Pep Guardiola to end decade-long Manchester City reign at end of season

Published
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola waves to the fans following the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 13. —AFP/File
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola waves to the fans following the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 13. —AFP/File

Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after a decade in charge, the club announced on Friday, bringing an end to one of the most successful eras in English football and one of the most influential managerial reigns of all time.

Guardiola, who took charge of City in 2016, has won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League, but his side have not won the league in two years.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time,” Guardiola said in a statement.

“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.

“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way.”

Although City sealed the domestic cup double, Guardiola saw his dreams of a seventh Premier League crown dashed when they drew 1-1 at Bournemouth on Tuesday to hand Arsenal the title.

News of the Spaniard’s impending departure was first reported on Monday.

At that point, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was tight-lipped on his future as City missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal 24 hours later.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who previously worked on Guardiola’s staff at City, has been widely reported as the man set to take over at the Etihad.

Opinion

Editorial

Islamic banking
Updated 06 Jul, 2026

Islamic banking

THE roadmap for eliminating riba from Pakistan’s financial system from 2028 offers some clarity on how the...
Prison reforms
06 Jul, 2026

Prison reforms

IF nothing else, it was good to see the four provincial chief executives sharing a common platform. The chief...
Preserving Taxila
06 Jul, 2026

Preserving Taxila

TAXILA is far more than a collection of ancient ruins. It is one of South Asia’s greatest archaeological ...
Iran’s resilience
Updated 05 Jul, 2026

Iran’s resilience

THE funeral ceremonies for Iran’s assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, which...
The annual test
05 Jul, 2026

The annual test

PAKISTAN enters another monsoon season with little room for complacency. Last year’s rains claimed more than 1,000...
Dangerous syringes
05 Jul, 2026

Dangerous syringes

INNOCENCE stands overwhelmed by another health emergency. The HIV crisis, beyond surging statistics — over 350,000...