“After left me, I promised myself he would NEVER win anything here because of what happened between us…”

The story did not start on the night Arsenal finally lifted the Premier League trophy. It did not begin with the celebrations, the red flares, the tears of joy, or the long-awaited moment that ended more than two decades of waiting. No, this story had been building for years, slowly, quietly, like a fire burning underneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to explode.

 

And when it finally came out, it shocked everyone.

 

Because the words did not come from just anyone. They came from Pep Guardiola, the man who had dominated English football for years, the man who had turned Manchester City into a machine that almost no one could stop.

 

But this time, things were different.

 

This time, he was not speaking as the winner.

 

This time, he was speaking as the man who had just lost the title.

 

And what he said changed everything.

 

“After Arteta left me, I promised he will never win anything here…”

 

Those words hit hard.

 

They carried emotion, history, and something deeper than football.

 

Because this was not just about tactics or matches or trophies.

 

This was personal.

 

To understand it, you have to go back to the beginning, back to when Mikel Arteta was not yet the manager of Arsenal, back to when he was standing right beside Guardiola, learning, observing, growing.

 

Arteta was more than just an assistant. He was trusted. He was close. He was part of Guardiola’s inner circle during some of the most successful years at Manchester City. Together, they built a team that played some of the best football England had ever seen.

 

They celebrated together. They worked together. They thought the same way.

 

Or at least, that is what it looked like from the outside.

 

But football is never that simple.

 

Because behind every partnership, there are ambitions.

 

And Arteta had his own.

 

When Arsenal came calling, offering him the chance to become their manager, it was an opportunity he could not ignore. It was a chance to lead, to build his own team, to prove himself.

 

So he left.

 

And that moment changed everything.

 

At first, there was respect. Guardiola supported him publicly. He wished him well. He spoke about how proud he was to see Arteta take such a big step in his career.

 

But inside, something shifted.

 

Because losing someone you trust is never easy.

 

Especially when that person becomes your rival.

 

From that moment, the dynamic changed. It was no longer mentor and student. It became competitor versus competitor.

 

And in the years that followed, Manchester City kept winning.

 

Again and again.

 

Every time Arsenal tried to rise, City were there to push them back down.

 

Every time Arsenal got close, City pulled away.

 

It became a pattern.

 

A painful one for Arsenal fans.

 

They watched their team improve under Arteta. They saw progress. They believed in the project. But every season, when it mattered most, Manchester City stood in their way.

 

And now, Guardiola has finally admitted that there was more behind it than just football.

 

There was emotion.

 

There was motivation.

 

There was something personal driving him.

 

When he said those words, it felt like a confession.

 

Not of hatred, but of intensity.

 

Of how seriously he took the challenge.

 

Of how deeply he felt the competition.

 

Because for Guardiola, football is not just a job. It is everything. It is obsession. It is control. It is perfection.

 

And when someone leaves his side and becomes a direct rival, it creates a different kind of fire.

 

A fire that pushes him even harder.

 

A fire that makes him want to prove something.

 

And for years, that fire burned bright.

 

Manchester City dominated. They won titles. They broke records. They played football that looked almost impossible to stop.

 

While Arsenal kept chasing.

 

Kept trying.

 

Kept believing.

 

Until finally, this season, everything changed.