Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the 2025/26 season, bringing the curtain down on a decade that reshaped the club and English football. City confirmed the news on Friday, with the Spaniard’s final game set for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at the Etihad.
The announcement ends weeks of speculation. Guardiola’s contract ran until June 2027 after an extension signed in November 2025, but he decided to step aside a year early. “Deep inside, I know it’s my time,” he said in a farewell statement. “Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here.”
A Decade That Changed Manchester City
Guardiola arrived in July 2016 as the most decorated coach of his generation, with two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles from Barcelona, plus three Bundesliga crowns at Bayern Munich. What followed was the most successful spell in City’s history.
Under him, City won 20 major trophies: six Premier League titles, including four in a row from 2021 to 2024; three FA Cups; five Carabao Cups; the Champions League in 2023; plus the Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and three Community Shields. The 2022/23 treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League placed City among the modern greats.
His teams redefined how English football is played. The inverted full-back, relentless high press, and positional play became the blueprint for clubs across the Premier League. City finished with 100 points in 2017/18, a record that stood for years, and dominated domestically even when rivals like Liverpool and Arsenal pushed them close.
This season City secured the FA Cup and Carabao Cup double, but their grip on the league slipped. A 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday handed Arsenal the title, leaving City to finish second. Guardiola called it a fitting end to a cycle that had run its course
“Nothing Is Eternal”
Guardiola’s farewell letter mixed gratitude with reflection on Manchester itself.
“When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, ‘Okay… Noel is here? This will be fun’,” he wrote. “And what a time we have had together. Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time.”
He spoke about the city’s industrial roots and how it shaped his teams: “This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too.”
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak called the past decade “transformative,” and the club announced that the expanded North Stand at the Etihad will be named the Pep Guardiola Stand, with a statue commissioned for the approach.
What Comes Next for Guardiola
Guardiola isn’t leaving the City Football Group entirely. He will take up a role as Global Ambassador, providing technical advice to clubs across the network, which includes Girona, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Yokohama Marinos, and others.
He hasn’t indicated whether he’ll return to management elsewhere, but at 55, he leaves open the possibility of a final project before retirement.
The Succession Plan
City have been preparing for this moment for at least a year. Enzo Maresca, Guardiola’s former assistant and ex-Chelsea manager, is the leading candidate to take over. Maresca worked under Guardiola during the 2022/23 treble season before leading Leicester City to promotion and a brief spell at Chelsea.
The transition won’t be simple. Guardiola leaves behind an aging core and a squad built around his specific tactical system. Analysts expect a period of adjustment as the new manager adapts the style and manages rotation risks among senior players.
Legacy
Guardiola leaves City as the club’s most successful manager by a distance. He won more Premier League titles than any City boss and delivered the Champions League that had eluded the club since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.
His influence extends beyond trophies. Academy players, coaching methods, and the club’s playing identity are now built around principles he instilled. Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year run at United remains unmatched for length, but in intensity and impact, Guardiola’s 10 years rank alongside it.
City’s final game under Guardiola on Sunday against Aston Villa will be as much a celebration as a fixture. After 10 years, 20 trophies, and a style of football that changed the league, the Etihad will say goodbye to its defining figure of the modern era.
