Exclusive-Guardiola dreams of World Cup glory but has no plans to leave City anytime soon
BARCELONA -Pep Guardiola has no plans to leave Manchester City anytime soon but the Spaniard has often thought about what it would be like to guide an international team and says he would love to take on the challenge of a World Cup or Euros campaign.
"I would love to be in a World Cup, in a Euro, a Copa America,' Guardiola told Reuters in an exclusive interview.
'I have always thought about it. But it depends on many, many things. If it happens, it's fine. If it doesn't happen, it's more than fine as well."
After winning 12 domestic top-flight titles across Spain, Germany and England, Guardiola endured a trophyless campaign with City last season, a shock to the system after so much success.
While he came in for some stinging criticism over his elite squad's failure on all fronts, Guardiola said he was not interested in "proving the haters wrong' when City start afresh next season.
"It's to prove myself that I can do it, I don't want to have those feeling that last season left' he added.
"Because when we win, the wine tastes better afterwards, you sleep better. I don't know a manager who loses games and sleeps like a baby. It doesn't happen. You've got to worry. That's part of our life."
Top of Guardiola's 'to-do list' is to win another Champions League with City and should they cross paths once more with Real Madrid, his nemesis Carlo Ancelotti will not be in the opposing dugout after the Italian took charge of Brazil.
Mere mention of Ancelotti's departure was enough to put a smile on Guardiola's lips.
The pair faced each other five times in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, with the Italian coming out on top in all but one.
"I'm so happy for him,' Guardiola said. "But I'm so happy that he's not in Madrid anymore because all the time he beats me. That I don't have to handle it anymore."
The Spaniard added that it was unrealistic to expect him to win everything every year, and said that even the most successful athletes lose more than they win.
"I won 12 domestic leagues in 16 years. It's not bad, I would say. But you cannot win all the time. I cannot win the Champions League all the time," he added.
"Michael Jordan, the best athlete I've ever seen in my life won six NBA Championships in 15 years. Tiger Woods, one incredible golf player, Jack Nicklaus, I don't know how many he has. But they lost more Grand Slams than they won. It happens."
Enjoying a short holiday in Barcelona, Guardiola said he is just trying to live a "normal life" before football pulls him back in, with City set to play in the revamped Club World Cup in the United States from June 14 to July 13.
'Wake up later and don't be with the players. Try to live what would be a normal life,' Guardiola said.
'Go to a concert, lay down on the sofa, read books. I can play golf when my body allows me. Watch series that people suggest to me during the season to watch, like I'm not able to do.
"And I want to tell you something. Usually, I'm going to do the same things as you do in your life.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Nuno extends Nottingham Forest contract until 2028
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Chelsea - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 25, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo during a lap of appreciation after the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has extended his contract with Nottingham Forest until the summer of 2028 after helping the club qualify for a European competition for the first time since 1995-96, the Premier League club said on Saturday. Portuguese Nuno, who previously managed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, joined Forest in December 2023 and helped the team avoid relegation before guiding them to a seventh-place finish in 2024-25, their best top-flight campaign in three decades. Forest narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot as they finished a point below fifth-placed Newcastle United, settling for a place in the Conference League's playoff round. "I am delighted to be able to continue our journey at this fantastic football club," Nuno said in a statement after signing the new three-year deal. "We have worked extremely hard to create a special bond between the players, the fans and everyone at the club, which helped us achieve great things last season. Now is the time to work harder than ever as we strive for more special memories together." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tyrese Haliburton warns Indiana Pacers of ‘poison' of outside noise before NBA Finals Game 7
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton gets a hug from his girlfriend after Game 6 of the NBA Finals. PHOTO: EPA-EFE OKLAHOMA CITY – Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton says the Pacers must keep their focus firmly on the Oklahoma City Thunder and block out the 'poison' of narratives popping up around Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which will take place on June 22. The Pacers pushed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder to a winner-take-all title showdown with a stunning blowout victory on June 19 – Haliburton inspiring his teammates with a 14-point performance two days after he limped through Game 5 with a right calf strain. Now the Pacers have a chance to claim the first NBA championship for a franchise that won three American Basketball Association titles before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. 'The narratives are going to be almost poison,' Haliburton said. 'To talk about what this would mean to our city and our organisation and legacy talk, and how we played so well and now the pressure is on (the Thunder)... there's going to be narratives that we can't really pay attention to. 'We've got to control what we can. So much of these games has come down to who is going to start the fight from a physicality standpoint, take care of the ball better, rebound the ball better. 'Those are the important things that we need to focus on... we've got to be ready to compete in Game 7.' The NBA title-decider in Oklahoma City will be the 20th Game 7 in Finals history, and the first since 2016 – when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors on their home floor to complete their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and claim the title. The LeBron James-led Cavs were the first road team to win a Finals Game 7 since 1978. Home teams are 15-4 in championship Game 7s and Haliburton knows the Pacers face a monumental task in trying to polish off the 68-win (regular season) Thunder on their home court. 'There's no such thing as, like, a pretty Game 7. They're usually ugly bloodbaths,' he added. 'We've got to go in and just figure it out. These guys are going to play hard. They make shots at a higher clip at home. Their crowd is amazing. 'This is why we do what we do. This is the peak, the pinnacle of our sport.' Meanwhile in other news, NBA star Kevin Durant has purchased a minority stake in French football club Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League winners said on June 20, and the Phoenix Suns forward will provide expertise on their planned expansion into basketball. Durant, a two-time NBA champion and four-time Olympic gold medallist, has signed a share purchase and strategic partnership agreement with PSG's majority shareholder Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), through his company Boardroom. 'It is an honour to partner with QSI and to be a shareholder of Paris Saint-Germain, a club and a city that is deeply close to my heart,' Durant, who won gold at the Paris Olympics last year, said. 'This club has big plans and I look forward to being part of the next phase of growth and exploring new investment opportunities with QSI.' One of those opportunities is likely to come in the world of basketball, with PSG already involved in early-stage talks with the NBA regarding potential investment and venues for a new basketball league in Europe. Durant, who had already forged a link with PSG through the club's minority shareholder Arctos Partners, will partner on a wide range of commercial, investment and content production initiatives. The 36-year-old will also support the club in its strategy of diversification and growth on sporting and commercial fronts, including developing the club's strategy in the United States and other international markets. PSG said in a statement that Durant would provide 'expertise on PSG's multi-sport strategy, particularly regarding future projects in the field of basketball'. Durant was recently included in Forbes' 2025 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, coming in at No. 10 with earnings of US$101.4 million. AFP, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
'Nearly a dream', Argentina's Contepomi basks in unique Lions win
DUBLIN :Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi knew just how special and potentially unique Friday's victory over the British and Irish Lions was, having gone agonisingly close as a player two decades ago. Contepomi was captain when the sides last met before the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand, when the Pumas were a Johnny Wilkinson stoppage time penalty away from a first ever victory in the fixture. That game ended in a 25-25 draw, and Friday's contest was just Argentina's second shot at the Lions in almost a century. Their first six meetings were played during tours of Argentina when the Lions did not limit their itinerary to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Contepomi said they could not be sure when they would get the opportunity again. "It's kind of a one-off. It's an invitation game and the last time, it was 20 years ago, and we were just there and we couldn't beat them," Contepomi told a press conference. "Coming here 20 years later I think it's incredible. We don't know if we'll ever again be invited or not to play and definitely for everyone who's been involved this week it will be memorable." "It is special. I know how special it is for an Irish, a Scottish, a Welsh or an English player to be a Lion, and for us to play against the best of the best in these islands, it's nearly a dream." The former Argentina flyhalf, who knows British and Irish rugby well, having spent six seasons with Leinster and worked as a doctor during his time in Ireland, said he expected Australia to face a far more ferocious set of Lions next month. "We took a bit of an opportunity because I know they'll be much better in one month's time when they play Australia. They'll be an awesome team, because they have so much quality in there," he said.
