Kyle Walker reveals Pep Guardiola’s unusual request to Man City star in Fifa speech after being dumped by Annie Kilner
KYLE Walker last night revealed Pep Guardiola's unusual request in a Fifa speech after being dumped by his wife Annie Kilner over his baby with Lauryn Goodman.
The Manchester City defender appeared at the Best FIFA Football Awards at the Apollo Theatre in London.
He arrived alongside his son Roman, whom he shares with his estranged wife Annie Kilner.
Walker was named in the FIFA FIFPRO's Men's World 11 alongside teammates Ruben Dias, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
Manager Pep Guardiola was honoured as The Best FIFA Men's Coach.
Walker went on stage to collect his award with fellow City defender Dias and Guardiola.
Read More Kyle Walker
He said: "First of all good evening everyone.
"It's a great honour to be here. Obviously personally, for me, for Ruben. We're representing everyone. To honour the boss.
"He doesn't like me to call him boss, he likes me to call him Pep.
"To work with Pep day in, day out for seven years now has been a great honour.
"He's taught me a lot on the field. The player I was when I joined from Tottenham to now Man City is I'd say a great thing.
"For me to be here on this stage with this trophy in my hand is a big success to him as well."
Before the event Walker posed for stylish snaps at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel in nearby Mayfair.
It came hours after Annie was spotted for the first time since discovering Walker fathered a second love child with Lauryn Goodman.
The long-suffering wife, 30, was pictured smiling behind the wheel of her luxury Mercedes 4x4 driving through Cheshire this morning.
And yesterday, Walker and Annie - who is six months pregnant - were pictured together for the first time since the split as Annie handed over Roman in Prestbury, Cheshire.
The bombshell Boxing Day revelation saw the love rat Manchester City defender, 33, turfed out of the family's sprawling £2.5million pad.
In an online statement Annie revealed the pair, who share three sons together, were splitting.
She wrote: "I am posting this in response to growing recent media enquiries about my marriage to Kyle and in an effort to protect my family against the intensity of the media spotlight.
"Sadly, after many years of marriage and three wonderful children together; I have decided to take some time away from Kyle.
"I do not wish to comment on the position any further. For now, I ask that the privacy of myself and our three young children is respected during this difficult time."
And, her fuming dad has also begged her not to go back to the footballer - or he will disown her.
Annie is considering divorce and has even hired Coleen Rooney's victorious Wagatha Christie lawyer, Paul Lunt.
It comes as Lauryn spoke in an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday, and said she revealed the truth so they could all “live their lives like adults”.
The emotional 32-year-old said: “I kept saying to Kyle, ‘You need to tell her.
"You need to tell Annie that you are our daughter’s father and you are having a relationship with your children.
"'We need to start 2024 out in an open way. If everyone knows where they stand they can make their own adult choices in life'.
“I didn’t want to cause any more heartache for Annie or be a b***h but I had to tell her because Kyle was too weak to do it.
"There were hearings coming up surrounding our daughter, there was paperwork flying around and legal meetings had taken place and Annie needed to know the truth before something went public.
“Kyle was happy hiding the truth because he was having two families and was scared about what would happen when Annie knew but I kept saying to him, ‘Our daughter can’t be a secret, she is a human’.
“I didn’t want them to split up or cause harm but it had to be out in the open for all of our sakes.
“When I told Annie, she was cool and calm.”
But, now fresh text messages from Lauryn Goodman's phone in July 2022 revealed she was "ready to finish" Walker's marriage.
She texted a pal: “Ready to finish them” — then added laughing and heart emojis.
Another message read: “Ask him if he wants to go with me again? I’m down for baby number 2 [five laughing emojis].”
A pal who sent the text messages to The Sun said: “Lauryn is insisting that she never interfered in their marriage, but I beg to differ — these messages to me say the complete opposite.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Lauryn became pregnant three months later after a secret rendezvous with Walker in London and gave birth to a girl in July last year.
The influencer also has a three-year-old son with Walker, from a brief relationship while he and Annie were apart.