Manchester City confirmed on Friday the departure at the end of the season of their iconic coach Pep Guardiola, winner of twenty titles since 2016, including one Champions League and six Premier League titles.

The 55-year-old Spaniard will make his final appearance on the English club's bench on Sunday against Aston Villa in the league, before taking on an "ambassador" role for the City Football Group, it was specified.

"Don't ask me the reasons for my departure. There aren't any, but deep down, I know it's my time," he said in a club statement. "The feelings, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City will be eternal," he added.

Guardiola is therefore leaving the team in the sky blue jersey one year before the expiry of his contract, a decision that had leaked to the British press earlier this week, but which he had not confirmed until now.

The former FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach transformed Manchester City into a winning machine, with a strong playing identity that profoundly changed the English and European landscape.

In ten years, he has won twenty titles, including six in the most competitive league in the world, not forgetting the Champions League in 2023, the very first in history for the club from the northwest of England.

In the Premier League, he made history with several records, such as the 100 points collected for his first title in 2018, and the four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024. He also had a superb battle with Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool, whom he beat by one point in 2019 and then in 2022.

But for the first time, he also relinquished the throne of England for two consecutive seasons, at Arne Slot's Liverpool in 2025 and at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta in 2026. This season, however, he won the FA Cup and the League Cup.

A parade is planned for Monday in the streets of Manchester and is expected to turn into a giant farewell for Guardiola.

In the future, "he will give technical advice" to the dozen clubs linked to the City Group (Troyes, Girona, Palermo, New York City FC, etc.) and "will work on specific projects as well as collaborations," the club stated.

AFP