The end of a football dynasty: Pep Guardiola is officially leaving Manchester City

“It’s over.” Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City. Yes, what once seemed unimaginable has finally become official. Much, much later than anyone imagined back in 2016, but also a year earlier than expected. In November 2024, Manchester City announced Guardiola’s extension through 2027. Two more years that ultimately became one – and a farewell that, even if anticipated, still feels historic. Two seasons after his beloved “archrival” Jürgen Klopp stepped away and following three intense Premier League title battles against his “student” Mikel Arteta, Guardiola is packing his bags.

Since November – almost always the month chosen to extend his contracts, in this case November 2024 – the Santpedor-born coach repeatedly reminded everyone that he was still under contract whenever questioned about his future. “I still have two years left, maybe I’ll renew for two more,” he even said at the start of the current campaign. Even after losing the 2025-26 Premier League title to Arsenal, he insisted: “I have to speak with the president.” But reality was very different. Guardiola himself had long been warning that his time was nearing its end. Around Christmas, he admitted: “I won’t be here forever, the club has to be prepared.” And now, exactly that has happened. His legacy is already woven into the history of Manchester City, English soccer, and European soccer as a whole.

When City supporters look toward the Etihad Stadium dugout next season, they will no longer see the greatest manager in the club’s history. One of the greatest managers ever. For many, the greatest. What Guardiola achieved on the blue side of Manchester will be almost impossible to repeat – perhaps even impossible to aspire to. Nearly a decade, close to 600 games, more than 400 wins, almost 1,500 goals scored, and 20 trophies. A collection that includes every title possible: six Premier League crowns, five Carabao Cups, three FA Cups, three Community Shields, one UEFA Super Cup, and one Club World Cup. Among them, of course, sits Manchester City’s first-ever Champions League title. As Guardiola himself recently said: “I already did the best part.”

Guardiola won plenty with FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but at Manchester City he won absolutely everything. Across those three clubs, he collected 41 trophies. During each of his 10 seasons at City, the team qualified for the Champions League – a level of consistency Guardiola always took pride in. That success also came alongside more than $2.2 billion spent on transfers since his arrival, a figure surpassed during last winter’s transfer window. Only Sir Alex Ferguson has more trophies than Guardiola – and whether anyone will ever catch either of them remains uncertain. As for Guardiola’s own future, nobody really knows what comes next.

Year after year, Guardiola was linked with historic national teams such as England, Brazil, and Italy. But the Catalan coach appears ready to step away from the game entirely, at least for a while. “After my contract with Manchester City, I’m going to stop. I’m sure of it. I don’t know if I’ll retire, but I’m going to take a break,” he admitted just over a year ago.

The 2024-25 season – the worst not only of Guardiola’s Manchester City tenure but arguably of his entire coaching career – seemed to exhaust him. During a year in which his continuity was openly questioned from outside the club, City ultimately rallied and secured another Champions League qualification. At the same time, Guardiola added even more iconic quotes, touchline celebrations, and heated confrontations to his endless collection of unforgettable moments. Pure Pep.

The only real criticism some City supporters may hold against Guardiola is that he failed to keep one promise. At one point, amid the club’s ongoing financial investigation, he famously declared: “What happens if we get relegated? I’ll stay here. I don’t know what division we’d go to, but the next year we’ll come back, come back, come back to the Premier League.” The truth is that more than three years after the “City case” exploded with 130 charges related to alleged financial irregularities, the so-called “trial of the century” still has no verdict.

Whatever happens next for Manchester City, a new era has already begun at the Etihad Stadium. The departure of Txiki Begiristain after 13 years and the arrival of Hugo Viana last season marked the start of the transition. Guardiola’s exit – and Enzo Maresca’s arrival – will continue it. The same summer that Bernardo Silva, a City legend and Guardiola’s most-used player ever with 460 appearances, is expected to leave, along with “Johnny, Johnny Stones,” Guardiola’s first signing and the final remaining link to the 2016-17 squad, the former Chelsea manager is set to return to what was once his home.

Maresca, who coached Manchester City’s Under-23 side in 2020-21 and later served as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 season, will return to Manchester on a three-year deal through 2029. His task will be daunting: keeping Erling Haaland – under contract through 2034 – producing historic goal-scoring numbers, helping Rayan Cherki and Jérémy Doku bring even more magic and speed to City’s attack, and convincing Rodri Hernández, whose contract expires in 2027 and who continues to attract interest from Real Madrid, to remain the heartbeat of midfield. Meanwhile, Guardiola will simply say: “Th-th-th-that’s all folks!”

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