Pep Guardiola told City players he is divorcing Cristina Serra and used it to motivate the team
In a Prime Video film about his final seasons at City, Guardiola admitted the end of his marriage and used it to challenge the squad’s passion.
Pep Guardiola revealed in a new Prime Video documentary that he told his Manchester City players about his divorce from Cristina Serra and used the personal crisis as a way to spark the squad. The film follows Guardiola’s final two years at the club after he decided, a few months ago, to end his ten-year spell as City manager.
The documentary shows the Spaniard speaking to the team in the dressing room ahead of a Champions League game against Juventus, and disclosing his change in marital status directly to the players.
Guardiola said to the squad: "People, I want to confess something to you. I'm divorcing the most beautiful woman on your planet. My wife. My former wife. I love her immensely! But we have lost our passion. For many reasons, we have lost our passion. Do I love her? Yes, absolutely. Does she love me? Yes. But we have lost our passion."
Using life to light a competitive spark
He linked that private loss of passion with the need for intensity on the pitch, presenting his situation as an example for the players to re-examine their own motivation.
"Why do you play football? Because you just play or because you have something inside you? Where is the passion? In life, whatever you do, do it with passion. I don't want good players. I want players with passion," Guardiola told the dressing room, according to the film.
Assistant coach Manel Estiarte also appears in the documentary and described how Guardiola's mood prompted concern within the squad. "I never had to go into the dressing room to talk to the players, except once. Because they were worried because Pep was upset. He was sad. He was different. And only I knew the reason," Estiarte says, recounting the moments around the disclosure.
The documentary, titled "Beautiful Obsession" in translation, runs through Guardiola's closing seasons at Manchester City and highlights how personal episodes intersected with the team's Champions League campaigns and the manager's decision to step away after a decade at the club.
Photo: press material from the event
