Josep Guardiola will step down as Manchester City manager after winning 20 trophies with the Premier League club.
Published May 22, 2026
Manager Josep Guardiola will step down from Manchester City at the end of this season after 10 years at the helm, the club have announced, bringing to an end one of the most successful eras in English football and one of the most influential managerial reigns in history.
The departure of the 55-year-old Catalan manager marks the end of a remarkable chapter in City’s transformation into a powerhouse in the world of football.
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Guardiola took charge of City in 2016 and has won six Premier League titles, including four in a row, including three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League, but his side have not won a league title in the last two years.
“Don’t ask me why I am leaving. There is no reason, but deep down I know that my time has come,” Guardiola said in a statement on Friday.
“There is no such thing as forever. If it were, I would be here. Forever would be the feelings, the people, the memories and the love I have for Manchester City.
“We worked, we suffered, we fought. And we did things our way. Our way.”
City have won a double domestic cup this season, but Guardiola knew his dreams of a seventh Premier League title were dashed when Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday, meaning City were set to finish second.
His last game in charge will be Sunday’s home game against Aston Villa.
Guardiola had arrived in Manchester in July 2016, replacing Manuel Pellegrini, with a CV already packed with silverware from Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Guardiola, who took over a successful club backed by the Abu Dhabi United Group, will leave having built a football empire after overseeing a paradigm shift in Premier League tactics.
Guardiola faced the challenge of adapting to England’s famously fast-paced and physical league, but possession became an art form and defensive tool at City as teams sought complete control.
The result was not only complete dominance, evidenced in record-breaking campaigns such as the 2017-18 season in which they scored 106 goals and collected 100 points, but also relentless consistency year after year, including a record fourth straight league title.
City’s financial strength, combined with shrewd signings such as high-profile striker Erling Haaland, helped them win the treble in 2022-23, while Guardiola’s side set new standards and forced others to evolve.
But the specter of 115 charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules looms large over his tenure at the club.
His rivalry with former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made the Premier League bar extremely high, with 97 points proving to be insufficient for the Anfield side to win the title in 2018-19.
More recently, Guardiola has faced a challenge from his protégé and former coaching assistant Mikel Arteta. Arteta took charge of Arsenal, who twice finished second behind City and ultimately won the trophy this season.
But Guardiola looked back fondly on his time in Manchester, remembering how the city rallied after the Manchester Arena attack, and also spoke of how the club helped him through a difficult time when he lost his mother to coronavirus.
“My fans, my staff, the people of Manchester, you gave me strength when I needed it most,” he added.
“Don’t forget, players. Every moment, every moment, me, my staff, this club, everything. What we’ve done is for all of you. And you’ve been just extraordinary. You don’t know it yet, but you’re leaving a legacy.”
“Thank you everyone for believing in me. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for loving me… As Tony Walsh said in his unforgettable poem, ‘This is the place.’ Sorry, Tony, this is the place for me.”
