Pep Guardiola has admitted that he and the Manchester City players, who haven`t performed as expected, don`t deserve to receive bonuses if they win the FIFA Club World Cup this summer – not even a small gift like a watch.
The current Premier League title holders are travelling to the USA to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time.
Manchester City`s owners in Abu Dhabi are very interested in this competition, and FIFA recently increased the prize money significantly.
The winning team will receive around £100 million, which is about the same amount the lowest-ranked Premier League team earns from TV rights and prize money in a whole season.
Usually, this would mean a substantial bonus for the Manchester City team.
However, Guardiola, known for his directness, believes that neither he nor his team, both players and staff, deserve any extra reward due to their disappointing performance in the domestic league this season.
He stated, “We don`t deserve it this season.”
“We don`t deserve a bonus this season. If you win, the bonus, I don’t know how much it is.”
“Going there and winning is for the club. The managers, the staff, the players, we don’t deserve anything, not even a watch.”
Large bonuses are typical in top-level football. It`s reported that Manchester City`s regular players each received about £2 million for winning the treble (three major trophies) two seasons ago, with half of that amount for winning the Champions League.
Despite this, Guardiola believes his underperforming team can still recover something positive from their poor season by winning the FA Cup.
City, currently fifth in the league, will play against Bournemouth, who are tenth, in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
Speaking about Bournemouth, Guardiola commented: “They have a unique style of play that works well with their players and ideas.”
“Every team has its own way of playing, and they execute theirs very effectively. Some teams are more direct, while others prefer crosses.”
Guardiola is aiming to become only the fourth manager since World War Two to win the FA Cup for a third time.
The other three managers who have achieved this are considered legends: Bill Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Arsene Wenger.
