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A Beautiful Obsession reveals Pep Guardiola almost quit years earlier
Pep Guardiola ended a decade of dominance at Man City at the close of last season, and a new Prime Video documentary reveals he was ready to quit much earlier. The film, titled A Beautiful Obsession, offers unprecedented footage of the dressing‑room turmoil that preceded his departure.
A Beautiful Obsession premiered exclusively on Prime Video in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 August 2026. The four‑episode series is produced by The Independent, which also creates documentaries such as ‘The A Word’. The Independent’s broader reporting has investigated the financials of Elon Musk’s pro‑Trump PAC and covers topics from reproductive rights to climate change and Big Tech.
Inside City’s sudden decline
The film opens with Manchester City losing every week, showing a manager who appears emotional and bewildered by the loss of his powers. It captures a period of farewells that are described as bitter, sad, sudden and drawn out.
A key focus is the breakdown of Pep Guardiola’s relationship with right‑back Kyle Walker. After the December 2024 loss at Anfield, Guardiola exclaimed, “You don’t understand, Kyle,” before the defender retorted, “You keep saying my name, every meeting in every f****** thing. Every f****** meeting, it’s my name.”
Two weeks later, during the Manchester derby, Guardiola warned Walker at half‑time about balls over the defence, a warning that preceded Amad Diallo’s winner for Manchester United. Walker featured in only three further matches before his City career ended abruptly, and he began exploring a move abroad.
The documentary also shows injured midfielder Rodri sitting in the dressing‑room wearing a hoodie emblazoned with “the Untouchables” after another defeat. Following a 4‑0 home loss to Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, Kevin De Bruyne walked in and muttered, “f****** soft, guys.”
Guardiola’s farewell and the club’s next steps
Guardiola repeatedly begged his players, saying, “If I am the problem, you have to tell me,” and later urging, “Make me feel you are here, f****** hell, it is a f****** good team, a f****** good club.” He later admitted, “I had energy that I will not have any more,” describing his dwindling stamina.
Director Kevin MacDonald noted that the series offers a stark contrast to the club’s own polished documentaries, focusing on the autumnal collapse of nine defeats in twelve matches. Although City won 33 games in the 2024‑25 season, those victories are largely omitted from the programme.
Guardiola expressed sorrow over releasing Kevin De Bruyne at the end of his contract, stating, “It kills me,” while chief executive Ferran Soriano said De Bruyne understood the message but was sad to leave. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admitted the club did too little in the summer 2024 transfer market, adding, “We paid a price.” City’s scouting department ran 43 AI‑driven metrics to identify a replacement, eventually targeting French playmaker Rayan Cherki despite concerns about his character, which sporting director Hugo Viana described as “chaotic.” The AI quality index rated City third‑favorite to win the Premier League, with the model correctly picking Arsenal as the champion.
Reflecting on his tenure, Guardiola recalled considering quitting as early as November 2024, when he signed his last contract, saying, “To lose five six seven in a row, that doesn’t happen to me.” Al Mubarak later called Guardiola “the boy who cried wolf,” and a former Barcelona teammate warned that Guardiola needs rest and a life beyond football.