Pep Guardiola has revealed that he does not know if he will retire from coaching when he leaves Manchester City, however, he is “sure” he is going to take a break from management.
Currently in his ninth year at Man City, Guardiola is enjoying the longest coaching spell of his career — he spent four years at Barcelona and three in charge of Bayern Munich — and he signed a two-year contract extension in November that is set to keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.
Guardiola has achieved huge success since joining City in 2016, leading the team to six Premier League titles and a host of trophies which includes a maiden Champions League triumph.
Though 2024/25 season has not been a huge success for Guardiola, they have reached the FA Cup Final where they’ll face Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City celebrates his team goal (Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images)
“I want people to remember me however they want,” Guardiola told ESPN Brasil as part of the second series of “Premier League Encounters” on Disney+. “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I’m sure. 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.
“I’ll tell you that the most important thing is not what people think of you, after all, our lives as footballers have been very good. There are new challenges as a coach, I don’t know what will happen in the future and in the end that doesn’t matter.”
Reflecting on what he describes as a “difficult” season, Guardiola admitted he could have made different decisions along the way.
“It was a year of great learning. There is not just one reason why this year was difficult, there are many details, like wrong decisions made for me. So, it has been a year of great learning for me, personally,” Guardiola said.
