Former Barcelona star Cristian Tello recalls Guardiola’s anger over leaked 2012 El Clasico lineup | OneFootball

Former FC Barcelona forward Cristian Tello recently announced his retirement from professional football.

Having come through the ranks at La Masia, the 35-year-old forward made his senior debut for Barça in 2011 under club legend Pep Guardiola.

He went on to make 86 first-team appearances for the club, he left the Catalans permanently in 2017, after a few loan spells.

The El Clasico lineup leak

Now, during an interview with RAC1 (h/t MARCA), Tello recalled an incident from his playing days at Barcelona which sparked great anger from Guardiola.

The said incident took place ahead of the Clasico against Real Madrid 21 April 2012 particularly because of what happened before kick-off.

That day, Guardiola surprised everyone with a starting XI that included Tello and Thiago Alcantara. Barça lost 1-2 to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, a result that ultimately put the title firmly within the Merengues side’s reach.

“Guardiola started the team talk badly, angry because the lin-up had been leaked,” Tello recalled in the interview.

Tello started in that Clasico against Real Madrid in 2012. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

According to the former forward, the sequence unfolded quickly. The team trained in the morning, Guardiola announced the starting XI and, before the evening arrived, the lineup was already circulating outside the club.

“I remember it with excitement, but not very well, because it was a strange situation. We trained in the morning at Camp Nou, Guardiola announced the lineup and during the day, at lunch, it was leaked,” he explained.

For a young player about to start his first Clasico, it was not the ideal setting. Guardiola’s tone during the pre-match team talk made his frustration clear.

“Messi wasn’t angry about the lineup, but it was a Clasico in which I was playing and the team talk started with a very angry tone.

“Guardiola said we had to be a unit, a family, and that whoever had leaked it had to be inside. He was very angry,” Tello recalled.

The message was clearly aimed at someone within the dressing room. The coach had demanded that the group remain united after details of his plans had left the room before the match.

Guardiola was allegedly furious over the line-up leak. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Praise for Guardiola

The incident did not change Tello’s overall view of Guardiola, whom he credits with playing an important role in his development.

“Guardiola was a genius,” he said.

Tello particularly praised the manager’s team talks and the way his ideas were reflected on the pitch. He also suggested that Guardiola’s relentless standards may have contributed to his decision to leave Barcelona.

“Guardiola is intense and demanding. He had spent a long time at Barça winning everything, so I think he felt that perhaps he had worn the players down with his demands,” Tello explained.

Tello announced his retirement at the beginning of September at the age of 35. He finished his career with 512 professional appearances after spells with Barcelona, Porto, Fiorentina, Real Betis, Los Angeles FC, Al-Fateh and Al-Okhdood.