A new four-part documentary series has pulled back the curtain on the raw emotion, dressing-room confrontations, and deep personal turmoil that defined the final stretch of Pep Guardiola’s historic decade in charge of Manchester City.

Titled A Beautiful Obsession and scheduled for release on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland, the series captures unprecedented behind-the-scenes access across Guardiola’s closing two campaigns at the Etihad Stadium. The docuseries lays bare the personal toll of his divorce from his wife, Cristina Serra, intense clashes with senior players including Kyle Walker and Erling Haaland, and internal boardroom tensions.

Opening Up Over Divorce

Guardiola's personal separation looms large over the narrative, particularly during a tumultuous 2024-25 season. In one scene following a defeat against Juventus in Turin—City’s seventh loss in 10 fixtures—Guardiola opens up directly to his squad in the away dressing room.

“Guys, I want to confess something,” Guardiola tells the squad. “I am f***ing divorced from the most beautiful woman in your planet, my wife, my ex-wife. I love her unbelievably but we lost the passion. I love her? Yeah, absolutely. She loves me? Yeah, but we lost the passion.

“In your lives, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don’t want good players, I want players with passion.”

Guardiola’s long-time confidant, Manel Estiarte, explains during the series how he stepped in to ask players for patience: “They were worried because Pep was nervous, sad, different, and only I knew the reason. I said to the team, ‘You’re seeing a human being. He’s getting divorced.’”

Dressing-Room Clashes With Walker and Haaland

The documentary also exposes combustible moments inside the dressing room. Following a 2-0 loss away to Liverpool at Anfield in December 2024, a heated dispute erupts between Guardiola and Kyle Walker after the manager critiques individual mistakes.

“You keep saying my name in every meeting and every f***ing thing,” Walker fires back. “Every f***ing meeting, it’s my name.”

Guardiola counters: “Maybe because you’re a captain.”

“You didn’t want me to be a captain,” Walker retorts. “I’ve reacted to someone else, I lost the ball, you somehow bring my name into it.”

The exchange reduces an emotional Guardiola to tears as he tells his team: “This is my defeat — if I am a problem you have to tell me. I won’t stay here for the money or for the fact just to stay... That is not going to change the love I have for you, not one second.”

Star striker Erling Haaland also faces Guardiola’s fury at half-time during an FA Cup final at Wembley. “Are you tired?” Guardiola screams. When Haaland denies fatigue, Guardiola shouts: “Why don’t you fight for the ball like you have done with (William) Saliba and all the players, in a f***ing final? If you are tired, tell me now. I left f***ing six players out... Where’s your quality? Movements in behind? The box? Go! I love you anyway, Erling, like a father... But it’s not about that. Nothing else. Show me you want to win.”

Boardroom Friction and Farewell

Tensions extended beyond the players to the boardroom. After making 10 changes in a 2-0 Champions League defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola delivers a furious post-match dressing-down, declaring: “I feel f***ing stupid. I arrive here at 8am and I stay hours and hours to try to find something that arrives here in your heart... I live my life, my divorce, my family are away and everything, for all of you. And what do you give back? The f***ing performance you have done, all of you. It’s a disgrace.”

The decision to field a heavily rotated lineup drew the ire of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who vented his frustration in voice notes to CEO Ferran Soriano: “Probably one of the lowest points we’ve had. I cannot even speak to him today, I am so angry.”

The series also documents Kevin De Bruyne in tears over the prospect of his City exit, as well as background checks conducted regarding Rayan Cherki. It concludes with Guardiola breaking down while recording his farewell message, having only informed his players of his departure two days prior to his final match.

“Winning gives you the chance to extend your contract, to give you a job, but it’s not the final product of your happiness,” Guardiola reflects from Barcelona after the season. “It will be difficult to come back. I need to refresh many things. Many things happened in my personal life, and professionally I need to find myself different things.”