Vieira reveals how Guardiola supported his coaching career
Patrick Vieira has described how Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was willing to support the Frenchman’s coaching career.
Vieira joined City as a player in 2010, before moving to the backroom staff in 2011.
Shortly after Vieira was appointed head of the Elite Development Squad, Guardiola joined Bayern Munich, where he would win three consecutive Bundesliga titles.
During this spell, Guardiola invited Vieira to join him at Säbener Straße, the German club’s training ground.
“We haven’t spoken for quite a long time but yes he was really helpful,” Vieira said of his Spanish counterpart.
“When I was doing my badges and he was at Bayern Munich, he opened the doors for me to look in at the full setup and spent some time with me after training and in the evening and that just shows the kind of person he is. It was a privilege for me to spend that quality time with him.”
Vieira also found high praise for City as a club, after they offered him a role in their setup:
“I really wanted to come back to the Premier League and Roberto Mancini was manager at the time. For me it was to go to a place where I could play more games to allow me to have more chances of going to the [2010] World Cup in South Africa.
“I was really lucky to be at the right place at the right time. The direction of this football club was going in the right way. At City I met some really good people and it was a great time there.
“When I retired the football club offered me this ambassador role for me to spend time in any department of the football club to understand how the football club is run; for me to try to find my place where I can bring my experience.
“I will never thank them enough because that two years allowed me to understand what I wanted to do and make the right decision. It was a really important time for me at that moment.”