Storytimes Newspapers

  Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said former mentor Pep Guardiola, who announced today he is leaving Manchester City, gave him the belief to become a manager. Speaking in Berlin ahead of Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart, Kompany, who captained City under Guardiola for three seasons, said working with the Catalan coach was “a gift”. “I have my own personality and my own character, but the trust and belief that I could become a coach: for that, I owe gratitude to Pep,” Kompany said. “And that is just how great his influence is. I maybe wasn’t his best friend in the dressing room, or maybe I wasn’t always loved, but I had an incredible belief in his style of leadership.” In a decade at City, the former Barcelona and Bayern manager won the Premier League six times and the Champions League alongside a glittering array of silverware. Kompany won back-to-back Premier League titles under Guardiola in 2018 and 2019. Since taking over as Bayern boss in 2024, the Belgian has...

  Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has opened up about the profound emotional toll of global conflicts, declaring that footage of civilian suffering—especially among children—leaves him deeply "hurt" and determined to use his influence for good. In an impassioned address during a pre-match press conference before City's Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle, the 55-year-old former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss went beyond football to condemn violence in regions including Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, and even domestic U.S. incidents involving ICE agents. Guardiola, visibly moved, rejected any notion that his views stem from politics or bias. "It is about a human being," he said. "After, we can agree, criticise. But people dying, you have to help them." He lamented humanity's failure to end such bloodshed despite technological progress: "We can reach the moon, we can do everything. But still right now, we kill each other. For what?" The Ci...