At Manchester City since 2016, Pep Guardiola is now the second longest currently serving manager in the Premier League behind Jürgen Klopp, who will be leaving his position at the end of the year.
The Spaniard still has an extra year on his contract with the Etihad side, and there are many who are wondering whether he will decide to leave then, or extend his stay.
One man who has recently had a great insight in the Manchester City manager’s life and mind is Marti Perarnau, the author of the upcoming book The Pep Revolution, who was interviewed by El Pais.
The former athlete was given full access to the former Barcelona player’s day to day, where he got to know the 53-year-old very well.
Asked about the 37 trophies that Guardiola has won since 2009, many of which have come at Manchester City, the newspaper wanted to know the secret behind the manager’s longevity and what still drives him to do the job.
Perarnau replied: “At important moments, he has said to me: ‘Look, Marti, what’s two more trophies in a trophy cabinet?’ Obviously he wants to win, but he says: ‘I want to continue living this passion every day to continue training and to do these micro training sessions with my players and to be able to hug them and to love them and to be loved’.
“He needs to be loved. He doesn’t have ay sophistication. Putting on his boots and touching the turf is what gets him out of bed, even if it’s pouring rain in Manchester.”
There’s also a reason why he has been so successful, and that has been his ability to adapt to change and seeking new adventures.
Perarnau added: “One of the keys to his success is permanent change, in the game, in team management, personally. Why did he leave Barça? Why did he leave Bayern?
“Why didn’t he stay for 10 years in the Bundesliga in a wonderful club where he had everything? You can only understand Pep’s career if you understand that change is essential for him. He is bored. He wants to feel alive.”
