A new documentary tracing Pep Guardiola’s final two seasons at Manchester City offers an unusually detailed look at the tensions, personal struggles and difficult decisions that shaped the end of his decade-long reign at the Etihad Stadium.
The Amazon Prime series shows Guardiola struggling with Kyle Walker’s decision to leave midway through the 2024-25 campaign, questioning whether he should remain as manager, dealing with problems in his private life and later overseeing a major rebuild that included Kevin De Bruyne’s departure.
Walker joined AC Milan on loan in January 2025 after asking to leave City for a new challenge. The documentary captures Guardiola addressing his squad shortly after the defender’s exit and making clear that he was deeply disappointed with how the situation had developed.
The manager was particularly frustrated that Walker, as captain, had chosen to seek a move during one of the most difficult periods of Guardiola’s tenure.
Tensions between the pair had already surfaced weeks earlier. Footage from the aftermath of City’s December 2024 defeat at Liverpool shows Walker reacting angrily after Guardiola criticised his role in a sequence that led to Luis Diaz winning a penalty.
Walker complained that he was repeatedly being singled out during team meetings, while Guardiola pointed to the greater responsibility attached to being captain.
The England defender had been selected by his teammates to lead the squad for the 2024-25 season, supported by vice-captains Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Bernardo Silva.
Walker eventually left City having made 316 appearances after his £50m move from Tottenham in 2017. He won six Premier League titles under Guardiola, but his final full campaign at the club coincided with a major downturn in results.
Guardiola came close to walking away
The documentary also reveals just how uncertain Guardiola’s own future had become before he signed a new contract in November 2024.
After City suffered four consecutive defeats, the first such run of Guardiola’s managerial career, he began to consider whether his time at the club had reached its natural conclusion.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak also believed the situation was more serious than in previous negotiations. Although Guardiola had considered leaving before, the club hierarchy sensed that this time he was genuinely close to doing so.
Several factors contributed to an increasingly difficult 2024-25 season. City were dealing with the Premier League’s case involving 115 alleged breaches of financial rules, while Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was sidelined by a long-term injury.
Guardiola was also going through a divorce, and members of his staff became concerned about the impact of his private circumstances.
Long-time colleague Manel Estiarte explains in the series that players noticed Guardiola had become more anxious and emotionally unsettled. Estiarte felt it was important for the squad to understand that their manager was dealing with significant issues away from football.
Guardiola himself later referred to his marriage when speaking to the team during a Champions League defeat by Juventus in December 2024, using the breakdown of his relationship as part of a wider message about the importance of passion and emotional commitment.
The documentary repeatedly shows the intensity with which Guardiola continued to approach his work. Tactical discussions sit alongside confrontational dressing-room speeches, emotional appeals and warnings that poor performances could eventually force City to appoint another manager.
After a defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in November 2025, Guardiola told the squad that he was sacrificing large parts of his personal life for the team and felt drained by what he had seen on the pitch.
At other moments, he encouraged players to show greater unity before matches, insisting on physical displays of togetherness and becoming frustrated when he believed celebrations or body language lacked energy.
De Bruyne departure marked end of an era
City began refreshing an ageing squad through the 2024 and 2025 transfer windows, and one of the most significant changes was the departure of Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian midfielder left after 10 years at the Etihad, during which he won 16 trophies and became one of the defining players of Guardiola’s City side.
The series makes clear that De Bruyne wanted to remain at the club. He becomes emotional while discussing what the decision meant for him and his family, while Guardiola describes the choice to move on from one of his most important players as personally painful.
Despite their long relationship and shared success, Guardiola believed City had reached a point where sentiment could not determine decisions about the future of the squad.
De Bruyne’s exit formed part of a wider transition that also brought Rayan Cherki to Manchester from Lyon for £30m in June 2025.
Sporting director Hugo Viana reveals that City had concerns about Cherki before completing the deal. His technical ability was never in doubt, but reports around the player suggested questions about his attitude and consistency.
City ultimately decided his talent justified the move, with Cherki viewed as one of the players capable of assuming greater creative responsibility following De Bruyne’s departure.
The decision paid off during his first Premier League season. Cherki recorded four goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances, finishing with the second-highest assist total in the division.
Guardiola leaves after a decade at City
Guardiola eventually stepped down at the end of the 2025-26 season, bringing his Manchester City career to a close after 10 years.
His final campaign ended with two more trophies, the FA Cup and League Cup, taking his overall haul with City to 20.
The documentary portrays his departure not simply as the end of a football project, but as the conclusion of a period that had become increasingly demanding both professionally and personally.
Guardiola gives no firm indication of what comes next. Instead, he suggests that returning to management may prove difficult in the short term as he looks to recover from the strain of his final years at City and deal with changes in his personal life.