Pep Guardiola has reportedly stepped in to stop Cristiano Ronaldo sweet-talking one of his players (Image: Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola is planning to thwart any plans Cristiano Ronaldo might have of enticing Mateo Kovacic to Saudi Arabia. Following the unexpected return of Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City last month, Kovacic’s place in Guardiola’s team appears to be under threat.
The 30-year-old former Chelsea star was brought in as a replacement for Gundogan last summer, but with the 33-year-old German now back at the Etihad Stadium, Kovacic’s playing time could be significantly reduced this season. Consequently, Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr have expressed interest in the Croatian and it is believed they have enlisted Ronaldo, who played with Kovacic at Real Madrid, to initiate a charm offensive.
However, reports suggest that Guardiola, 53, wants Kovacic to stay put and intends to block any potential departure. This news will be a disappointment to Ronaldo, 39, although Guardiola-related setbacks aren’t exactly unfamiliar to the Portuguese superstar.
The two have battled one another in both England and Spain and through it all have developed an intriguing relationship characterised by a mix of respect and mutual dislike. In reality, they’ve always seemed like natural adversaries. After all, their footballing philosophies are poles apart.
Ronaldo is a rampant individualist, someone who thrives in chaos and is unashamedly motivated by a desire for personal achievement. Guardiola, meanwhile, is a quintessential collectivist, a mathematician in suede shoes whose zeal for structure or order churns out tactical masterpieces. If Pep’s football is geometry in motion, Cristiano’s is a thunderstorm.
At Real Madrid, Ronaldo was the Darth Vader to Jose Mourinho’s Emperor Palpatine. Together, they took on and often triumphed over Guardiola’s Barcelona, who many still consider the greatest club side to ever grace the pitch.
Pep Guardiola and Cristiano Ronaldo have been natural foes for years (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Tension between Ronaldo and Guardiola culminated at the 2012 Ballon d’Or event where the latter rebuffed Ronaldo’s handshake offer. While moving through a row of seats, Ronaldo noticed Guardiola sitting ahead of him and tapped the manager’s shoulder. However, after realising who’d tapped him, the Catalan native simply turned away.
Earlier that year, Ronaldo had accused Barcelona, and by association, Guardiola, of influencing referees in La Liga to their advantage, which may explain the snub. “It’s impossible to play against them,” he said. “They are very much helped by the referees. There is always something happening to them, always. I don’t understand it.”
After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola took the reins at Bayern Munich following a year’s sabbatical. During his final season with the German giants, Guardiola steered them past Benfica into the Champions League semi-finals, setting the stage for a clash against Real Madrid.
He later told journalists: “I know Cristiano wanted Benfica in the semi-final. I’m sorry for him,” yet, it was Ronaldo who had the last laugh as Madrid ousted Guardiola’s Bayern before triumphing over Atletico Madrid in the final.
Ronaldo’s relationship with Guardiola has improved in the last few years (Image: Getty Images)
In 2016, Guardiola joined Manchester City, while Ronaldo left Madrid for Juventus in 2018. Reacting to news of Ronaldo’s move, Guardiola somewhat slyly suggested Madrid might become a more “aggressive” team without Ronaldo, appearing to allude to the forward’s unenthusiastic approach to defensive pressing.
“I have seen their games and there are things they did not do before. They press forward and they don’t wait,” Guardiola said. “They are incredibly aggressive with the quality of the players they have.”
Saying that, the former midfield maestro hailed Ronaldo as a “50-60 goals” player and called him “irreplaceable”. He also expressed regret for not having more players of his calibre at the Etihad. Ronaldo reciprocated months later, praising Pep as “a great coach” and acknowledging that “his teams are always at the top, and his football speaks for itself.”
Yet, any semblance of peace seemed short-lived when Guardiola named City’s Bernardo Silva as “Portugal’s biggest star”. However, the comment didn’t prevent Ronaldo from offering his services to City in the summer of 2021.
Despite an obvious clash in styles between him and Ronaldo, Guardiola considered greenlighting the transfer before Manchester United dramatically entered the fray and hijacked the move. For the first time, both individuals were sharing not only the national spotlight but the same city too. As a result, their relationship seemed to cool rather than intensify.
In the run-up to the 2023 Champions League final, Guardiola acknowledged Ronaldo’s stature, stating he is undoubtedly “one of the best footballers of all time”. Their newfound camaraderie was also evident at the Globe Soccer Awards a few months later where they were seen sharing a laugh on stage, proving that even the most heated of rivalries can evolve into mutual admiration.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1947104/Cristiano-Ronaldo-Pep-Guardiola-relationship-secret-Man-City-talks