Khaldoon Al Mubarak has hailed the lasting impact Pep Guardiola made on Manchester City and English football as the Premier League giants prepare for a new era following the departure of their long-serving manager.
Guardiola last month said an emotional goodbye to the Etihad Stadium after a decade of success that turned City into a powerhouse of European football.
The club are in the process of appointing his successor, with Al Mubarak confirming: "Very soon we’ll announce it and you will be very comfortable that we have selected and brought in the best manager possible for this club.” City have been linked with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca who previously served as an assistant to Guardiola.
The Catalan coach's City tenure ended with a domestic double – the League Cup and FA Cup – taking his trophy haul to 20, including six Premier Leagues, the Uefa Champions League, and the Fifa Club World Cup.
For City, it was the end of a historic era. “For us to have a manager stay for 10 years – particularly in the modern game – that’s exceptional. That is absolutely exceptional,” City chairman Al Mubarak said during his end-of-season review.
“He’s more than just the manager of the club. To me, he’s a friend. Over these years we have become close friends. Inevitably, over these last 10 years we’ve had a lot of ups and some downs. And in the downs, he must have quit 100 times over these 10 years, just so you know. In the case of Pep, when he says 'I quit', it doesn’t mean he is quitting. You don’t take it that seriously. You have to manage him. He never thought he would stay more than four years, then more than five years.
“Whenever he quits or whenever he thinks it’s time, I always convince him to come back, until the time where I know it’s actually the real time. Where it’s actually the real moment Pep decides it’s time.
“There are moments that are not real and he actually needs someone to bring him back. And there was always going to be one moment where it was going to be real.”
Al Mubarak believes Guardiola has fundamentally altered the landscape of football in his adopted country. “He changed English football,” he said. “I say that with the utmost humility, but I believe that.
“You look at the way the league has evolved, the teams have evolved here in the Premier League over these 10 years, the way football is played in this league from 10 years ago to today.
“In my view it’s unquestionable, his influence over the game, his influence over football that’s being played, his influence on the tactics, his influence on the coaching. He has left his thumbprint over this league, and I say it with humility.
“Very few managers in football will come in and change not just the team but an entire league, or influence a change in an entire league, very few. And Pep has done that here.”
While the Guardiola chapter has ended, the journey continues for City as they aim to maintain the high standards the club and football fans have grown accustomed to.
City's winning DNA
“We are far from peaked. I look at where the club was in 2008, and then I look at every part of these last 18 years," added Al Mubarak. "Roberto Mancini brought that first Premier League title to this club, we will never forget those moments, it was a great period then, a first FA Cup win in many, many years.
“And then Manuel [Pellegrini] came in, same thing, another Premier League title and more success. And then Pep came in, and it was getting that mindset, that DNA of a winning club. And now, this club is the way we all know it right now. We are used to, because it’s in our DNA, winning. This is a club that is designed, built to win. What Pep has given us has taken us to the next level, and I think we’re so thankful for what he’s helped build here.”
City can look back at a job well done in 2025/26, which admittedly did not include the Premier League or Champions League titles, but was still fruitful.
“It was a successful season. I think any season where you finish with two cups, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, where you finish second and where you’ve really had a really good chance to win the title,” Al Mubarak added.
“The Champions League, of course losing against Madrid is not something we consider a success. But it is a successful season. But it is also a transitioning season.
Manchester City's trophy parade – in pictures
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Outgoing Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the winner's parade in central Manchester. EPA -
Manchester City players take part in an open-top bus parade celebrating a successful season that included the League Cup and FA Cup, while the women's team clinched the WSL title. EPA -
Manchester City fans outside the Etihad Stadium for the victory parade of the men's and women's teams. PA -
Manchester City's Erling Haaland during the victory parade celebrating a successful season that included the FA Cup, League Cup and a runners-up finish in the Premier League. Reuters -
Pep Guardiola during the victory parade on Monday. Reuters -
Manchester City's Rayan Cherki during the open-top bus parade. AFP -
The Man City trophy parade kicks off in central Manchester. AFP -
Players of Manchester City take part in an open-top bus parade in Manchester, Britain, 25 May 2026. Manchester City won the League Cup and FA Cup and Manchester City Women won the WSL in the 2025/2026 season. EPA / ADAM VAUGHAN -
Young City fans with replicas of the FA Cup and League Cup. Getty Images -
A fan holds up a sign for departing manager Pep Guardiola. PA
“Once you change the nucleus of the team, which is what’s happened over these last couple of windows naturally. You will have time before the team gels and really the chemistry kicks in. That nucleus really started really hitting its stride by February as these players obviously mature and grow better as a team.
“I think next year we’re going to come back very strong, very strong. We will make sure we’re going to be in an even stronger position for next season.”
Apart from Guardiola, a few other big names also bid farewell to City. Bernardo Silva and John Stones were given an emotional send-off on the last day of the season as they head off for pastures new. The City chairman expressed his gratitude for their contribution.
“When I think of Bernardo I think of grit. In terms of appearances, in terms of titles, he’s up there in everything. Top one or top two in so many different categories in the history of this club. So, he will go down as a legend, and we appreciate everything he’s done,” Al Mubarak said.
“John epitomised that fighting workmanship, also that Mancunian spirit, and that’s why the fans love him. He is everything this city represents in terms of heart, in terms of workmanship, in terms of spirit.”
Haaland the leader
While some big players may have have left, many remain at the Etihad Stadium and are ready to maintain the club's high standards. Norwegian star Erling Haaland has had a significant impact since his arrival in 2022 and Al Mubarak is delighted with how the 25-year-old's leadership skills are developing.
“He [Haaland] was always a leader from the first day he stepped into this club," he said. "When you are a goalscoring machine like he is, inevitably you are a leader and he’s got that personality.
“Lucky for him, he came in a group with a lot of leaders. From Ilkay [Gundogan], to Bernardo [Silva], to Rodri, to Ruben [Dias]. He got to experience also playing with incredible characters and high IQ football players.
“And now you can see it, this year and last year particularly, he’s really stepping up into an important role. I consider him the best striker in the world. I consider him a Ballon d’Or winner hopefully soon. And I consider him someone that has the mindset, that winning mindset. This young man is a winner.”
