과르디올라 맨시티 감독, 10년 만에 지휘봉 내려놓는다

잉글랜드 프로축구 프리미어리그(EPL) 맨체스터 시티(이하 맨시티)를 지난 10년간 이끌어온 페프 과르디올라(55) 감독이 지휘봉을 내려놓는다.

Mancity club announced on the 23rd that the final match of the 2025-2026 season against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on the 25th (Korean time) will be Guardiola's farewell match.

According to the British BBC, Guardiola said at a press conference that day, "10 years is a long time. The club needs a new manager and new energy, and we have to write another chapter with the great players we have now."

He explained, "I felt that I no longer had the energy to stand in front of the players every day or every three days and fight for championships. After 10 years, it's good for everyone to make a change and welcome new faces."

He emphasized, "If I didn't believe that, I would have stayed here unless the club fired me. But I think now is the perfect time and the perfect timing (to leave)."

Guardiola, who took over as manager of Manchester City in February 2016 as the successor to former manager Manuel Pellegrini, left a significant mark on EPL history by leading the team to its golden age during his 10-year tenure.

In the 2017-2018 season, he became the first in EPL history to reach the '100 points' mark and set a new record for most goals in a single season (106 goals).

In the 2022-2023 season, he achieved the feat of winning the 'treble', i.e., the EPL, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League, becoming the second English club in history to do so after Manchester United in the 1998-1999 season.

In the 2023-2024 season, he also built a golden tower of winning the league four consecutive times, the first in the 136-year history of English top-flight football.

He collected a total of 17 major trophies with Manchester City alone, including 6 EPL titles, 1 UCL title, 3 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

However, he chose a beautiful farewell one year before the end of his contract, which he had extended until the 2026-2027 season in November 2024.

To commemorate his achievements, the club decided to name the newly renovated North Stand after Guardiola, and it is scheduled to open for the season finale against Europa League winners Aston Villa.

In addition, a statue of Guardiola is planned to be erected at the entrance to the stand.

Enzo Maresca, the former Chelsea manager who worked as a coach at Manchester City, is widely mentioned as the successor to Guardiola.

Meanwhile, the official announcement of his resignation came three days after Manchester City lost the league title to Arsenal.

Mancity was pushed out of the championship race after drawing 1-1 with Bournemouth on the 20th, and as a result, Arsenal was crowned league champions for the first time since 2004.

Although he missed out on the EPL title, Guardiola, who led his team to FA Cup and League Cup victories in his final season, plans to take a break from coaching for a while.

Instead, he plans to work as a global ambassador for City Football Group (CFG) and provide technical advice to its affiliated clubs.