I will go away for 10 years — Guardiola announces intention to leave Man City

Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his intention to take a prolonged break from coaching after leaving Manchester City.

The 54-year-old Spaniard has secured 18 trophies at City, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League crown. With his contract set to expire in 2027, Guardiola has not confirmed his exact departure date but emphasized that his decision to take a sabbatical is firm.

In an interview with GQ Spain, Guardiola, who previously told ESPN in May that he would depart City when his contract ends, stated,

“I know that after this stage with City, I’m going to stop, that’s for sure. It’s decided, more than decided. I don’t know how long I’ll stop for, a year, two years, three years, five, ten, fifteen, I don’t know. But I will leave after this spell with City because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body.”

Despite signing a contract extension in November, Guardiola endured a challenging season, with City finishing without a trophy for the first time since he joined in 2016. Reflecting on the season, he remarked, “I’ve spent four or five months this year in every away stadium with the crowd chanting, ‘You’ll be sacked in the morning. They’re going to fire you.’

"There’s no other profession, architect, teacher, doctor, journalist... where 60,000 people ask you to lose your job. When you win six Premier Leagues, there comes a time when you go down. It’s human nature ... it’s a process that had to happen, it happens, it took longer to happen, and when it did, it went deeper than we could have imagined.”

Guardiola remains optimistic about City’s future, believing the setback will strengthen the team. “Speaking on behalf of Manchester City, it has been very healthy for us,” he said.

"I think it will be very good for the next five or ten years. And next year [this coming season] we’ll do better.”