Tears, Tantrums, Divorce: Standout Pep Guardiola Moments in New Man City Documentary

A bust-up between Pep Guardiola and Kyle Walker that may have accelerated the latter’s departure from Manchester City midway through the 2024–25 season is among a number of standout moments included in A Beautiful Obsession.

It is a new four-part docuseries from Amazon Prime Video that covers Guardiola’s final two years with the club prior to this summer’s exit.

In 2024–25, off the back of making English soccer history by becoming the first team to win four consecutive league titles, City fell into crisis. Guardiola’s team failed to win in seven straight matches across all competitions from October into December, losing six of them.

Overall, that cold streak became just one win in 13 matches by the end of 2024.

Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake — Frsutrations boiled over that day. | Peter Byrne/PA Images/Getty Images

The Walker flashpoint happened after a 2–0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on Dec. 1, 2024. It was particularly significant given that Arne Slot’s Reds already led the Premier League at that stage and eventually went on to be crowned champions by a considerable margin.

Guardiola highlighted Rúben Dias and Walker as being at fault for Liverpool’s killer second goal, which prompted a furious response from Walker, who claimed the manager didn’t even want him as captain—for years, the identity of City’s captain was the result of a squad vote.

“You keep saying my name in every meeting and every f---ing thing. Every f---ing meeting, it’s my name,” Walker hit back after blowing his fuse.

When Guardiola pointed out Walker’s role, the player responded: “You didn’t want me to be a captain. I’ve reacted to someone else, I lost the ball, you somehow bring my name into it.”

A visibly emotional Guardiola at that point replied: “If you’ve taken it personally, Kyle, I’m sorry, This is my defeat—if I am a problem you have to tell me. I won’t stay here for the money or for the fact just to stay, I don’t want to feel that I have to run away from you.

“If I am a problem, tell me. That is not going to change the love I have for you, not one second.”

Walker only started three more games and was gone—on loan to AC Milan—by the end of the January transfer window. His permanent departure came that summer, joining Burnley. Some months later, Guardiola addressed the remaining City players. “You cannot behave as a captain the way he has done it. You cannot [do that] in the toughest moments in our lives.”

Still, the boss was “incredibly sad” that Walker had gone.

Impact of Guardiola’s Divorce Laid Bare

Pep Guardiola — Defeat in Turin prompted Guardiola to address his squad. | Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

It was only shortly after the Liverpool defeat and the emotional response to being challenged that Guardiola informed his team that he was getting divorced to end a 10-year marriage—he had first met wife Cristina Serra way back in 1989.

According to longtime aide Manuel Estiarte in episode two, City players “were worried because Pep was nervous, sad, different and only I knew the reason.” At that point, Estiarte felt compelled to tell the team that they were “seeing a human being” and told them why.

Guardiola addressed the matter himself after losing to Juventus in the Champions League on Dec. 11, 2024, calling it a “confession.”

He told them: “I am f---ing divorced from the most beautiful woman in your planet, my wife, my ex-wife. I love her unbelievably but we lost the passion. I love her? Yeah, absolutely. She loves me? Yeah, but we lost the passion.

“How do you play football? Because you play, or for something inside? In your lives, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don’t want good players, I want players with passion.”

Kevin De Bruyne’s Tears

Kevin De Bruyne waving goodbye. — Kevin De Bruyne said his goodbyes to Manchester City last year. | IMAGO/Colorsport

Guardiola wasn’t the only one getting emotional on camera. Kevin De Bruyne was reduced to tears after the club told him that his contract would not be renewed. “It’s really hard,” the Belgium international admitted after a decade in Manchester.

“My kids don’t want to go. It’s been really stressful days, and I’m not making decisions any more based on myself. It’s easy to go to another team and play football. But it’s been a tough time for us as a family.”

Naturally, Guardiola was also affected. “It kills me,” he lamented. City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano was less sentimental, reflecting that De Bruyne “understood the message but was sad about it.”

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