The Premier League is about to enter a new era – one without Pep Guardiola. After 10 trophy-laden years, the legendary manager has said goodbye to Manchester City, leaving behind a legacy that may never be surpassed, or even matched.
When Pep made the move to Manchester in 2016, he initially signed a three-year contract, but no-one could have predicted what was to come during his tenure.
Departing as the club’s most successful manager of all time, he led City to 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, one Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Guardiola is also the only manager in English top-flight history to win four successive league titles, between 2021 and 2024. It’s so difficult to win anything at elite level, so imagine how much harder it is to keep on winning, again and again.
Among his standout achievements were the Treble-winning campaign of 2022-23 when City clinched the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, the domestic treble of 2018-19, and the record-breaking 100-point tally the season before.
The Catalan possesses the personality, persistence, drive and ability that kept him innovating, finding new ways to win at such a high standard for so long. Having the opportunity to try and understand one of the greatest brains in football in countless interviews over the years has been a privilege.
I remember the first time I was given the task to sit down and chat with him for TNT Sports. I walked into the stands at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, the home of Sevilla, who were City’s opponents for the opening match of what would become their Champions League-winning season in 2022-23. When Pep arrived, he shook my hand and commented on how nice the Spanish weather was.
I had no idea what to expect on that day – fast forward several years and I can confirm that in any interview with Pep, you never know quite what you’re going to get! He is an emotional character with an aura that’s difficult to describe. Pep has found the right balance of being professional, intimidating, yet still warm and polite. He can also be no-nonsense when he wants, and that’s all part of what makes him a great manager.
In his final year at City he became nostalgic, and quite sarcastic and humorous with the media. Perhaps he always knew he was going to leave at the end of the campaign, but it made for some of my favourite interview moments.
When I spoke to him after City won the FA Cup at Wembley in May, it would be the last chat we had after his final trophy with the club. I asked whether he would be back in 2026-27 to defend City’s FA Cup, to which he responded, with a smile, “Bye bye!” Clearly not wanting to directly address it at the time, but I think we all had a sense that his exit was imminent
One of the telling signs was when he visited Stockport’s League One game with Port Vale in April, on the same night as a Champions League classic between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. It felt like he was ticking something off the list he had always wanted to do while he still could. It showed his deep love for English football, which has left its mark on Pep as much as he’s left his own on it.
It’s hard to imagine Manchester City without him in charge. Manchester United and Arsenal are proof of how difficult it is to replace a legendary manager. United’s dominant era ended after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, and the club are still searching for consistent success more than a decade later.
Arsenal have finally won their first league title under Mikel Arteta, something they had to wait 22 gruelling years for – with the stability they’ve now established, they look well placed to defend it when 2026-27 begins.
Guardiola will be a near impossible act to follow, but he’s left City with a young, hungry and very talented squad that aren’t far off becoming title winners again.
Pep joked that he would be up in his newly named Pep Guardiola Stand at the Etihad, still controlling the team in the future. It was said in jest, but in reality, his presence will be long felt in Manchester and beyond.
A Premier League icon, and one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game, the league won’t quite feel the same without him
in 2026-27. It’s often difficult to measure the success of a legend in the present. Perhaps the real impact of Pep’s extraordinary achievements may take some time to be truly appreciated.
