The Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City comes to an end on Sunday when the Spaniard takes charge of his final match as manager of the Premier League club.
While his final season has not yielded a seventh Premier League title, Guardiola's side did seal a domestic double after winning both the League Cup and FA Cup, taking Guardiola's trophy haul to 20 since arriving in the summer of 2016
City's last game of the season sees them play host to newly-crowned Europa League winners Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, coming just two days after Guardiola confirmed his impending exit.
The occasion will be marked by the opening of the stadium's newly-expanded North Stand, which is to be renamed 'The Pep Guardiola Stand' in honour of the 55-year-old's remarkable achievements at the club.
“I can just say thank you so much to the club for delivering this to me and to my family,” said Guardiola. “My father will come on Sunday, 94 years old, to watch the game. It's an incredible honour to have his name in this beautiful place.
“I like to feel that my vibe or my energy will be there forever. I like that feeling in the bad moments, when someone looks and it says 'Pep', OK I will send good energy for the team, for the club.”
Guardiola had come close to signing off with a trophy treble but the midweek draw at Bournemouth meant Arsenal were crowned champions, with the Gunners enjoying an insurmountable four-point lead going into the final round of matches.
When asked at his final pre-match press conference about how he feels about his decision to call it a day, Guardiola replied: “Yeah, really satisfied, I don’t know the right words. Satisfied, happy, proud.
“It’s been the experience of my life I would say, otherwise I would not be here 10 years. I could not be more grateful for the amount of love and affection I’ve known not just in these days but for many years.
“It’s the time,” he added. “I didn’t wake up one day and say now is the time to leave. It’s a process I felt for a while.
“The club respect me unbelievably for the decision, they have to of course be ready and I felt it.
“This job is every few days for many years, Selhurst Park, Anfield, Madrid, FA Cup. Now I have to live my life and see what happens.
Pep's time at Man City – in pictures
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Pep Guardiola was appointed Manchester City manager at the start of the 2016/17 season. City would finish the season without a trophy - the first time Guardiola had failed to win any silverware in his managerial career. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola celebrates Manchester City scoring against Southampton in a Premier League match on November 29, 2017, at Etihad Stadium. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola celebrates winning the Premier League for the first time with Manchester City following a game against Huddersfield Town on May 6, 2018. The Catalan would go on to win six Premier League titles in all. Getty Images -
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, left, alongside manager Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium following the club's 2017/18 Premier League title success. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola led Manchester City to a first Uefa Champions League triumph on June 10, 2023, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola hugs Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak after they are crowned Premier League champions on May 21, 2023. City won a historic treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League in the 2022/23 season. Getty Images -
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, left, and manager Pep Guardiola pose for a photograph with the Fifa Club World Cup trophy after their team's victory over Brazilian club Fluminense in the final at King Abdullah Sports City on December 22, 2023, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola, right, celebrates with his players after Manchester City won the 2023 Fifa Club World Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was the fifth trophy City would win that calendar year. Getty Images -
Pep Guardiola holds up the FA Cup following Manchester City's 2-1 win over Manchester United in the final at Wembley on June 3, 2023, in London, England. Getty Images -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, centre, stands for a photograph alongside Pep Guardiola, to his right, and other Manchester City officials during an event to celebrate the club’s fourth consecutive Premier League title, at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi, on June 13, 2024. Photo: UAE Presidential Court -
Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Pep Guardiola pose for a photo with the Premier League trophy following the team's victory over West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 19, 2024. City made history as the only team in English top-flight history to win four league titles in a row. Getty Images -
Manchester City celebrate their FA Cup final win over Chelsea at Wembley stadium on May 16, 2026, in London, England. Getty Images -
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with the trophy after winning the FA Cup final match against Chelsea on May 16, 2026, in London, England. It was the third time City had won the competition under Guardiola. Getty Images
“And 10 years is a lot of time and I think the club needs a new manager and new energy with these incredible players we have now, they’ll start to write another chapter.”
In an interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola revealed that his biggest regret at City was his treatment of goalkeeper Joe Hart soon after being appointed.
Then England goalkeeper was sent out on loan to Torino within weeks of Guardiola's arrival before signing Claudio Bravo in 2016 and Ederson the following season.
Despite being his country's No 1 and having 63 caps to his name, Guardiola deemed Hart incapable at that moment of becoming the 'sweeper keeper' he required.
“I am not saying he's not able to do it – with training he can do it,” Guardiola said after dropping Hart – who had made nearly 350 appearances for City in all competitions – for the first two games of his reign. “With time. But his time is now. It's not about what happens in six months, seven months.”
Reflecting on his decision now, Guardiola admits he should have given Hart the opportunity to prove himself. “I want to confess, I have regrets. When you take a lot of decisions, a lot, lot of decisions, you make mistakes,” he said.
“But there is one regret that I have deep inside for many years, that I didn't give a chance to Joe Hart to be with me to prove himself how good a keeper he was.
“I should have done, not because … all respect for Claudio, all respect for Ede who came in, they were important, but in that moment, I could have said, 'OK Joe, let's try to do it together. If it doesn't work, OK, we'll change it'.
“But it happened. Life is sometimes … I have to take decisions and sometimes I'm not fair enough.”
He added: “Maybe with time then and learning … But I regret it from that time.
“In that moment, I said, 'I believe in that'. Always I am stubborn in my decisions, when I believe in that. When I have doubts, I talk with people, but when I'm completely sure, 100 per cent, I say, 'Guys, we have to do it in that way', and I have been at a club that has supported me absolutely in everything with that.”
