Guardiola dismisses Mourinho influence

Pep Guardiola says his relationship with
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho did not
play a role in his decision to leave
Barcelona.
Guardiola, 42, announced on Friday he
will not renew his contract with Barca
after being ‘exhausted’ by his whirlwind
four years in the job.
The last two seasons of Guardiola’s tenure
have been punctuated by spiteful
exchanges with Mourinho, who is on the
verge of leading Real to La Liga glory.
“Did Mourinho influence my decision to
leave? Not at all. I had other opponents as
well, but other coaches don’t make you
tired. Day-to-day work and winning does,”
Guardiola told a press conference.
However, the former Spain international
midfielder refused to rule out a return to Camp
Nou in the future.
“Will I again be Barca coach in the future?” he
said.
“I can’t answer that now. I really don’t know.”
Guardiola also championed the cause of Barca
star Lionel Messi to retain the FIFA Ballon d’Or
after Mourinho made a case for Real forward
Cristiano Ronaldo to win the prestigious award.
“Mourinho says Cristiano Ronaldo should win
the Ballon d’Or this year rather than Messi?
There will be a day that Messi won’t win it, but
he’s been brilliant this season,” Guardiola said.