Four players who have fallen out with Pep Guardiola at Man City – 'I was angry'

Pep Guardiola's enormous success with Manchester City has not been without controversy and tension

When Pep Guardiola finally calls time on his Manchester City career, he will go down as one of the top two Premier League managers in history alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Catalan has won six titles since taking charge of the Etihad club ahead of the 2016/17 season and could be on course to lift a remarkable seventh this season. In that time, the 55-year-old has transformed English football, introducing false-nines, inverted full-backs and ball-playing goalkeepers while managing a 100-point season and a Treble-winning campaign.

Guardiola has had to adapt and evolve several times in the process, which has been anything but easy. Another challenge has been keeping all of his players content and buying into his instructions, especially given his tendency to suddenly drop key players from the starting XI.

In some rare instances, Guardiola has lost the faith of his players with such actions. The Manchester Evening News now takes a look at four such former City stars who fell out with the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss before leaving the Etihad.

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Joe Hart

Joe Hart formed part of the backbone of the City side which won two Premier League titles before Guardiola’s appointment. Yet, the Spaniard immediately decided that Hart was simply not up to his standards, making it clear straight away that the Englishman would not be his No.1.

He wanted a goalkeeper who could function as an extra outfield player in build-up and did not think Hart was good enough with the ball at his feet, given Hart’s 52.6% pass-completion rate the previous season. Guardiola was left unimpressed in training and reportedly said Hart could leave if he wanted, instead pursuing Claudio Bravo in the transfer window.

Hart was left out of the opening league game against Sunderland in favour of Willy Caballero. His only appearance under Guardiola was in a Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest before being loaned out to Torino in August 2016, a decision devoid of any sentiment which seemed especially brutal at the time.

There was no resulting shouting match or argument between Guardiola and Hart, but there was a clear difference of opinion. The goalkeeper said in 2018 after leaving the club permanently 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

Few managers would dare to go head-to-head with a club legend like Yaya Toure in a full on feud - let alone come out on top and be proven right in the long term. There was already some mistrust brewing between the pair when Guardiola arrived at City, given he had sold Toure at Barcelona in 2010 after reducing his involvement.

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 seemed invigorated, though the truce always appeared more conditional than long lasting.

Their relationship was permanently soured by Toure’s feeling that Guardiola never truly respected him, adding a personal edge to the tensions. He accused Guardiola of doing "everything to spoil" his final season and accused the Spaniard of liking "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 departure 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 responded to such accusations by calling them "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

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 moved towards using false-9s and Sterling’s consistency waned, it appeared the manager’s trust in the Englishman had rapidly deteriorated.

A key flashpoint in the breakdown of their relationship came when Sterling was left out of the starting XI in the Champions League final against Chelsea, a game 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 consistently praised Sterling but his team selections in 2021/2022 told a different story. By 2022, Sterling was in the final year of his contract and, after several frank conversations 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

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 reacted poorly to the snub, 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 remainder of that season stemmed mainly from disagreements over a lack of minutes, 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.