Gerard Pique has said he believes Jose Mourinho's off-field antics following his arrival at Real Madrid in 2010 contributed to Pep Guardiola's exit from Barcelona two years later.
During what was one of the most intense periods in Spanish football, tensions between Mourinho and Guardiola, and the players they managed, often spilled over in matches. While it was a source of entertainment for spectators, those involved remember those times differently.
Guardiola, specifically, was said to suffer from the demands of competing against Los Blancos and the off-field drama that Mourinho seemed to thrive on, and it eventually led to the tactician feeling burnt out.
That is according to Pique, who was a key figure in Barcelona's success during Guardiola's spell in charge between 2008 and 2012 and who believes the rivalry with Mourinho contributed to his ex-boss departing the Catalan club.
"(The rivalry between) Guardiola and Mourinho, here in Spain, was very tough," he told Gary Neville on The Overlap.
"I remember Mourinho arrived at Madrid (after) winning the treble with Inter Milan and he was like the guy that will save Madrid, and that he will make the team win against us because we were winning everything at the time, and I remember the first time Mourinho came to Camp Nou, he lost 5-0 against us.
"It was a shock of reality. But it's true that Mourinho, in the press conference every time, he was every day… you know how he is, his style. And I think that Guardiola, at some point, it was too much (for him).
"I mean it was sometimes more important what was happening outside of the pitch than on the pitch.
"At the end of the day, Guardiola left because at some point, and Mourinho at Madrid won the league that year, and all of a sudden he decided to leave for so many reasons, but I'm sure that part of it is that, with Mourinho, it was too much."
Guardiola won 14 trophies during his time in charge of Barcelona, including three LaLiga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues.
