Guardiola Plans Coaching Hiatus After Man City Exit

Pep Guardiola has stated that he plans to take a break from football management once his time at Manchester City concludes, though he remains uncertain about when he will ultimately retire.

Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension in November, committing him to the club until June 2027. By that point, the 54-year-old will have spent 11 years at City, following his previous tenures of four years at Barcelona and three years at Bayern Munich.

In an interview with ESPN, Guardiola initially said, “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I’m sure. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break.”

However, speaking to Sky Sports on Friday, Guardiola clarified his earlier remarks, emphasizing that he isn’t necessarily leaving City at the end of his current contract. “I didn’t say I’m leaving now or at the end of the season or the end of the contract,” he explained. “I said that when I finish my time here, be it one, two, three, four, five years, I will take a break. I won’t retire, but I will take a break. What I am saying is when I am finished here, I will take a break.”

Guardiola has overseen Manchester City’s most successful era, leading them to six Premier League titles in the last nine seasons, as well as their first-ever Champions League trophy as part of a historic Treble in the 2022-23 campaign.

While City haven’t quite reached those heights this season and currently sit fourth in the Premier League with four games remaining, they still have the opportunity to win silverware as they are set to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on May 17th.

Reflecting on his legacy, Guardiola said, “How I want to be remembered, I don’t know. I want people to remember me however they want. All coaches want to win, so we can have a memorable job, but I believe that the fans of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City had fun watching my teams play. I don’t think we should ever live thinking about whether we’re going to be remembered. When we die, our families cry for two or three days, and then that’s it – you’re forgotten. In the careers of coaches, there are good and bad ones, the important thing is that the good ones are remembered for longer.”