Pep Guardiola has said he will take a break from football after his time at Manchester City comes to an end, though he is unsure whether he will retire completely from the sport.
The 54-year-old agreed to a two-year extension in November, keeping him at the club until June 2027, a tenure that would mark 11 years since his arrival.
This represents the longest spell of his managerial career, having previously spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.
Guardiola has overseen a historic era at City, securing six Premier League titles and a first-ever Champions League trophy as part of the treble in 2022/23, though this season has proved more difficult.
“After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I’m sure,” Guardiola told ESPN. “I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break. How I want to be remembered, I don’t know.
“All coaches want to win so we can have a memorable job, but I believe that the fans of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City had fun watching my teams play. I don’t think we should ever live thinking about whether we’re going to be remembered.
“When we die, our families cry for two or three days and then that’s it — you’re forgotten. In the careers of coaches, there are good and bad ones, the important thing is that the good ones are remembered for longer.”
City, currently sitting in fourth place, are scheduled to face Wolves on Friday. Though they were favourites to secure a fifth consecutive league title, a drop in form has derailed those hopes.
With four league fixtures remaining, they trail champions Liverpool by 21 points and are now focused on ensuring Champions League qualification.
Guardiola, whose side have reached a third straight FA Cup final — this time against Crystal Palace described the season as one filled with lessons and admitted he hadn’t anticipated the downturn to be so dramatic.
“I knew there would be a moment when we would fall, but we fell a lot,” he said. “We didn’t expect to be so far, but we can’t win them all.
“What we did during 10, nine years was exceptional, but now we have to sit down and learn to try to understand what we need to produce in the future.”
In December, Guardiola stated that he would not “take another team” after leaving City, although he hinted at the possibility of managing a national side.
What you should know
In England, football managers are not required by law to take breaks after long tenures, but many choose to pause for personal or health reasons.
Pep Guardiola’s planned break aligns with a common practice among top managers who have endured years of high-pressure leadership.
While he’s unsure about retiring, the option of managing a national team, which often involves less day-to-day stress, reflects a path many veteran coaches take to remain in the sport while scaling back intensity.
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