Talk of Scholes and golf reveal a different Pep
...but it was a happier mood at charity event with Guardiola
IT WAS no surprise that Rory McIlroy’s homecoming at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Tuesday night left a 2,000-strong audience spellbound.
What was a revelation was that his special guest, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, brought the house down with a series of insightful and funny remarks. So guarded at press conferences, the Spaniard let the mask slip to the delight of the sell-out gathering.
Asked whether he needed to win a trophy during the next campaign after a season of transition, the 46-year-old replied: ‘I don’t think anyone regarded it as a season of transition. If you don’t win a trophy it is a disaster.
‘But we still won’t begin this season thinking we need to win that trophy and this trophy. You’ve got to try to enjoy the process of building a team and keep striving to get better every day.
‘What’s important is that the supporters know that when you go out you put your heart on the pitch. That’s what you can guarantee, but win? No. You want to win, of course, but so do the other ones.’
Guardiola’s eyes lit up when he was asked to speak about Johan Cruyff — the man who was in charge when he first played for Barcelona — and Lionel Messi.
‘I think Cruyff was the most influential man in the history of football,’ he said. ‘Every match it was like reading a book, he told you why the pitch felt wide in some matches and narrow in some others.
‘He brought the philosophy to Barcelona that still carries to this day. And if he brought the philosophy, Messi put it into real time. Why is he the best footballer I have ever seen? When the guy from above saw him, he just put a tick next to everything.
‘He’s not only got the ability to see everything on a pitch, he scores three goals every game. He doesn’t say much but he gets the message across to the manager, his team-mates and the spectators that he’s there. Knowing that they relax, they know that at some point he is going to make a dribble and score or make an assist. He’s the ultimate competitor, there’s nothing he likes more than cup finals or playing Real Madrid.
‘If I have one piece of advice, it is that when Barcelona are playing, make sure you switch on the television. Because when he is finished playing, it is going to feel like a desert.’
The evening was hosted by Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt who, like McIlroy, is a huge Manchester United fan. ‘Last year at a function like this we had Alex Ferguson as the guest and it was like a United love-in,’ said Nesbitt, tongue firmly in cheek. ‘Now we’re embracing the other half, which is a surprise — at least to me.’
Nesbitt tried his best to gently needle Guardiola about City’s great rivals but he never took the bait.
‘Don’t worry, I know United are a top club,’ said Guardiola.
The most he would allow is the United player from past teams he would most like to manage. ‘Ah, Paul Scholes,’ he said. ‘My favourite player.’
Guardiola began by describing how he played football day and night as a youngster in the streets. ‘There were no traffic lights back then in our small town and nothing to stop us playing football, football, football,’ he said, before adding with a smile: ‘My dad never took me to the golf course but if he had, Rory would have been in trouble.’
The pair first met at the Ryder Cup at Medinah in 2012, when Guardiola was enjoying a year’s sabbatical after leaving Barcelona before joining Bayern Munich. He has since become something of a golf fanatic.
Asked his handicap, he replied: ‘It’s certainly not good enough to shoot 61, like Rory did at Portrush,’ he said, referring to McIlroy’s course-record score shot at the Antrim links aged just 16.
As for McIlroy, he sparkled when asked about his unforgettable singles match against Patrick Reed at the Ryder Cup last year. ‘I wanted to play No1 because I knew I would play him and all I wanted to do was to shut him up,’ he said, grinning broadly.
‘I didn’t quite manage that but I didn’t go down without a fight — and I’ll get him next time.’
The evening attracted many Northern Irish sporting legends including Pat Jennings, Dame Mary Peters and Dennis Taylor.
Proceeds went to the Rory Foundation, which seeks to help children suffering from ill-health or who are unfairly disadvantaged.
McIlroy got the ball rolling with a £1million donation from his own pocket to build a new therapeutic centre for families affected by cancer in County Mayo.