Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona.
The man behind Barcelona's treble and tiki-taka charm is now sympathising with a crisis no amount of tactical awareness can resolve.
Pep Guardiola, who is known for pitch-perfect dismantlings of opposition defences, now fumbles for words in agony as he struggles to see “boys and girls being killed in Gaza,” everyday.
The Manchester City manager, who has dominated English football since arriving in 2016, was awarded an honorary doctorate on Monday by the University of Manchester for his contributions both on and off the field.
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Six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and transformative community work through the Guardiola Sala Foundation, things took an unexpected turn when the Catalan manager used the stage not to bask in applause, but to voice a harrowing plea.
“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body,” Guardiola said, his voice heavy with emotion. “And let me be clear, it’s not about ideology. It’s not about whether I’m right, or you’re wrong. Come on. It’s just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour.”
The man famed for controlling every inch of the football pitch lamented how helpless he feels in the face of war.
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“Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it’s not a hospital anymore. It’s not our business,” he continued. “We can think about that. It’s not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four or five years old kids will be ours.”
Drawing a chilling personal parallel, Guardiola added, “Sorry, but I see my kids when I wake up every morning since the nightmare started with the infants in Gaza. And I’m so scared. Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now. And you might ask what we can do.”
Answering that question, Guardiola turned to a parable.
“There is a story I’m reminded of. A forest is on fire. All the animals live, terrified, helpless, helpless. But the small bird flies back and forth, back and forth to the sea, back and forth, carrying drops of water in this little beak. The snake laughs and asks, why, bro? You will never put the fire out. The bird replies, yes, I know it. Then, why do you do it again and again? The snake asks once again. I’m just doing my part. The bird replies for the last time.”
He concluded with a call to conscience: “That is, the bird knows it doesn’t stop the fire, but it refuses to do nothing. In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about the scale. It’s about choice. About showing up, about refusing to be silent, or still when it matters most.”
Guardiola’s remarks pierced the celebratory mood, as the man who redefined modern football chose not to speak of trophies, tactics or glory but of children, fear, and responsibility.
From the dugout to the dais, Pep Guardiola has once again taken a stand, only this time, far beyond the boundaries of the game.