A new fly-on-the-wall Amazon Prime documentary, My Beautiful Obsession, has laid bare the intense strain Pep Guardiola endured during his final years as Manchester City manager, including dressing-room confrontations, emotional outbursts, and a private threat to resign.

The four-part series covers the Spaniard’s last two seasons at the Etihad, where he won 20 trophies over a glorious 10-year reign before stepping down at the end of the last campaign. One of the lowest points came during a disastrous run in the autumn of 2024, when City lost nine times and won just once in 13 games. While Guardiola’s outward signs of strain—including scratching his own face after City surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord—were widely noted, the documentary reveals his fury behind closed doors was even more intense.

In one heated exchange, Guardiola clashed with then-captain Kyle Walker, who felt he was being unfairly singled out. “You keep saying my name in every meeting,” Walker complained after a defeat at Liverpool. “Every ******* meeting it’s my name… You’ve somehow brought my name into it.” Walker also claimed Guardiola had not wanted him to be skipper. Guardiola responded by insisting Walker was taking the issue too personally, but his voice broke with emotion as he explained why he had extended his contract despite their poor run. “I won’t stay here for the money or just for the fact of staying,” he said. “I extended my contract because I want to be with you. I want to fight. I don’t want you to feel like I’m leaving or running away.”

Another extraordinary outburst came in November 2025 after a dismal 2-0 Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen, when Guardiola’s decision to make 10 changes backfired. In the dressing room afterwards, he threatened to quit. “It’s unacceptable this lack of courage, passion and love and desire to win and do it better,” he told his players. “I work for you. I leave my life, my divorce and my family is away, and everything for all of you. And what do you give back? The ******* performance you have done. “It’s a disgrace guys. I’m really ******* tired. When I see that I’m exhausted, I’m drained. I want to quit.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has since said Guardiola must have threatened to leave “100 times” during his tenure, but even he had his concerns after the Leverkusen game. In a remarkable release of voice notes between Khaldoon and chief executive Ferran Soriano, the chairman said he was “so angry” after “probably one of the lowest points we’ve had”. Soriano advised that the response should not be “too negative or aggressive” but “not too kind or accommodating either”.

The documentary also includes frank boardroom discussions about transfer policy, as well as Kevin De Bruyne’s disappointment after being told his contract would not be renewed.

Meanwhile, Guardiola’s midfield lynchpin Rodri is heading to Barcelona to finalise a €76.5 million move to the Nou Camp. The two clubs agreed a fee over the weekend after Barca saw an opening offer of £40m rejected last week and failed with an increased bid before reaching an agreement on Sunday. The 30-year-old, who lifted the World Cup with Spain this summer, had entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad and was also the subject of interest from Real Madrid. He is set to undergo a medical today, with a formal presentation pencilled in for Wednesday if all goes to plan.

City had hoped to keep Rodri, with manager Enzo Maresca describing him as a “top player” and saying “all the teams need Rodri” after the Community Shield on Sunday. However, they have been unable to persuade their lynchpin to sign a new contract. Rodri had only returned to City on Friday having undergone back surgery following the World Cup. The former Atletico Madrid player spent seven seasons with City, winning the Premier League four times and scoring the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan. He won the Ballon d’Or the following year but by then was sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out of most of the 2024-25 campaign. Further hamstring and groin problems then limited him to 33 appearances in Guardiola’s final season in charge.

City have already undergone major midfield changes this summer, spending £116m on Elliot Anderson while agreeing a deal to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadisah. They have also been linked with Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.