I’m Pep Guardiola’s Psychiatrist – Khaldoon Al Mubarak

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has said that Pep Guardiola threatened to walk away on countless occasions throughout his tenure. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Admitting that Pep‘s intense nature often led to emotional moments where he felt he could no longer continue at the Etihad Stadium, Khaldoon noted that the fire that kept Guardiola going eventually ran out.

He added that apart from being City’s coach for several years, he considers himself Pep’s psychiatrist.

His words, “Inevitably we have had a lot of ups and some downs and in the downs, he must have quit 100 times over these 10 years. There is the story as you all know, The Boy that Cries Wolf. In the case of Pep, when he says I quit, it doesn’t mean he’s quitting. You don’t take it that seriously – you have to manage him.

He’s more than just the manager of the club. o me, he’s a friend. Over these years we have become close friends and I don’t know if he will admit it, but I consider myself his psychiatrist. Throughout these years, I’ve always fought it and always brought him back because I knew that was always the answer.

But in this particular one, I think he knew – and I knew that he knew – and that is why it was the right thing for him and it was the natural thing.

He never thought he would stay more than four years, then more than five years. So in his mind, even year four and five it was always: ‘OK, how much more time? How much more time?’ And it always had to be done in the correct way. There was always going to be one moment where it was going to be real.”

WOW.

Pep Guardiola Sala is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently managing Premier League club Manchester City. Guardiola is the only manager to win the continental treble twice, the youngest to win the UEFA Champions League, and he also holds the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. He is considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time.

Guardiola has played for and advocated on behalf of the Catalonia football team. Between 1995 and 2005, he played seven friendly games for Catalonia.

Under Guardiola’s predecessor Frank Rijkaard, Barcelona were known for a 4–3–3 with plenty of flair with Ronaldinho being the centre point of the attack. Under Guardiola, however, the team became more disciplined with a greater focus on possession and a disciplined and aggressive pressing style.

Guardiola was born to Dolors and Valentí. He has two older sisters and a younger brother, Pere, a football agent. He is an atheist. Guardiola met his wife Cristina Serra when he was 18. They married on 29 May 2014.