Pep Guardiola reportedly turned down a juicy international offer that would have seen him have a taste of international football for the first time in his managerial career.
The Manchester City boss recently extended his Manchester City contract by two more years to stay at the Etihad till 2025.
He was offered an opportunity to become Brazil coach after former Brazil manager Tite announced he will step down from his role following Brazil’s shock World Cup exit after losing to Croatia via penalties.
Tite already stated that he will end his Brazil national team managerial career after the World Cup. After winning major trophies with Corinthians, including the FIFA Club World Cup. Tite made his intentions clear he will not continue as Brazil manager after the 2022 World Cup.
However, a quarterfinal exit to Croatia was not on the cards. It came as a shock and Tite called time on Brazil role after the exit.
Brazil were keen on replacing Tite with another experienced and high-profile football manager who has seen the breadth and width of the game.
Manchester City boss and Spain tactician Pep Guardiola was primed for the job with the Selecao given his pedigree and experience in the game.
Meanwhile, the former Bayern Munich manager has already signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City, and the club’s reportedly had no fears that the Spaniard would exit his Manchester City role for the Brazil job.
Also, after penning down a new deal with the club, Pep Guardiola gave an inkling of what may drive him out of Manchester City as a manager. The former Barcelona manager confirmed he can only exit Manchester City role if his influence at the club is on the wan.
The 51-year-old was offered a juicy opportunity to accomplish two ambitions in December 2022. Brazil legend Ronaldo had pushed for Pep Guardiola to succeed Tite, making a tentative inquiry to the Catalan’s brother and agent, Pere, to see if he was interested in the role.
While the Spaniard has always included international football coaching role, especially in South America on his wishlist, he reportedly turned down the opportunity to take over from Tite, saying he has an unfinished business with Manchester City.
Since taking over as Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has dominated English football. He has won four Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups, and the FA Cup. What remains for the Spaniard to win is the UEFA Champions League.
He led Manchester City to the 2021 Champions League final where he lost to domestic rival Chelsea. Pep has won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2011. Despite being one of the most successful managers of his time in English football, leading City to their first Champions League trophy has eluded him.
Meanwhile, if he had accepted the Brazil role, he would have been the first foreigner to take charge of the Brazil national team. But the Spaniard is apparently preoccupied with helping City break the Champions League jinx.
He is currently trailing Arsenal by five points on the summit of the Premier League table and is seeking his fifth Premier League trophy.
