Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will leave Manchester City at the end of the 2025-26 season, bringing down the curtain on a 10-year tenure that produced 20 trophies and reshaped English football. The 55-year-old Catalan manager's final match in charge will be against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, three days after the club missed out on the Premier League title.

The End of a Decade

Guardiola was appointed in February 2016 and went on to become the most decorated manager in City's history. His haul of 20 trophies includes six Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy in 2023 — the latter completing a historic treble. He was named Premier League Manager of the Season five times and claimed the League Managers Association Manager of the Year award three times.

Guardiola's Own Words

'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 were, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City,' Guardiola said in a statement released by the club.

He also paid tribute to the city itself: '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 it 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.'

What the Chairman Said

Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the relationship had been built on honesty and trust. 'Over the last ten years, honesty and trust have formed the bedrock on which we have navigated every situation together with Pep — always understanding that we could find the right answer together. Today, the right answer is for Pep to finish his journey as the Manager of Manchester City,' he said.

Al Mubarak added: 'There have been points along the way when he could have stopped, and it would have been enough. Somehow, Pep always found new energy and pushed on, finding different and innovative ways to continue winning and delivering success.'

A New Role at City Football Group

Despite stepping down as manager, Guardiola will not sever ties with the organisation entirely. He will take up a role as Global Ambassador for the City Football Group, providing technical advice to clubs within the group and working on specific projects and collaborations.

The Backdrop: Arsenal's Title Win

The announcement arrives in the shadow of a painful title loss. City's draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday handed Arsenal the 2025-26 Premier League title — the Gunners' first championship in 22 years. The timing underscores the end of an era: Guardiola's exit comes as City's domestic dominance faces its most credible challenge in years. This is the third consecutive season in which City have failed to retain the league title outright, a notable shift from the near-invincible run between 2018 and 2024.