CARLOS TEVEZ has revealed he almost had a furious punch-up with Roberto Mancini as he lifted the lid on his troubled time under the Manchester City boss. The striker returns from Argentina today after a three-month strike hoping to pick up the pieces of his football career. But he admitted in an extraordinary interview the pair nearly came to blows following a home match against Newcastle last season. But for team-mates tearing both men apart, there would have been blood on the floor at the Etihad.
Tevez, 28, said: "Last year in the dressing room he was about to punch me — but he didn't sack me from the team. "You have so many fights in a dressing room, it's normal, but Mancini was wrong. Against Newcastle last year we were separated by my team-mates because we wanted to punch each other.
"But we had a good relationship. We joked, we used to drink coffee together and laugh together. He is a winner — but I'm a winner, too."
That all changed of course after Tevez refused to continue warming up in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich last September.
Tevez says he will never apologise to Mancini because he has done nothing wrong. The Argentine striker also says he has fallen out of love with the club he helped to their first trophy in 35 years when he lifted the FA Cup last May.
Tevez said he took flight because he simply could not handle the situation any more.
He added: "I was feeling really bad so I decided to fly to Buenos Aires. "I never told the club that I was flying there. The doctors at City saw me and they told the directors 'Carlos is suffering'.
"When people heard I didn't want to play against Bayern, they became mad with me. When I saw them burning shirts with my name on and hurling insults that hurt me.
"I was upset, so angry with the fans.
I couldn't understand what was going on. I gave everything to that club.
I haven't watched Man City in the last months, it's difficult for me. I don't remember Man City fans with love, not at all, but I understand the fans because City lied to them.
"Mancini managed the situation after Bayern Munich so badly.
"I was angry with Mancini, also because I was not the captain any more and he didn't explain that decision to me."
Tevez says Mancini would never have treated him the way did if he did not have new signings like Sergio 'Kun' Aguero, Mario Balotelli and also Edin Dzeko hitting form. He said: "I don't know if he would have done the things he did if this was last season.
"Last season, Man City was Tevez and no one else. But Dzeko, Kun and even Balotelli are playing well — so Mancini decided to sack me."
Mancini reiterated recently that Tevez would have to apologise for his actions in Munich if he ever wanted a chance to play for the club again.
That is now looking unlikely as he went on to explain in his interview in Argentina that was also shown here on Sky Sports News. Tevez said: "If it's true that Mancini wants me, I'm happy but I don't know if he is saying the truth because he is contradictory.
"Let's see what happens this week. I would say sorry if I was wrong.
"I was sacked by Man City through the back door but I want to be back and change things. If I score goals, people will love me again. "I'm going back to Manchester because I want to win the love of the fans again. People have been against me since the game with Bayern."
The details of what went on the night in Munich back in September have been well documented. After the game Mancini accused Tevez of refusing to play — an accusation which the player says a subsequent inquiry found to be not true.
He said: "Manchester City investigated the incident. Me, the players, the staff and even Mancini were talked to, and no one said I didn't want to go on the pitch.
" OK, I didn't want to warm-up again, I had done it twice already.
Mancini said immediately that I was out of the team. I told Mancini I had been ready to go on against Bayern.
He treated me so badly, as he was angry with Dzeko. He insulted me."
Afterwards Tevez was left isolated at City as he was made to train with the reserve and youth team players. He said: "Mancini didn't want to see me at all. It was not a normal life. I was training with 15-year-old kids, they couldn't believe it."
Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian last night tried to defuse the situation by insisting: "What Carlos is explaining in his interview is how he felt back then. The club and Carlos have been talking about things in a positive way and he has said he is ready to apologise if he has done something wrong."
But there are a lot of bridges still left to be built. Tevez has had to return to Manchester after leaving back on November 7 because he has not been sold and is not being paid. His total in fines and withdrawal of a loyalty bonus through the whole affair has cost him around £9.7million.
Tevez said: "I received many offers from Milan, Inter and PSG but City didn't want to lose money on me. I trained by myself in Buenos Aires."
Tevez is optimistic he will be fit and ready to play in a fortnight. He added: "It's a great challenge, I'm coming back to Manchester with all my energies. Four months ago, I didn't want to play any more and I thought about quitting. But now I have never wanted to play football as much as I do today. "I would like to help City win the title against United, that's my wish."
Yet in another dig at Mancini, he hailed his former boss Alex Ferguson at Manchester United as the greatest manager — along with former Argentine coach and current Athletic Bilbao chief Marcelo Bielsa.
Tevez said: "Ferguson is the best, he and Bielsa are the best. OK, Ferguson treated me badly at the end but he is still the best."
As an act of peace-making goes this was about as subtle as a Suarez handshake.
