Pep Guardiola’s love for Barcelona continues to swirl rumours around his return to the Spanish club. However, he has just signed a new contract with Manchester City and has deemed a return to the club only ‘if essential.
Pep at Barca?
Guardiola has spoken to reporters, when picking up the Best Manager award at the Catalan Football Federation’s annual gala, of his future plans and whether he could return to his roots: “It’s a bad way to see it that I have to go back, because Pep left and Barca kept winning. You shouldn’t think like that. If I thought I was essential, I would return, but that’s not the case. There are stages, there are processes, and if one day I have to meet again, we will meet again naturally.”
Guardiola added that he feels there are enough challenges in England to keep him occupied: “I feel very good there, very comfortable, they give me everything and I have very good friends close by. To continue you have to have very good players and when you have continuity in a club it’s because those above give you a lot of support. The city is not Barcelona, I’m not at home. Nothing is comparable to Barca, because here everything is on the surface, if I am here it is because Barca gave me everything and I will never be grateful enough. At City I feel at home.”
Pep won 14 trophies with Barcelona, including the coveted Champions League twice. He has since failed to win the European trophy at any of the other clubs he has been at.
