Pep Guardiola is one of the most accomplished managers of the modern era, having won 18 major trophies with Manchester City alone.
His side currently sits 2nd in the Premier League, 6 points behind leaders Arsenal. With Arsenal yet to face City at the Etihad, the title race could deliver a dramatic finish.
At this stage of the season, Guardiola is usually locked in on match preparations. Instead, fans saw a more humorous side of him outside the City training ground.
Belgian football influencer Celine Dept shared a video of her spotting Guardiola and attempting to dap up the City boss.
They’ve got my manager making content these days. 😂 pic.twitter.com/9W450Ztmuv
— Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) January 29, 2026
Guardiola was seen playing along, wearing a fancy jacket and a flat cap over a hoodie, drawing comparisons to the Peaky Blinders.
Guardiola playfully scolds Celine for not following through with the dap before breaking into a smile and hugging her.
Pep’s exaggerated mannerisms during the skit and the random nature of the interaction amused the internet. This clip follows a series of collaborations Celine has done with the Manchester City YouTube channel.
Some X users couldn’t believe the skit was real, even going so far as to question if it was AI-generated.
This can’t be real man 😂😂
— Latiiivjnr (@latiiivReactsX) January 29, 2026
Certain fans were more critical, urging the City boss to focus on the title race instead.
This reaction comes after a disastrous 2024/25 season by Guardiola’s standards, as Manchester City finished 3rd in the Premier League with 71 points.
Prior to that, Pep’s City side had won the league 4 times in a row, averaging 89 points per season.
While City have improved this year, supporters continue to demand a better showing, with a small section even calling for his sacking.
you think pep is doing this in 2019 or in 2023? he’s clearly checked out and the club has to move on asap https://t.co/WNgnrYnieZ
— 🅰️ (@abzMCFC___) January 29, 2026
Guardiola’s current contract runs until the summer of 2027, though The Telegraph reported that Manchester City has begun the search for his long-term successor.
Other supporters came to Guardiola’s defence and questioned whether he wasn’t allowed to enjoy life.
Can’t even enjoy life and have fun anymore?😭
— caleb (@c_vleb) January 30, 2026
This was not Guardiola’s first recent viral moment.
Just a week earlier, he made headlines for responding to questions about refereeing decisions with deep exaggerated breaths instead of words during a post-match interview.
Pep Guardiola's funny response after Man City were denied a penalty in their 2-0 victory over Wolves👀🤣 pic.twitter.com/quNzO6DAah
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) January 24, 2026
More recently, Pep was also in the spotlight after using his influence at a charity event in Barcelona to raise awareness about the civilian casualties in Palestine.
On stage in Barcelona, Pep Guardiola @pepteam speaks for the children of Gaza during the Act x Palestine charity event. Wearing a keffiyeh, he welcomes everyone with a ‘Salam Aleykoum.’
— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) January 29, 2026
Funds raised tonight are destined for grassroots and humanitarian projects in Palestine. pic.twitter.com/FFoIzPykNd
This visibility has raised questions about whether we are entering Pep Guardiola’s content creator era.
However, he is not the first Man City figure to embrace modern social media trends. City’s star striker and Premier League top scorer, Erling Haaland, had grabbed eyeballs when he launched his YouTube channel.
Haaland has already posted diverse content on his channel, giving fans an insight into the life of a superstar footballer.
Previously, most glimpses into the lives of footballers came from tabloids, which were largely inaccurate.
With clubs increasingly active on social media and collaborating with influencers and digital creators, we can expect more footballing stars to show off their personalities as Guardiola did.
