Guardiola Exits Manchester City After A Decade Of Trophy-winning Leadership

Pep Guardiola confirmed on 22 May 2026 that the decade-long chapter with Manchester City is ending, stating that the 2025-26 season will be the final one. The announcement came a day before City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, a result that saw Arsenal secure the Premier League title and ensured Guardiola finished without the trophy for a second straight campaign.

The decision arrives despite Guardiola signing a two-year extension during the 2024-25 season and giving several hints that work would continue until 2027. Instead, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach chose to validate growing speculation, telling supporters and the club that this was the right moment to walk away after 10 seasons at the Etihad Stadium.

Across all competitions, Guardiola will depart having managed 592 matches for Manchester City, with 416 victories and a win rate of 70.3 per cent. City scored 1,422 goals during that span and collected 20 trophies, reinforcing Guardiola’s place among the most decorated coaches to work in English football.

The trophy haul includes six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and five EFL Cups, alongside one Champions League, three Community Shields, one UEFA Super Cup and one Club World Cup. Guardiola’s teams also claimed both domestic cups again in 2025-26, despite missing out on the league title to Arsenal.

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Guardiola is the only manager to claim four consecutive English top-flight crowns, achieved from 2020-21 to 2023-24. Manchester City’s 100-point Premier League campaign in 2017-18 remains unmatched, while Guardiola holds the highest points-per-game figure, 2.28, and best win percentage, 71 per cent, for any manager with at least five Premier League fixtures.

Within Premier League history, only Alex Ferguson exceeds Guardiola’s total of six league titles, with Ferguson earning 13 with Manchester United. Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are also the only managers to record more Premier League wins for a single club than Guardiola, who has 269 for City, compared with Ferguson’s 528 and Wenger’s 476.

Guardiola could not add one final league medal in 2025-26, yet other landmarks continued. Guardiola became the first manager to win both English domestic cups in the same campaign on two occasions, having previously done so in 2018-19. The five EFL Cup victories are the most by any coach, while only Wenger, George Ramsay, Ferguson and John Nicholson have claimed more FA Cups.

Pep Guardiola farewell message to Manchester City

Guardiola confirmed the decision and reflected on his journey in an emotional address to supporters, staff and the wider city. The message linked his work with Manchester’s industrial roots, its cultural identity and the shared experiences of success and hardship over the previous decade under his leadership.

Guardiola said: When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, 'Okay Noel is here? This will be fun'. And 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, when you were there, too.

Guardiola’s message also drew on shared trauma and solidarity, from the Manchester Arena attack to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guardiola referenced how the city pulled together, and described the support received from fans and colleagues after the death of Guardiola’s mother during the global health crisis.

Guardiola said: Remember, the Manchester Arena attack, when this city showed the world what strength actually looks like? Not anger. Not fear. Just love. Community. Togetherness.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 forgetevery 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. NoelI was right. It has been so f****** fun. Love you all.

Pep Guardiola future and Manchester City succession

Attention now turns to Guardiola’s next move and City’s succession plan. After leaving Barcelona in 2012, Guardiola took a year away from management before joining Bayern Munich. However, Guardiola moved directly from Bayern to Manchester City in 2016, without another break from the game.

Guardiola has often talked about interest in international football, and reports have linked Italy with an approach after missing a third successive World Cup. Other national teams or elite clubs are expected to monitor the situation closely, although Guardiola has not confirmed any agreement or timeline for the next role.

Manchester City are strongly connected with former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca as a possible replacement. Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Conference League and Club World Cup titles in 2024-25, previously worked on Guardiola’s staff at the Etihad Stadium, which strengthens the perception of tactical and cultural continuity for City’s hierarchy.

Guardiola leaves with six league titles in 10 seasons and a catalogue of records that shape Manchester City’s modern identity. While the final campaign did not deliver another Premier League trophy, the volume of honours, statistics and memories ensures Guardiola’s decade will remain central to the club’s history and to debates across the football world.