PEP GUARDIOLA has said he is going to “stop” after he leaves Manchester City as he refused to rule out retiring from management.
Guardiola, 54, has been with Man City since 2016 and signed a contract extension with the club last November keeping him at the Etihad until 2027.
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But the Spanish manager, who is widely thought to be one of the greatest of all time, could call it quits when that contract does come to an end.
Guardiola admitted that he needs a break from the technical area when he does leave City, having started his managerial career some 18 years ago.
He told ESPN Brazil: “I want people to remember me however they want.
“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.
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“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.”
However, the City boss hasn’t ruled out extending his stay in Manchester even further than his current 2027 terms.
Probed on his comments on Sky Sports, he said: “When I finish my time here, one year, two years, three years, five years, six years.”
Guardiola has won 18 trophies as Man City boss, and has amassed 40 major titles across his reigns with City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Amongst those honours are six Premier League titles, three La Liga titles, three Bundesliga titles, 10 domestic cups and three Champions Leagues.
As well as guiding teams to success as a collective, he has also been recognised as the World’s Best Coach by Fifa on three separate occasions.
Guardiola has made history on multiple occasions too, icluding leading Man City to four consecutive Prem titles and becoming the first manager to see his side rack up over 100 points in a single Prem campaign.
City have had an uncharacteristic season this term, falling away from title contention early and finding themselves in a battle for European football.
However, they have still managed to earn a spot in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace – an opportunity for Guardiola’s third FA Cup success.
Discussing the blow-par campaign, which saw City embark on a run of just one win in 13 games this winter, Guardiola said: “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.
“People think we learn more from defeats than from victories. But I also think I learn from victories.
“I knew there would be a moment when we would fall, but we fell a lot. 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.”
Guardiola’s managerial honours
Here’s a look at the silverware Pep Guardiola has won during his managerial career…
Barcelona – 2008-2012
- 3 x La Liga winner
- 2 x Spanish Cup winner
- 3 x Spanish Super Cup winner
- 2 x Uefa Super Cup winner
- 2 x Champions League winner
- 2 x Fifa Best Coach winner
- 2 x Fifa Club World Cup winner
Bayern Munich – 2013-2016
- 3 x Bundesliga winner
- 2 x German Cup winner
- 1 x Uefa Super Cup winner
- 1 x Fifa Club World Cup winner
Manchester City – 2016-present
- 6 x Premier League winner
- 1 x Champions League winner
- 4 x League Cup winner
- 2 x FA Cup winner
- 3 x Community Shield winner
- 1 x Uefa Super Cup winner
- 1 x Fifa Club World Cup winner
- 1 x Fifa Best Coach winner
