“Shadow” signs
“Yes, it’s extraordinary,” said Pep Guardiola of Erling Haaland’s latest hat-trick against Burnley in the FA Cup. “I pulled him out after scoring the third goal so as not to break… Lionel Messi’s scoring record. That’s why.” If you are not a social media surfer, you will not understand what Guardiola is saying? Why does Pep mention Messi when speaking after a game at the… FA Cup? And those questions are exactly what we need to discuss here.
After Haaland scored the fifth goal in the destructive victory over RB Leipzig in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round, Pep pulled the student out. Associative netizens believe that Pep’s action is to prevent Haaland from breaking Messi’s record of scoring in a match (with 5 goals). Even Marca followed suit with the headline on the front page the next day: “After the fifth goal, Pep pulled out Haaland”. The TV show El Chiringuito even made a full report on this topic, directly criticizing Guardiola for trying to protect Messi.
This incident is famous, even on television, so everyone knows? Of course, it is possible to think that way. But for a person who is the main character, even contributing a lot of details to create Marti Perarnau’s two famous books about his time at Bayern, which he has not… opened a page, Guardiola used to be the man. I don’t like reading what’s written about me in the media. But over time, things seem to have changed.
Last year, The Athletic confirmed that Pep had anonymous accounts on social networks. The Manchester Evening News also reported seeing the former Barca coach sitting … surfing Twitter in a restaurant in Manchester city center. The thought of Pep knowing everything online but pretending not to, can be frustrating for many people.
Also in the match against RB Leipzig, many fans wondered why Bernardo Silva was chosen to play in Riyad Mahrez’s place when Man City’s starting lineup was announced an hour before the ball rolled. In the post-match press conference, Pep said: “They keep asking why Riyad doesn’t kick? Oh my friends, I have more information than you. The people out there, especially the guys on Twitter, are there. I’ve been wondering this and that but I have more information. Sorry, I was right today.”
Guardiola closed with a German sentence “Es tut mir leid” (roughly translated: I’m sorry) in a way that could not be more ironic. Apparently, he was enjoying his victory. And the keywords people are interested in here are not Bernardo or Mahrez. That’s Twitter.
Continuing, when Man City went through a period of decline in form this season, there were a small number of fans blaming Pep and tagging the hashtag #PepOut. In response, the 52-year-old strategist joked: “While we are here, the players and the coaching staff try their best to win, out there people are PepOut. I want Pep to stay. Sorry, I’ll stay here.”
Peace of mind
Whether Pep reads it himself or is sent to read by his assistants, it is true that he is more interested in information circulating online. Does this show that the defensive layer in Pep’s soul is thinner and more vulnerable? In fact, the opposite is true, it’s thicker.
Facing fears is never easy. When he was young, like most people, Pep wanted to be recognized by all. But the older he got, the more he realized that people would hate him no matter what he did, and nothing could change that. In recent years, Guardiola has been brave enough to “embrace” hatred, sometimes even playing games with it.
Relaxation is something that can be easily felt when Pep no longer wants more, but already knows enough. “If my career were to end tomorrow, I would still be grateful for what I have achieved with Barca, Bayern and Man City,” admitted Gurdiola. “I have a feeling that whatever I’ve done over the years, whatever the outcome, will fail. No matter what I do in the future, I’ll still fail. It’s never enough. That’s it. the reason why I choose to enjoy, to be happy in this press room, people have the stereotype that all efforts are lost if something is not won, so I won’t put more pressure I always feel lucky with what I have, really.” Maybe because of that, Pep learned to surf social media, just to earn a little more motivation for his full life.
Guardiola’s daughter causes “fever” on Instagram
More children are blessed father. Pep Guardiola may not have an official social media account, but his daughter Maria Guardiola is an Instagram star. Her account has a green tick with nearly half a million followers. Maria regularly posts her beautiful photos, showing off her gorgeous beauty and attractive body. Recently, Maria has embarked on a modeling career and self-promoted her swimwear line.
