After Manchester City lost to Juventus during the 2024/25 season, Pep Guardiola stood in front of his players and decided to tell them something deeply personal.
It was one of the hardest periods of his life. Away from football he was dealing with the end of his marriage, while on the pitch City were going through a run of defeats unlike anything he had experienced in his coaching career.
He told the players that he had separated from his wife — the woman he described as the most beautiful woman on the planet.
He said that they still loved each other, but the passion between them had disappeared, and that was what eventually ended the relationship.
Then he moved the conversation from his private life back to football:
“Why do you play football? Because you genuinely love playing? Or because there is something else inside you? Whatever you do in your life — do it with passion.”
