Marc Guehi was Josep Guardiola’s last signing at Manchester City and despite only being with him for a short time, the legendary manager has ‘completely changed’ his game.
Marc Guehi worked under Pep Guardiola for four months (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Marc Guehi has admitted he has been feeling “lightheaded” since the day he joined Manchester City. Gehi has been a revelation since joining the Etihad for £30m in January, but says he has learned something every day working under Guardiola.
City manager Guardiola bid farewell at the end of the season after winning 20 trophies in 10 glorious years, including double domestic cups this season in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Guehi gave an interesting insight into working for one of the greatest managers of all time, saying that even in that short time his game improved.
Guehi said: “It wasn’t just the first week. My head is still spinning. To be honest, I could go into detail, but when I look back at the games, I see how well thought out and well planned the process was leading up to those games.
“You’re still learning, but I was thrown into the deep end and had to adapt to the way things were done, and it was a big change. My game has changed. I don’t know if it’s obvious to everyone watching, but it’s clear to me how completely my game has changed.”
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
“What I used to do, I stopped doing because he wants us to play, but because of how effective it is. I think I’ve grown. I hope so!”
“The longer your career goes on, the more you’ll realize whether you’ve really grown or not until you look back, because it’s a very short period of time to know whether you’ve grown or not.”
Guehi graduated from Chelsea’s academy and has had a long road to success. After a loan spell at Swansea, he moved to Crystal Palace, where he became a legend in his own right, but is now at City.
But through it all, Guehi has conducted himself with the utmost class and dignity. He led Palace to victory in the FA Cup. Then, last summer, a move to Liverpool failed to materialize on Deadline Day.
Was Marc Guehi a signing for this season? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Marc Gehi has had a whirlwind season (Image: Toshiba Television)
Some players may find it difficult to return. But Guehi always gave his all. We had a lot of respect for the Palace fans and it was mutual. He left for City, but recently returned to visit Palace and meet his old team-mates, staff and hierarchy.
Does he take pride in how he is perceived and valued? “Proud? I don’t know if I’m proud or not. I admire my faith. My faith is a big part of how I try to conduct myself and how I try to approach it every day. My faith in Jesus Christ,” he said.
“Whether I’m proud of it or not, he, Jesus Christ, helps me a lot to take a certain path. It’s not easy, but it definitely keeps me in good shape. I have a lot of respect for the football club for giving me a chance at 20 or 21 years old, coming from Chelsea but coming from the Championship.”
“As I said before, I’m really happy to win the FA Cup, but more than anything it was for the fans. When it’s all over I’ll probably look back on my career and think about it more.”
“But it was more about the fans, because a club like Crystal Palace, the trophies, even the talk around the FA Cup, the players who had been there before and had a hard time getting there, had been waiting for a long time. It was about the fans.”
“This year. I’m going to focus on one day at a time because I think at some point in my life and career I’ll look back and really remember, but for now, I’m grateful for what happened this past year. But I’m also going to look back and appreciate what happened over time.”
Marc Gehi recently won the FA Cup twice (Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Clearly, 2026 could be even better. City have their eye on a number of trophies. England are in the World Cup. But Guehi has a very philosophical view of how it will play out.
“The ideal ending is what God wants. He knows what’s best. I have my own desires and ideas about how it should go, but whatever God thinks is best is the way to go.”
“For me, it’s the essence of life. It really is. To be honest, it helps me on good days and bad days, but it’s like a compass that points me in the right direction. No matter how you feel, no matter what situations happen in life, there’s one thing that remains constant – and that’s him.”
To celebrate the moment when fans come together, Toshiba Television has partnered with England international Mark Guehi and football streetwear designer Kira Villa to launch a limited edition retro Replay shirt.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of those live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
