Manchester City confirmed on Friday, May 22, 2026, that manager Pep Guardiola will depart the club following Sunday's final Premier League match of the season against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
The 55-year-old coach spent 10 seasons with the club, guiding them to 20 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy.
Guardiola had one year remaining on his contract extension signed in November 2024 but decided to step down early.
He will remain with the City Football Group as a global ambassador.
The announcement followed a Premier League campaign where Manchester City finished behind champions Arsenal.
Guardiola secured a domestic cup double in his final season, despite missing out on the league title after a recent draw at Bournemouth.
Over his decade-long tenure, Guardiola achieved 416 wins in 592 matches, recording a 70.3 percent win ratio while scoring 1,422 goals.
Emotional Farewell
"Don't ask me the reasons I'm leaving," said Guardiola. "There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it's my time."
He expressed gratitude to staff and fans who supported him through major historical and personal moments, including the Manchester Arena attack and the passing of his mother.
"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," Guardiola said.
The manager recalled his arrival in 2016 and referenced local cultural icons like the band Oasis and poet Tony Walsh to describe his deep connection to the city.
"When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, 'Okay… Noel is here?
This will be fun,'" Guardiola said.
He described how his teams grew to reflect the industrial work ethic and history embedded within the community of Manchester.
"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," Guardiola said.
"We worked. We suffered.
We fought. And we did things our own way.
Our way."
Guardiola also touched on the Manchester Arena attack, saying, "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."
He added, "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."
"So as my time comes to an end, be happy. Oasis are back again," Guardiola concluded.
Club Leadership Reacts
Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak praised the manager's ability to innovate and find new methods to achieve consistent success across ten seasons.
"Over the last ten years honesty and trust have formed the bedrock on which we have navigated every situation together with Pep – always understanding that we could find the right answer together.
Today the right answer is for Pep to finish his journey as the Manager of Manchester City," Al Mubarak said.
"There have been points along the way when he could have stopped, and it would have been enough.
Somehow, Pep always found new energy and pushed on, finding different and innovative ways to continue winning and delivering success."
Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano highlighted the unexpected volume of success achieved during the decade and confirmed Guardiola's upcoming role within the wider multi-club network.
"Nobody would have believed, ten years ago, that we could win 20 trophies in this decade, playing entertaining football of such high quality.
It was unthinkable… and yet it was done," Soriano said.
"As we celebrate the past, we are also very happy to know that Pep will stay with the Group and we will be able use his knowledge and experience in so many of our other clubs to help managers and players."
Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is currently considered the frontrunner to fill the vacant managerial position at the Etihad Stadium.
