Pep Guardiola has promised to reach out to his Manchester City successor as he prepares to hand over the keys to the first team at the Etihad Stadium.
The legendary Spaniard took charge of his final game on Sunday, ending a trophy-laden decade that has fundamentally altered the landscape of English football.
Guardiola took charge of City for the final time as their Premier League campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the focus remained fixed on the departing catalyst of the club’s modern era.
With former assistant Enzo Maresca currently the favourite to step into the dugout following his January exit from Chelsea, Guardiola has made it clear he will be available as a resource.
“When the club tell me who it is, of course I will call him,” said Guardiola.
“I will tell him, ‘Be yourself and the club will support you unconditionally’.
“That is the biggest compliment, or the biggest luck that all the managers who have been here have had.
“You will be protected in the bad moments more than any other club.
“Be yourself, be free, go with your ideas. Work a lot and everything will be fine.”
A legacy of unprecedented success
The 55-year-old leaves Manchester after 10 glorious years in which he won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
His final term in charge saw him deliver an FA Cup and League Cup double and a runners-up finish in the league.
The manager revealed he has been mentally preparing for this exit, even as the news only reached the public recently.
“Yesterday I was at home and I didn’t have any furniture,” the Spaniard admitted.
“It was basically completely empty. I just had a bed to sleep on. I’ve processed it already. After a few weeks, already it is done.”
Farewells for Stones and Silva
The final whistle against Villa was not just a goodbye to the manager, but also to club icons John Stones and Bernardo Silva.
Stones, who arrived in Manchester the same summer as Guardiola in 2016, reflected on a journey that saw him become the cornerstone of a world-class defence.
The pair were given guards of honour by both sets of players when they were substituted during the second half of the match.
“Looking back at myself as a young boy playing on the streets, to say that I’d win this amount of trophies, I never would have believed it,” Stones said during the emotional farewell.
“It’s something incredible and we kind of set a standard for this club.
“I hope going forward when I come back and watch from the stands that they can recreate some incredible moments.”
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‘The greatest manager ever’
Bernardo Silva, a mainstay of the midfield since 2017, was equally effusive in his praise for the man who oversaw the most successful period in the club’s history.
While City fell to Villa on the day despite an early goal from Antoine Semenyo, the result felt secondary to the tributes being paid to the tactical mastermind behind their rise.
Silva said: “Pep’s the reason we won so much.
“He was at the wheel, making the decisions and creating this monster of a team and, on a personal level, he’s my father in football. I do believe he’s the greatest manager ever.”
