- The Manchester City boss was awarded the FIFA Men’s Coach of 2023 award
- Afterwards, Guardiola was asked a tough question that led to his expletive
- IAN LADYMAN: I couldn’t work for Pep. I’d last a week under Guardiola, he would fry my brain! It’s All Kicking Off
Pep Guardiola dropped the ‘F-bomb’ live on-air during his brief cameo at FIFA’s The Best award ceremony on Monday night.
The Spaniard was on stage to collect the FIFA Men’s Coach of 2023 award, after Man City’s historic Treble triumph during the 2022-23 campaign.
As he collected the award, for the very first time in his career, Guardiola was asked an intriguing question by host and former Barcelona star, Thierry Henry.
‘The last time that so many players were in the World XI was with you, when you were the coach of Barcelona. You had six players in that team in 2010. So… which is the best team, out of the two?’
Guardiola looked to clarify the question, asking: ‘Who would win?’. Henry replied, ‘No, the best! You can be the best even if you lost a game’.
The City boss then paused for a moment and exclaimed: ‘F***’ before jokingly dropping his head into his hands.
He then continued and said: ‘I don’t know, it would be a good game. I don’t know, both are incredible teams so honestly. That period in Barcelona was unbelievable, we were so young.
‘But this team as well in England, the Premier League is really tough and so competitive for many competitions and these guys season by season, even after winning the treble still we are there.
‘You wake up in the morning just to prepare and dream, being with them – not winning or losing – that’s the best award I can get as a manager by far.’
It’s easy to understand why the Spaniard was reluctant to land on either side of the fence as City players Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias stood alongside him on stage.
They were joined in this season’s XI by teammates John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, while the elite roster was completed by Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
As mentioned by Henry, 2010’s squad also included six of Guardiola’s players. Messi is the only connection from the star studded team from over a decade ago.
He was joined by Blaugrana teammates David Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique in a season that would culminate in the LaLiga giants claiming their first European treble.
That team was rounded out by the notable additions of Maicon, Lucio, Iker Casillas, Wesley Sneijder and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
