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By Spy Uganda
Following months of speculation around his future, the Spaniard will depart after City’s final-day game against Aston Villa on Sunday, despite having one year remaining on his contract.
Guardiola will leave having won a cup double in his 10th and final campaign but missing out on the Premier League title after Man City’s draw at Bournemouth.
The club have confirmed the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed ‘The Pep Guardiola Stand’ and a statue to mark his “incredible contribution during his 10 historic years” has also been commissioned.
“Rest!” he said in his press conference on Friday. “No plans for [coaching] for a while. Otherwise I would be here. I need to step back. I will not [coach] for a while.”
Since his appointment in February 2016, the 55-year-old has won everything club football has to offer, transforming and reshaping the landscape of the Premier League as we know it.
During 10 years at City he has guided the club to a remarkable 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy in 2023.
Guardiola will continue his relationship with the City Football Group by taking up a role as a global ambassador. The role will see him provide technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations.
Guardiola’s exit comes while City await the outcome of an investigation into 115 charges of alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
The alleged breaches covered the period between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City deny all of the charges.
Guardiola was asked why he is leaving now and while he did not reveal the main reason, he admitted it is time for City to have a new head coach.
“It’s the time. It’s not like going to sleep one day and the day after to say ‘now is the time’. It’s the process, I felt it for a while,” he said.
“The club respect me, the decision. The club has to be ready. This job, it’s Selhurst Park, Anfield, Madrid and Madrid, FA Cup – now I have to live my life and see what happens.
“The club needs a new manager, new energy, with these incredible players we have right now. And start to write a new chapter.
“It’s not about when. You know the time. It’s not one week ago. We’re in competition, I need the players to be with me and me be with them. And after there is the moment to say ‘ok, I want to say a proper goodbye to my people’.”
Asked if his energy levels has something to do with his departure, Guardiola said: “Absolutely. Absolutely.
“I feel I will not have the energy every day, with expectations to fight for the title. I know myself, I have that energy but I feel like I will not have [in the future].
“It’s been 10 years. It’s not ambition. After 10 years, ‘ok Pep’. It’s good to shake, to move, new faces. It’s the perfect moment, the perfect time.”
Pep’s Departure Quotes
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, 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, 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.
“Tony Walsh said in his unforgettable poem this is the place. I’m sorry, Tony: this is my place.
“Noel…I was right.
“It has been so f****** fun.
“Love you all.”
, https://www.spyuganda.com/soccer-guardiola-to-step-down-after-incredible-decade-as-man-city-manager/
