The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he would leave the Premier League club at the end of his contract on June 30, 2023.
The Spanish tactician who has been at Manchester City since 2016 said he would take a break from being a coach after the 2022-2023 season to reflect on his managerial journey so far.
Pep Guardiola also revealed that after his break from being a coach, his next move will be to coach a national team instead of returning to club football.
“I think I’m going to have a stop. I’m going to have to take a break, see what we’ve done,” Guardiola said at an event organized by Brazilian financial services company XP Investimentos.
“Next step will be a national team if there is a possibility.”
Pep Guardiola is regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time. The 50-year-old Spanish tactician has always said he does not intend to spend too much time on a particular job.
He has lived up to that statement since 2008 when he became a professional football coach. Recall that Guardiola started his managerial career at FC Barcelona, the same club he started his football career (1988 to 2001).
He spent just four years (2008-2012) at FC Barcelona as the coach of the club. During that period, Guardiola helped the club to win three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, three Supercopa de España, two UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup, and two FIFA Club World.
After that, he moved to Germany to coach Bayern Munich, he managed to help the German club to maintain their tradition of winning the Bundesliga title but failed to help them win the Champions League.
After three years in Germany, he moved to Manchester City where he has been for five years. He has helped them to win all the available domestic titles including three Premier League titles but he has failed to help them to win the Champions League title so far.
He has been making a lot of transfer deals including the British record signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100 million in an attempt to help the club to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the history of the club.
The possible National team Pep Guardiola might coach
While saying his next big step is to be a national team coach, Pep Guardiola failed to mention the country he might likely coach.
However, he mentioned the continents where he might likely accept a coaching appointment. The continents include South America and Europe.
“I would like to coach in a European Championship, a Copa America, a World Cup”, he said.
“They are a fantastic team. I’ve already worked with some of their players and competed against others. A fantastic national team, Brazil is always a strong candidate or the favorite [for trophies]. Always has been and always will be.”
Based on Pep Guardiola’s assertion, Manchester City will start to look for its successor towards the end of the 2022-2023 season. Also, national teams in the continents he had mentioned would start preparing for what it might take to appoint him.
From all indications, Guardiola who has won everything in club football multiple times wants to complete a circle in football by winning the FIFA World Cup and at least a continental trophy as a coach.
Hence, he is most likely to join a national team that has the potentials of making it easier for him to win the World Cup or a continental trophy – the European Championship or Copa America.
Pep Guardiola:
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) August 25, 2021
“After seven years at Man City, I think I’ll have a break, stop for a while, see what we’ve done, review inspirations – and, in this process, I’d like to coach a national team, South America, European, play a Copa America, I want this experience.” pic.twitter.com/hb03ZC9iHY
