Pep Guardiola laughed as he faced reporters ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League trip to Everton and reacted to viral footage showing Rayan Cherki training in a boxing ring, joking that the young midfielder’s footwork made him “scary.”
“On Instagram right now, [Cherki] is boxing. He’s scary!” Guardiola said, then turned the clip into praise for the player’s early return on a big transfer, adding: “It’s not bad in his first season what he is doing.”
The footage, which showed Cherki demonstrating quick footwork during a boxing training session, quickly gained traction on social media and became the topic of conversation around City ahead of the weekend’s fixture. Since moving to Manchester, the 22-year-old rayan cherki has produced ten goals and 13 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City — figures Guardiola cited as part of the player’s case for inclusion and trust.
Those numbers are the weight of the story: ten goals, 13 assists and 46 appearances in a single season for a player adapting to a new club is a concrete measure of impact. Guardiola seized the moment on the media stage to underline that Cherki’s unconventional training clip shouldn’t distract from his on-field form. “What is my typical player?” he asked rhetorically, then answered a line of questioning about profiles by saying, “I don’t have typical players.”
Context matters here. Manchester City have already secured the Carabao Cup this season and still have two major domestic targets in play: they sit six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with two games in hand and are due to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final. The club’s season, in other words, is far from finished, and Guardiola framed Cherki’s first campaign as part of the broader push for trophies.
Guardiola returned to familiar comparisons and principles when discussing player types. “I don’t believe in that,” he said, pushing back on rigid labels, and added a reminder of his previous squad-building at Barcelona: “At Barcelona we had good players that were strong.” He finished his comments on Cherki’s ability with a clear endorsement: “Of course he can play, all the players I have here are my type of players.”
The tension in the story is quiet but real: a playful social-media clip highlighting boxing drills sits alongside high-stakes domestic competition. The clip’s viral momentum could easily become a distraction, yet the hard numbers – ten goals and 13 assists in 46 outings – and Guardiola’s repeated public backing suggest the dressing room and the bench will treat Cherki’s boxing practice as either harmless cross-training or a signal of a player sharpening quick feet and balance rather than a sign of misdirected focus.
Guardiola threaded both tones in one media appearance, joking about Cherki’s “scary” boxing but also using the moment to remind observers that the Spaniard values versatility and results. If those 46 appearances continue to produce contributions at the same rate, Cherki will remain a usable option in a congested fixture list that includes a Premier League run-in and an FA Cup final.
For now the more important fact is what Guardiola made plain: the clip is a sideshow, the numbers are not. Cherki’s season — measured in goals and assists and appearances — has given him currency at a club still fighting on multiple fronts, and Guardiola’s public endorsement signals the player will be part of that fight.
