.

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