Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s post-midnight sex ban allowed him to bring the “best out” of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, according to Samir Nasri.
Nasri spent six years at City, including a season-long loan spell at Sevilla, after completing a stunning move from Arsenal in 2011 for a reported £25m fee.
The former Gunners midfielder lifted two Premier League titles and a League Cup with City before Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad in 2016.
Nasri, 35, claimed that Guardiola’s post-midnight sex ban helped the likes of Messi and Lewandowski to “avoid the maximum number of muscular injuries.”
Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe in 2016, he said: “Relations must be before midnight. Even if you have a free day the following day. It’s so you can have a good night’s sleep.
“He told us this is how he managed to get the best out of Messi and Lewandowski, and for them to avoid the maximum number of muscular injuries.”
The ex-France midfielder, who retired in 2021 after a spell with Anderlecht, admitted that Guardiola was a “picky person” due to his meticulous attention to detail.
“With Guardiola, on the first day of training, you know how you should play, how to squeeze and also how to stand off the ball,” Nasri said.
“The next day, you have videos for everything that you have to do.