Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will leave Manchester City after a decade in which he won 20 major trophies and became the club’s most successful ever manager.
Enzo Maresca is expected to replace the Catalan, whose final game in charge will be Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa.
Guardiola, who will retain a connection with the club as he becomes an ambassador for the City Football Group, said he had an “eternal love” for City and that it had been “f***ing fun”.
Chief executive Ferran Soriano said Guardiola will leave an “extraordinary legacy”, while chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak said Guardiola had “made football better”.
The 55-year-old, who joined after spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, won six Premier League titles, a record five League Cups and, in 2023, City’s first ever Champions League.
He secured two separate trebles – winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in 2018-19 and the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2022-23 – as well as making City the only team to get 100 points in a top-flight English season, in 2017-18.
Guardiola won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup this season, but his hopes of getting a seventh Premier League ended with Tuesday’s draw against Bournemouth.
He said: “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. Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.
“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.
“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way. Hard work comes in many forms. Trips to Bournemouth, when we lost the Premier League, and you were there. Trips to Istanbul [where City won the 2023 Champions League], when you were there, too.
“Remember, the Manchester Arena attack, when this city showed the world what strength actually looks like? Not anger. Not fear. Just love. Community. Togetherness. A city united.
“Remember, losing my mum during COVID and feeling this club carry me through it. The fans, the staff, the people of Manchester, you gave me strength when I needed it most. Cris [Cristina, his ex-wife], my kids, my whole family, you were there as always. Khaldoon, you were there too.
“Players don’t forget – every single instant, moment, me, my staff, this club, everything. What we have done, we have done it for all of you. And you have been just exceptional. You don’t know it yet, but you are leaving a legacy.
“So as my time comes to an end, be happy. Oasis are back again. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for trusting me. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for loving me. It has been so f****** fun.”
Al-Mubarak added: “Over the last ten years honesty and trust have formed the bedrock on which we have navigated every situation together with Pep – always understanding that we could find the right answer together. Today the right answer is for Pep to finish his journey as the manager of Manchester City.
“There have been points along the way when he could have stopped, and it would have been enough. Somehow, Pep always found new energy and pushed on, finding different and innovative ways to continue winning and delivering success. As a result, the club has a decade of memories and success to be forever grateful for, and much more than that, an evolution that cannot be undone.
“The unique approach that he brings to his coaching has allowed him to constantly challenge the accepted truths of our game. It is the reason that in the last ten years he has not only made Manchester City better – he has also made football better.”
Soriano added: “We have been privileged to work alongside Pep Guardiola for ten years. We have witnessed his greatness and dedication, but also enjoyed his companionship, his friendship and humanity. What a privilege it has been for so many of us at Manchester City. Pep’s legacy is extraordinary and its true impact will be better assessed by Manchester City historians of the future.”
