Pep: I could have played for Wigan

PEP GUARDIOLA almost signed for Wigan Athletic — and it is such a good story that it has two versions. The first one was delivered by the Catalan, who tonight directs his runaway Manchester City train across Lancashire to the DW Stadium. While the journey is short, the teams are miles apart in terms of fanbase, cash and Hollywood glitz. But Guardiola came close to playing for Wigan in 2005, when the former Barcelona star was a 34-year-old free agent. As it turned out, he spurned the opportunity to be part of the club’s first season in the Premier League. But there is disagreement over why. According to City’s multiple Champions League-winning boss, the Latics did not want him. ‘I was not good enough!’ Guardiola said ahead of the fifth-round tie against the club who now play in League One. ‘I was really old. I tried to come here to play in English football. The same happened when I came to Manchester City, with Stuart Pearce, they were (both) so clever because I was not good enough.’ Paul Jewell, the Wigan manager at the time, tells a different story. ‘I got a call from Guardiola’s agent and I rang Pep and left a message,’ Jewell explained. ‘Five minutes later he (Guardiola) rang me back. He knew all about Wigan, all about our players — I was really impressed. ‘He told me he would like to come and play in the Premier League. He was all set to come when his agent called me saying Pep had received a mind-blowing offer from Qatar. So it was Qatar or Wigan.’ Guardiola eventually chose piñatas over pies and ended up in Mexico.