Pep Guardiola to leave Man City: Spaniard announces departure after a decade of success at Premier League club
Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola will leave at the end of the season after 10 years in charge; the Spaniard has won 20 trophies during an unprecedented era of success at Man City; Guardiola had one year left on his contract
Friday 22 May 2026 12:17, UK
Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City this summer after a trophy-laden decade in charge.
"And what a time we have had together," said Guardiola in an emotional statement. "Don't ask me the reasons I'm leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it's my time."
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.
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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.
Pep's departure quotes in full from emotional video
"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."
Toughest act in football to follow - but equally enticing
Analysis by Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
As the Premier League prepares to bid farewell to one of its greatest teachers of the modern era, talk will turn to who has the right pedigree to replace the great Pep Guardiola. There is no one like him. No tactician on the planet is able to replicate what Pep has achieved with three different iterations of Manchester City squads.
A new path must therefore be forged.
Whoever replaces Guardiola is taking on a challenge similar in many ways to the one David Moyes inherited when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013. That experiment was fairly shortlived. But this situation has one key difference.
Moyes' downfall was not engineered by the fact he followed an icon, he essentially took over an ageing playing squad which had reached the end of the road. Only a small handful of players - Wayne Rooney and perhaps Robin van Persie - finished that first season without Fergie with any real credit.
But City's current squad is in a different phase of its evolution. It might be saying goodbye to club legends Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer but the nucleus of talent left behind is in fine working order. If you are inheriting a team Pep built, it can be no bad thing. The average age of the group is such that it should only get better, too.
Arne Slot has already bucked the trend, proving with Liverpool last season what is possible when the combination of players is right. He won the Premier League with a team Jurgen Klopp had assembled and prepared to be winners.
With the right coach in charge and a bit of help in the summer window, there is no reason why this City side should not be in prime position to at least compete to do something similar.
