Pep Guardiola has enjoyed a legendary career with Manchester City but the manager has fallen out with several players during his time at the Etihad
Pep Guardiola Manager / Head Coach of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Pep Guardiola has sometimes rubbed his players up the wrong way(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA, Getty Images)
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When Pep Guardiola eventually brings the curtain down on his Manchester City career, he will be remembered as one of the two greatest Premier League managers of all time alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Catalan has secured six league titles since arriving at the Etihad club before the 2016/17 campaign and could be set to claim an extraordinary seventh this term. In that time, the 55-year-old has revolutionised English football, pioneering false-nines, inverted full-backs and ball-playing goalkeepers while delivering a 100-point season and a Treble-winning campaign.
Guardiola has been forced to adapt and evolve several times in the process, which has been far from straightforward. Another challenge has been maintaining squad harmony and ensuring all his players remain committed to his philosophy, particularly given his habit of unexpectedly dropping key players from the starting XI.
Joe Hart
Joe Hart of Manchester City and Pep Guardiola the head coach / manager of Manchester City during the International Champions Cup 2018 match between Manchester City and Liverpool at MetLife Stadium on July 25, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Joe Hart was one of the first players to leave City under Guardiola(Image: Getty)
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Joe Hart was part of the backbone of the City team which won two Premier League titles prior to Guardiola's arrival. However, the Spaniard quickly determined that Hart simply didn't meet his requirements, making it abundantly clear from the outset that the Englishman would not be his first-choice goalkeeper.
He sought a goalkeeper capable of operating as an additional outfield player during build-up play and didn't believe Hart was comfortable enough with the ball at his feet, considering Hart's 52.6% pass-completion rate the previous season. Guardiola remained unconvinced during training sessions and is reported to have told Hart he was free to leave if he wished, before making a move for Claudio Bravo in the transfer market.
Hart was left out of the opening league fixture against Sunderland with Willy Caballero preferred. His sole appearance under Guardiola came in a Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest before joining Torino on loan in August 2016, a ruthlessly unsentimental decision which appeared particularly harsh at the time.
There was no explosive confrontation or heated exchange between Guardiola and Hart, though there was a clear clash of opinions. The goalkeeper revealed in 2018 following his permanent exit from the club that Guardiola had been "dead honest" and that he thanked him for his honesty, but "didn't thank him for his opinion".
Hart's frustration was made clear when he explained his Torino loan move came about because he simply "wasn't wanted". He later said: "I was frustrated and I was hurt and I was angry."
Yaya Toure of Manchester City shakes hands wtih Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City after he is subbed off during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at Etihad Stadium on May 9, 2018 in Manchester, England.
The falling out between Yaya Toure and Guardiola became personal(Image: Getty)
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Few managers would risk going toe-to-toe with a club icon like Yaya Toure in an all-out row - never mind emerging victorious and being justified over time. There was already some distrust simmering between the two when Guardiola arrived at City, given he had sold Toure at Barcelona in 2010 after limiting his game time.
He left Toure out of the Champions League squad in September 2016, a move publicly lambasted by Toure's agent, who accused Guardiola of humiliating him. Guardiola responded by saying Toure wouldn't play again until the agent apologised to the club and to the City players, showing signs of a power struggle between the pair.
The manager won the public test of authority as Toure eventually apologised and returned to the fore with a two-goal performance against Crystal Palace. The Ivorian appeared rejuvenated, though the truce always appeared more conditional than long lasting.
Their relationship was irreparably damaged by Toure's belief that Guardiola never truly respected him, injecting a personal dimension into the friction. He claimed Guardiola did "everything to spoil" his final season and accused the Spaniard of preferring "obedient players kissing his hands". Toure claimed his farewell had been denied the sort of grandeur given to other legendary players at the club.
Shortly after his exit in 2018, Toure went a step further by saying: "I do not know why but I have the impression that he was jealous, he took me for a rival. As if I made him a little shade. He was cruel to me. I came to wonder if it was not because of my colour.
"I am not the first to talk about these differences in treatment. In Barca, some have also asked the question. When we realise he often has problems with Africans wherever he goes, I ask myself questions. I want to be the one who breaks the myth of Guardiola."
Guardiola denied such claims by branding them as "lies". He said: "It's a lie and he knows it. We were together for two years and now this is when he says it. He never told me face-to-face."
Raheem Sterling
Pep Guardiola gives instructions to Raheem Sterling of Manchester City before they are substituted on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium on May 22, 2022 in Manchester, England.
Raheem Sterling was unhappy with his reduced role(Image: 2022 Manchester City FC)
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Raheem Sterling was one of City's key attackers during arguably their best period under Guardiola between 2017 and 2020, tolerating the fact he was sometimes unceremoniously dropped in favour of other wingers. But as Guardiola shifted towards deploying false-9s and Sterling's form dipped, it seemed the manager's faith in the England international had quickly evaporated.
A crucial turning point in their relationship was when Sterling was left out of the starting line-up in the Champions League final against Chelsea, a match City lost. Sterling, while not starting an all-out war with Guardiola like Toure had done, openly questioned his lack of minutes and hinted that he would consider leaving.
Guardiola repeatedly praised Sterling, yet his team selections in 2021/2022 painted a different picture. By 2022, Sterling was entering the final year of his contract and, following several honest discussions between player and manager, he made it clear he didn't want to spend his peak years out of the starting line-up. Rather than being pushed out, Sterling joined Chelsea in 2022 amid claims by Guardiola that he "loved him", with clear tensions resulting from a disagreement over his future role in the side.
Joao Cancelo
Pep Guardiola speaks with Joao Cancelo in the player's Manchester City days
Joao Cancelo suddenly left the club in 2023(Image: Getty Images)
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Joao Cancelo admitted he had a difference of opinion with Guardiola before leaving the club. The Portuguese full-back had been one of City's star players for several seasons but fell victim to his manager's sudden tactical brainwaves, which saw him lose his place to Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis in late 2022.
Cancelo reportedly responded poorly to being dropped, leading to loan spells elsewhere, with Guardiola saying he had decided to leave. The manager bluntly explained: "He wants to play every game. He needs to play every single game to be happy."
Like Sterling and Hart, Cancelo's decision to join Bayern Munich for the rest of that season arose from disputes over playing time, rather than a personal feud. He later told Portuguese network RTP: "There are things we didn't agree on, we're not obligated to agree on everything.
"I had things I didn't agree on or he didn't agree with something I said, it was just that. But I don't have resentment, I am very grateful. Life goes on."
Cancelo spent the following season out on loan with Barcelona before signing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in 2024.
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