Pep Guardiola called Leeds United manager Daniel Farke earlier in the season to get his insight on a title rival
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
16:26, 26 Feb 2026
Daniel Farke greets Pep Guardiola in November's reverse fixture
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Daniel Farke greets Pep Guardiola in November's reverse fixture(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Daniel Farke has explained how his relationship with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola - the “best” manager in the world - stretches beyond football.
While Farke was always an admirer of Guardiola, the pair first met when the Leeds United boss was plying his trade at Norwich City, and the two formed a friendship which has blossomed over the years since.
Farke revealed back in October that Guardiola had called him after Leeds’ 5-0 away defeat to Arsenal in August to get his views on how his title rivals operated, ahead of Man City’s own clash with the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.
Asked about the bond between the pair, who face off for the fifth time at Elland Road at 5.30pm on Saturday, Farke replied: “I don't like to speak too much about it - he's definitely allowed to [talk about] this, he is the best manager in the world.
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“I don't like to [because] it feels a bit like fishing for compliments when I speak about our relationship. But we are pretty close together and like to chat about football and also about life in general.”
Farke’s first meeting with Guardiola in 2019 saw Norwich beat an in-pomp City side 3-2 but the Spaniard has won the three subsequent clashes by an aggregate of 13-2. The closest Farke has come to getting a result again was Leeds' narrow 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in November.
Leeds came back from two goals down at half-time to level the game before Phil Foden broke Whites hearts in the 91st minute. Farke, whose job was under intense scrutiny at the time, was praised despite the defeat having inspired the initial comeback upon changing to a back three for the second half.
But Farke is keen to underline that the real ingenuity lies at the feet of his counterpart. “Pep always evolves and develops, he's always ahead of the wave,” said the German.
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“He has played with a false nine a few years ago when no-one even knew what a false nine was, and with inverted fullbacks when no-one even knew about this. He has rotated teams when everyone thought it's more about automatism and consistency.
“Once everyone adapts and tries to copy him, then he's again ahead of a wave and changes his set-up. So he's probably the manager who has influenced and inspired the game most in the history of football.
“This was what makes him so special and he's simply the best and for that it is difficult to prepare.”