Pep Guardiola press conference before Man City v Aston Villa
- Guardiola confirms Man City exit after 10 years
- Guardiola pens emotional letter to City fans
- City conceded title to Arsenal before final game vs Aston Villa
- Pre-match press conference due to start at 13:30 BST
- Enzo Maresca favourite to replace Guardiola
Pep Guardiola lauds phone calls with Sir Alex, De Bruyne and Akanji
16:01 , Jack Rathborn
"One of the biggest, biggest compliments I had was I got a message from Sir Alex Ferguson two days ago,” Pep Guardiola says.
"And I got a message from Kevin [De Bruyne] today, and one from Manuel Akanji. It made me feel how happy and fortunate I am.
"I am leaving with an incredible sense of peace in my soul that I gave everything for this club."
Hansi Flick on Pep Guardiola
15:42 , Jack Rathborn
"Staying 10 years at a club of this level is unbelievable. What he's achieved is truly amazing,” Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said.
"I always say that Pep `is the best coach in the world, and he's proven that over the past 10 years, year after year. Even when things weren't going well, he always knew how to `handle the situation and manage it.
“He's delivered exceptional work. "I wish him now to rest a little, and to take his time before returning, and I hope he does return, because he's still young enough to do that.”
Man City second favourites for Premier League title without Pep Guardiola
15:22 , Jack Rathborn
Arsenal - 6/4
Man City - 5/2
Liverpool - 11/2
Man Utd - 15/2
Chelsea - 11/1
Aston Villa - 28/1
Odds via Betfair
Guardiola on the spirit of Manchester
15:11 , Mike Jones
He explained: "When you live 10 years here, you know all the corridors of the city. The good and the bad ones. Cris, the mother of my kids and my little daughter were in the Arena in that moment [during the Manchester Arena attack].
"They were lucky and other people were not, always every year, today is the nine year anniversary. When you live 10 years, you are not just a part to it, you live in the city, you know the city. I will try with the club to reflect what it means, my time."
What was Pep's proudest moment?
15:00 , Mike Jones
The Manchester City boss Pep said: "I don't know, it's a question for the people. Hopefully, they enjoyed watching us play, the moments were fun, the moments we played really good, others its not. It happens, 10 years, all the trophies has been good.
"I would say the first Premier League is important, of course I cannot deny the Champions League, after many years try to be close, all of them.
"There is one sentence that came to my mind when I spoke with Noel Gallagher, we were on the table to win four games in a row and now we won four Premier Leagues in a row. I said wow, that is a good sentence. Maybe since Abu Dhabi took over, to make the incredible step to what the club has become. It makes me so proud, so happy."
Pep was the personification of a vision
14:53 , Mike Jones
"I said a long time ago that Manchester City should have the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field," said City owner Sheikh Mansour.
"For 10 years Pep has been the personification of that ambition.
"He has made an indelible imprint on the DNA of the club. One that is borne more from how he won than from the many trophies he lifted."
Nothing is eternal
14:47 , Mike Jones
That’s one of the thoughts from Pep Guardiola now that he has announced his departure from Manchester City.
He said: "Don't ask me the reasons I'm leaving. 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."
Manchester City to rename stand and build statue as tribute to Pep Guardiola
14:36 , Richard Jolly
Manchester City will rename the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium after Pep Guardiola as a tribute to the departing manager.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak rang Guardiola on Friday morning to inform the Catalan the club wanted to honour him by dedicating the expanded North Stand to him as well as building a statue of him.
Manchester City to rename stand and build statue as tribute to Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola’s next job revealed after confirming departure from Man City
14:30 , Will Castle
Pep Guardiola’s next job has been revealed following confirmation he will leave Manchester City after a glory-laden 10 years at the club.
After days of intense speculation surrounding his future, the Catalan announced his Etihad departure on Friday morning, with Sunday’s final-day clash against Aston Villa penned into be an emotional farewell.
Pep Guardiola’s next job revealed after confirming departure from Man City
Pep Guardiola’s decade of dominance changed English football – but it also changed him
14:23 , Richard Jolly
A clue came when Pep Guardiola said part of him would leave with Bernardo Silva. It wasn’t strictly accurate: it turns out all of the Manchester City manager will go when his captain departs.
Guardiola’s final season at the Etihad Stadium has taken place with his future providing the backdrop: there have been times when, looking drained, it felt like his last but others when, energised by a new-look team, it felt like he might see out a contract that runs until 2027.
Pep Guardiola’s decade of dominance changed English football but it also changed him
Pep Guardiola to leave Man City after 10 years in charge
14:16 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will leave Manchester City after a decade in which he won 20 major trophies and became the club’s most successful ever manager.
Enzo Maresca is expected to replace the Catalan, whose final game in charge will be Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa.
Pep Guardiola to leave Man City after 10 years in charge
Pep wants to say goodbye
14:10 , Mike Jones
The Man City boss added: "It's not about when, it's not today or tomorrow. You know at the time, you feel OK let's do it. It's not yesterday that it happened or one week ago.
"Of course we were in the competition and I wanted to be completely away from [thinking about leaving] because I need the players to be with me and me with them.
"At the moment, we cannot fight for anything else because it's already achieved so it is the moment to say, OK I want to say a proper goodbye to my people on Sunday, I want to hug them on the pitch, that is why we announced it."
Pep Guardiola confirms Man City exit after 10 years
14:04 , Jack Rathborn
And that’s all from Pep for now, though he will continue speaking with the cameras off, more of that later with Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly.
A lot of words, no team news for Aston Villa, understandably...
Pep Guardiola on Man City departure
13:58 , Jack Rathborn
“It helps, to arrive in a club with the standards so high, that’s the level, push each other,” Guardiola says.
“The future is win every training session every day, they will do it.
“When I took the decision, it’s a process. I have to breathe, it’s natural, in the moment when I describe, maybe it’s the last season.
“They said, take time, maybe one more year, but then I decide, it’s better, another energy.”
Pep Guardiola on Sir Alex Ferguson's call
13:56 , Jack Rathborn
"In a Scottish accent, I didn't talk, I will call him back, for sure, congratulated for the trajectory and what we achieved,” Guardiola says.
“He is the greatest in this country. For many reasons, I'm so happy.”
Pep Guardiola on what he's most proud of at Man City
13:55 , Jack Rathborn
"Hopefully they enjoyed watching us play, it was fun, we played really good, sometimes not. The first Premier League was important, I cannot deny the Champions League, after many years,” Guardiola says.
“To be close, and close, all of them. 24 times, it’s what defines... There is one sentence coming in my memory. When I spoke to Noel Gallagher, a few years ago, we were a team, to not win four games in a row, now we win four Premier Leagues in a row.
“I said, wow, that’s a good sentence, maybe this club, since I think taking over, take an incredible step to define what we’ve become, it made me so proud and happy.”
Pep Guardiola on Man City naming a stand after him
13:52 , Jack Rathborn
“No words, speechless, Kaldoon called me, told me the club made that decision, I like to think my vibe or energy will be there forever, they look, 'Pep is there', I'll send good energy to the team, it's a huge honour. Thank you so much to the club to deliver to me.
“My family, my father will come, on Sunday, to watch a game, 94 years old, an incredible honour to have his name on this place.”
Pep Guardiola on Manchester
13:50 , Jack Rathborn
“When you live 10 years here [in Manchester], you know the corridors of this city, my daughter was in that moment, they were lucky,”
“Today is the nine year anniversary. I will try as a club to reflect what it means my time, it’s not about, of course, when you win 20 titles, it’s 10 years.
“Part of that, is not just that, the phone call from Kevin, means everything. The titles are nice, the memories, it’s so special.”
Pep Guardiola on Neville and Carragher compliment
13:49 , Jack Rathborn
“Take a beer with them,” Guardiola says on Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher naming him the greatest manager of all time.
“I don’t know. I had incredible success as a manager. I got a message from SAF, two days ago, that made me so happy.
“It’s the reason why it makes me so happy and fortunate. Happy doing my job at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here, I gave everything. I’m leaving with peace of my soul, I gave everything to this club. People enjoyed what we did these 10 years.”
Pep Guardiola on when he told the players he was leaving
13:47 , Jack Rathborn
“This morning,” Guardiola says on when he told the players.
“The speech was a disaster, so nervous, more than ever, I tell them, like I’m telling you.
“I have this passion, energy, but I feel I won’t have in the future.
“The club gave me everything.”
Pep Guardiola underlines the 'perfect moment'
13:45 , Jack Rathborn
“I won’t have the energy for every three days, be in front of the players, I have that energy, but I feel I won’t have,” Guardiola notes.
“It’s time, it’s been 10 years, it’s not because I don’t have ambition, or to try again, OK, Pep, after 10 years, it’s not good in an organisation to have somebody for so long, shake, move...
“I think it’s the perfect moment and time, much better than last season, it had been exceptional, fighting with Arsenal, English competition, fight every game, let the team do it. Really, really good.”
Pep Guardiola on new role
13:44 , Jack Rathborn
”It's not about when, today, tomorrow, you think, 'OK, let's do it', a week ago, but we're in a competition, I need the players with me, me with them, we can't fight for anything else, so now is the moment, I want to say a proper goodbye to my people, hug them on the pitch.
“Rest, no plans to train for a while. We talked together, I said I would love to continue to be part of this club, not a manager, I’ll take zero decisions, to represent, or do something in many clubs, this organisation has, I’ll be there. I’d like to still be in this role, completely different, not daily, behind the scenes.”
Pep Guardiola's first words after confirming Man City exit
13:43 , Jack Rathborn
“Really satisfied and proud, the best experience of my life, 10 years, I can’t be more grateful for the love and affection,”
“Nothing else. It’s the time, not wake up today, now is the time, it’s a process, I felt for a while. Always the club respected me, unbelievable, I felt that, listen, this job is every day for some years, Anfield, Madrid, FA Cup...
“Now I have to see, live my life, see what happens, 10 years is a lot of time. It needs a new manager, new energy, incredible players we have right now, write another chapter.”
Pep Guardiola's press conference
13:41 , Mike Jones
Here’s Pep Guardiola.
He begins: “I’m really satisfied, happy and proud. It’s the experience of my life or I wouldn’t have been here 10 years.
“It is time. It was a proces that I felt for a while and the club respected the decision that I was ready.”
Guardiola's letter to fans
13:40 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola wrote an emotional letter to the Man City fans when announcing his departure from the club.
He wrote: "When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, ‘Okay… Noel is here? This will be fun'.
"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.
"We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way."
Pep Guardiola due to speak shortly
13:40 , Jack Rathborn
Guardiola should be joining us very shortly to speak for the first time since his Man City exit was confirmed.
Plans for Sunday’s game against Aston Villa, his new role in the City Football Group, plus the details around his immediate future will follow...
Guardiola to react to Foden's England snub
13:29 , Jack Rathborn
Pep Guardiola will be on hand to discuss the end of his Man City tenure, but also the major storylines around the club.
Including Phil Foden’s omission from the England World Cup squad. You can catch up on all the major headlines surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man group below with Miguel Delaney’s analysis:
Why Thomas Tuchel got it right with England’s imperfect World Cup squad
Pep Guardiola's next job confirmed
13:21 , Jack Rathborn
Pep Guardiola is due to speak shortly, while his future remains uncertain, he will retain a role within the wider City Football Group.
He will continue his relationship by taking up a role as Global Ambassador for City Football Group.
The role will see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, which as well as City include the likes of LaLiga side Girona, MLS outfit New York City and French club Troyes, working on specific projects and collaborations.
Liam Gallagher pays tribute to Pep Guardiola after Man City exit confirmed
13:13 , Jack Rathborn
HE CAME HE CONQUERED LONG LIVE THE KING THANKYOU FOR THE GOODTIMES PEP MCFC CTID LG x
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) May 22, 2026
England boss Thomas Tuchel praises ‘one of a kind’ Pep Guardiola
13:07 , Jack Rathborn
“The impact he had on every league where he trained, it’s just one of a kind, just one of the very, very, very best,” Tuchel said.
“He made a big revolution with the way he played at Barcelona and then he put everything upside down in the German league, and then he comes here and crushes every record.
“It’s just outstanding. There are no words that can describe this determination and this level of input, it’s just highest, highest level.”
Pep Guardiola’s decade of dominance changed English football – but it also changed him
13:01 , Jack Rathborn
A clue came when Pep Guardiola said part of him would leave with Bernardo Silva. It wasn’t strictly accurate: it turns out all of the Manchester City manager is set to go when his captain departs.
Guardiola’s final season at the Etihad Stadium has taken place with his future providing the backdrop: there have been times when, looking drained, it felt like his last but others when, energised by a new-look team, it felt like he might see out a contract that runs until 2027.
Now it looks as if he is indeed set to leave. An era is ending. Guardiola is unlikely to have done the maths on it, but his valedictory match, against Aston Villa on Sunday, will mean he has managed City more times than anyone else, a 593rd game to Les McDowall’s 592. He is approaching 200 more victories in their dugout than anyone else. Calling him City’s greatest manager is utterly uncontroversial. The surprise is not that he is going now, but that he has had such longevity.
Pep Guardiola’s decade of dominance changed English football but it also changed him
Manchester City to rename stand and build statue as tribute to Pep Guardiola
12:56 , Jack Rathborn
Manchester City will rename the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium after Pep Guardiola as a tribute to the departing manager.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak rang Guardiola on Friday morning to inform the Catalan the club wanted to honour him by dedicating the expanded North Stand to him as well as building a statue of him.
And Sheikh Mansour said Guardiola had left his imprint on City in his reign, in which he won 20 trophies, including six Premier Leagues and City’s first Champions League.
The 55-year-old will stand down after a decade in charge having become the most successful manager in City’s history.
“I said a long time ago that Manchester City should have the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field,” Sheikh Mansour said. “For ten years Pep has been the personification of that ambition. He has made an indelible imprint on the DNA of the club. One that is borne more from how he won than from the many trophies he lifted.
Manchester City to rename stand and build statue as tribute to Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola to leave Man City after 10 years in charge
12:49 , Jack Rathborn
Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will leave Manchester City after a decade in which he won 20 major trophies and became the club’s most successful ever manager.
Enzo Maresca is expected to replace the Catalan, whose final game in charge will be Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa.
Guardiola, who will retain a connection with the club as he becomes an ambassador for the City Football Group, said he had an “eternal love” for City and that it had been “f***ing fun”.
Read the full article including Guardiola’s emotional letter to the fans below:
Pep Guardiola to leave Man City after 10 years in charge
The other side of Pep Guardiola that complicates Man City legacy
12:48 , Jack Rathborn
hen other coaches are asked about Pep Guardiola, and almost invariably describe him as the game’s greatest manager, there’s usually one common compliment. The Catalan made them think about things they didn’t expect. He comes up with plays and tactics they couldn’t have imagined.
On the whole, in perhaps the best eulogy for Guardiola, he’s turned football thinking on its head.
And while these kinds of discussions are nebulous and subjective, it is from all that Guardiola clearly has a claim to being the greatest manager of all time.
Read the full piece below (£):
The other side of Pep Guardiola that complicates Man City legacy
Pep Guardiola to speak before Man City exit
12:47 , Jack Rathborn
Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of what is Pep Guardiola’s final pre-match press conference as manager of Manchester City.
Guardiola has confirmed he will exit the club after Sunday’s game against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, to conclude the 2025/26 campaign.
City conceded the title to Arsenal on Tuesday night, after being held by Bournemouth, ensuring the Gunners triumphed with a game to spare.
But City claimed a domestic cup double with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup to ensure more silverware in the final season of one of English football’s greatest reigns.
Guardiola is due to speak at 1:30pm BST, with Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly on hand to report for The Independent.
Pep Guardiola honours at Man City
12:55 , Jack Rathborn
- Premier League (6): 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- FA Cup (3): 2018–19, 2022–23, 2025–26
- EFL Cup (5): 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2025–26
- FA Community Shield (3): 2018, 2019, 2024
- UEFA Champions League (1): 2022–23
- UEFA Super Cup (1): 2023
- FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2023
