MANCHESTER — Pep Guardiola has revealed he plans to take a break from football
after eventually leaving Manchester City and remains uncertain about whether he
will return to management afterward.
While his contract was set to expire at the end of this
season, Guardiola signed a new deal in November that keeps him at the club
until June 2027, extending his tenure to over a decade. Despite committing to
City for the immediate future, the Spaniard has not yet decided if he will
continue his managerial career beyond the end of his current contract.
"After my contract with City, I'm going to stop. I
am sure. I don't know if I'm going to retire, but I'm going to take a
break," Guardiola told ESPN Brasil ahead of Premier League home match
against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"How I want to be remembered, I don't know. I want
people to remember me however they want. All coaches want to win so we can have
a memorable job, but I believe that the fans of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and
Manchester City have 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."
Guardiola has secured 18 major trophies during his eight
full seasons at Manchester City, including six Premier League titles and the
UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League triumph came as part of the club’s
historic Treble in the 2022/23 season. Now, Guardiola will be aiming to add to
his remarkable trophy haul when City take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final
on May 17.