Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City Sunday

Manchester City said on Friday that Pep Guardiola will leave his post after Sunday’s Premier League finale against Aston Villa, ending a 10-year run in charge of the club. The club said Guardiola, 55, will step down this summer after City’s final match of the 2025-26 league season at the Etihad Stadium. No successor was named in the announcement. Guardiola joined City in July 2016 and will depart as the most successful manager in the club’s history, according to City’s statement. ### When exactly does Guardiola leave? Sunday, May 24, is Guardiola’s final day as Manchester City manager, with the departure taking effect after City’s home match against Aston Villa. City’s match preview lists kickoff for 16:00 UK time at the Etihad Stadium. Yahoo Sports also reported that the exit follows the final Premier League match of the season. (mancity.com) Friday’s club statement said Guardiola would “step down as Manager of Manchester City this summer,” and placed the timing at the end of the season. In practical terms, that leaves one first-team fixture before his tenure ends. ### What did Manchester City say about his record? (mancity.com) Manchester City said Guardiola will leave after winning 20 major trophies in 10 years, a haul the club said makes him its most successful manager. The statement said the Catalan had a “transformative effect” during his decade in charge. (mancity.com) November 2024 had appeared to secure a longer stay when City announced Guardiola had signed a new two-year contract extension. That deal would have kept him at the club beyond this season, making Friday’s announcement a reversal from the position City set out 18 months ago. (mancity.com) ### What does this mean for Sunday’s match with Aston Villa? Aston Villa are not just the final opponent of Guardiola’s City tenure; they are also part of the last-day race for European places. The Premier League’s final-day permutations say Villa have already secured European football, but their Champions League position can still change depending on results. (mancity.com) City’s official preview says the Villa game is the club’s final Premier League match of the season. That gives Guardiola one last competitive match in charge, at home, before the club moves into the close season and a search for his replacement. ### Did City name a replacement? (mancity.com) Manchester City did not name a successor in Friday’s statement announcing Guardiola’s exit. The club’s release focused on Guardiola’s tenure, his arrival in 2016 and his trophy record, but did not set out a timetable for appointing the next manager. (mancity.com) The Athletic reported separately that City were moving toward Enzo Maresca, but that was not part of the club’s official announcement. City’s own statement did not confirm any incoming appointment. ### What comes next after Guardiola’s final game? (mancity.com) Sunday, May 24, brings Guardiola’s last match in charge when Manchester City face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium. City’s website says the club will then hold an open-top bus parade and after-party to celebrate its 2025-26 achievements, while the managerial succession remains unresolved in the club’s public statements. (nytimes.com) (mancity.com)