Manchester City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak has revealed that Pep Guardiola threatened to quit the club on numerous occasions during his decade-long tenure. Comparing the manager to the boy who cried wolf, Mubarak said Guardiola’s threats were often not genuine and required careful management.
Guardiola left City last month after 10 years, during which he won 17 major honours. Despite signing four contract extensions, he was hesitant each time. Mubarak, who described himself as Guardiola’s “psychiatrist”, played a key role in persuading him to stay.
“There’s the story, The Boy that Cried Wolf. In the case of Pep, when he says ‘I quit’, it doesn’t mean he’s quitting,” Mubarak said. “You don’t take it that seriously, you have to manage him.” He added that Guardiola never expected to stay beyond four years, but was convinced to remain until the moment he genuinely decided to leave.
Mubarak confirmed that when Guardiola did want to go, he did not try to stop him. “I knew this was the time he meant it,” he said. With Enzo Maresca lined up as replacement, Mubarak expressed confidence in City’s future, stating the club is “far from peaked”.
On Erling Haaland, whose future has been the subject of speculation after a Real Madrid presidential candidate held up a shirt with his name, Mubarak praised the striker’s leadership and character. “He was always a leader from the first day he stepped into this club,” he said.
