Pep Guardiola to step down as Manchester City manager at end of season

Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola will step down as manager in the summer after a decade at the club.

Guardiola has decided to activate a break clause in his contract, bringing an end to his spell a year before the deal was due to expire in June 2027.

Following his departure, he will serve as a global ambassador and offer technical support to teams within the City Football Group network.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving,” he said. “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 color 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.”

The 55-year-old leaves the Etihad after a glittering spell that delivered 20 trophies, including six Premier League crowns, three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.

Among the defining moments of his reign were the historic 2023 treble, the domestic treble in 2019 and the record-setting 100-point Premier League campaign in 2018.

The Spaniard departs after securing a domestic cup double this season, while their pursuit of a seventh league title was ended by a 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, which crowned Arsenal Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years.

City are now expected to appoint former assistant and ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca as Guardiola’s successor.

Guardiola will take charge of his final game when Manchester City host Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on the last weekend of the season.

His departure is also expected to mark the end of an era at City, with long-serving players Bernardo Silva and John Stones also expected to leave this summer.