Pep Guardiola once expressed regret over letting a surprising player leave Manchester City after just a year under his management.
Guardiola took over from Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2016 and, after a third-place finish in his debut season, went on to build a dominant era at the club. Under his leadership, City claimed six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
Although City recently lost their Premier League title to Arne Slot’s Liverpool and are now in a close fight for Champions League qualification, they have secured a spot in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
Following his first season, Guardiola reshaped the squad by bringing in stars like Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, and Ederson. In that same window, several players departed, including Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Aleksandar Kolarov, and Wilfried Bony.
Among those exits, the one Guardiola later admitted to regretting was Jesus Navas. The Spanish winger had joined City from Sevilla in 2013 for nearly £15 million, making 183 appearances, scoring eight goals, and winning a Premier League title and two League Cups.
Navas returned to Sevilla on a free transfer in 2017, where he went on to make 705 appearances and scored 40 goals before retiring last summer. In a video message shown after Navas’ final match, Guardiola praised the player and revealed his regret over letting him go.
“Thank you for the gift of spending a year together,” Guardiola said. “You don’t know how much I regret letting you go. I would have loved for you to stay longer, but sometimes you make mistakes.”
He added: “Congratulations to all Sevillistas for having such an extraordinary player and person who represents Sevillismo. Keep him close.”
Navas also earned 56 caps for Spain, scoring five goals, and was part of their 2010 World Cup and 2012 and 2024 European Championship-winning squads.