A new Amazon Prime documentary series on Pep Guardiola's final two years at Manchester City has pulled back the curtain on a turbulent period at the club — revealing an emotional confrontation with captain Kyle Walker, a heartbreaking farewell to Kevin de Bruyne, and private moments of personal anguish for the manager himself.

Guardiola's grief over Walker's departure

The series captures Guardiola addressing his squad just days after Walker left for AC Milan on loan in January 2025. In an emotional team meeting before a home fixture against Chelsea, the manager told his players he was "incredibly sad" about the situation.

"So sad, what happened with Kyle," Guardiola says. "It was so easy for him to come to me [and say] 'I'm tired'. But you cannot behave as a captain the way he has done it. You cannot, in the toughest moments in our lives."

He continued: "What did you do my friends? What did you do with your captain? Tell me, what did you do?"

Anfield flashpoint between manager and captain

The roots of the breakdown are visible in an earlier scene filmed after a defeat at Anfield in December 2024, during which Walker was at fault for losing the ball to Luis Diaz before the Liverpool winger won a penalty.

"Kyle has to know that if you lose the ball it's a goal," Guardiola tells the dressing room — prompting a sharp response from Walker: "Every meeting, it's my name."

Guardiola replied: "Maybe because you're a captain." Walker shot back: "OK. You didn't want me to be your captain."

Walker had been elected captain by his City teammates for the 2024-25 season, with Kevin de Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva serving as vice-captains. He departed for AC Milan having made 316 appearances for the club and won six Premier League titles after joining from Tottenham in 2017 for £50m.

A manager on the edge

The documentary does not shy away from Guardiola's personal struggles during City's dismal 2024-25 campaign — a season in which the club finished trophyless for only the second time since his arrival in July 2016.

Long-serving staff member Manel Estiarte reveals that players were alarmed by their manager's demeanour, which was shaped in part by a divorce Guardiola was going through at the time.

"They were worried because Pep was anxious," Estiarte says. "He was sad. He was different. And only I knew the reason. And I said to the team, 'please, you have to understand, you're not playing with a coach who can be a bit impulsive — you're seeing a human being. He's getting a divorce'."

In one particularly raw scene following a defeat by Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola tells his squad: "I work for you and 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, all of you. It's a disgrace guys."

He even came close to leaving the club entirely. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admits in the series that he feared he would not be able to persuade Guardiola to sign a contract extension in November 2024. "I always convince him, but last year, I knew, this time he actually saw the wolf," Al Mubarak says.

De Bruyne's tearful exit and Cherki's rocky arrival

The documentary also charts the departure of Kevin de Bruyne, who left after 10 years and 16 trophies at the Etihad. Guardiola admits it was an agonising call.

"It kills me," the manager says. "Without Kevin, that period — forget about it. He was crying here in the office. Oh God. I have affection for that player. We lived incredible things together. Then you have to be more cold."

In his place, City signed French winger Rayan Cherki for £30m in June 2025. Sporting director Hugo Viana concedes that Cherki came with doubts attached: "The information on Cherki was not so positive, I will be very honest. Everybody knew about his abilities, but there was this idea that he was chaotic."

Those concerns proved unfounded. Cherki registered four goals and 12 assists in 33 Premier League appearances last season — the second highest assist total in the division — and emerged as one of the standout performers in the squad.

Guardiola ultimately stepped down at the end of the 2025-26 campaign after a decade at City in which he claimed 20 trophies, including the FA Cup and League Cup in his final season. On his future, he was candid: "I don't know even myself what I am going to do. It will be difficult to come back. That's my feeling today."