​Benjamin Mendy Admits Pep Guardiola Told Him to 'Calm Down' Social Media Antics

26 February 2020 08:56

Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy has admitted that Pep Guardiola told him to "calm down" after a number of extravagant posts on social media.

The French international joined the club in 2017 for a reported fee of £52m, after spending a single title-winning season with AS Monaco, and has developed somewhat of a cult following for his willingness to engage with fans on Twitter and Instagram.

Benjamin Mendy

But his antics in the past haven't impressed everybody, with manager Pep Guardiola reportedly furious with some of Mendy's posts when he was out injured last season.

Now, Mendy has revealed, in an interview with FourFourTwo, that his manager's previous comments of  “sometimes we want to kill him" did indeed ring true, and that the Spaniard had told him to take a step back.

“[Pep] told me to calm down," Mendy began. “He said it’s normal to have a life on social media, but not too much. Some people are always waiting for you to make a mistake [on social media]. Even if it’s not that bad, it can become a really big thing.”


Back in February 2019, Mendy tweeted that he was in Hong Kong - something that Guardiola was later asked about in a press conference. Although he was playing a prank, Mendy admits that the club contacted him to find out what was going on, and things spiralled out of control from there.

“I got a call from the club asking, ‘Where are you?'" he added. "I was in Barcelona recovering! It was a joke but people went crazy. Sometimes I didn’t think when I was tweeting, but then it goes deeper. Now I think a bit more.”

Mendy did revealed his admiration for Guardiola, revealing how the pair first met when he signed, and how highly he thinks of him as a manager.

“I was sitting on a chair, he walked over to shake my hand and then just gave me a little kiss on my head. That was a surprise – I wasn’t ready for it.”

“Honestly, though, Pep is just unbelievable. Tactically he’s amazing, but it’s also the way he makes you feel. He’s the manager, but he can be your friend, too.

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“You can talk openly, and he’ll make you feel good. You aren’t scared to approach him like some managers – he makes you so relaxed. That’s good for a player. The way he speaks about football, you feel it; you can see how much he loves it and you want to fight for him. After he’s done [talking], you’re ready.”

Source: 90min