Man City boss Pep Guardiola opens up on future plans - 'I'm going to stop' - The Mirror

Pep Guardiola is set to stay at Manchester City until 2027 after signing a new deal back in November, but he has admitted he could quit management after it expires

Pep Guardiola has opened up about his plans after leaving Manchester City, admitting he could retire from management altogether. Guardiola has spent nine years in charge of City and signed a new two-year contract in November which will keep him at the Etihad until 2027.

It is his longest spell at a club as a manager, with Guardiola having previously spent four years in charge of Barcelona and three years at Bayern Munich. He did go on a sabbatical after leaving Barcelona, but he went straight from Bayern to City and has not had an extended break in 12 years.

As a result, Guardiola says he will step away from football after his latest deal expires and that he may never manage again. "I want people to remember me however they want," Guardiola told ESPN Brasil.

"After my contract with City, I'm going to stop. I'm sure. I don't know if I'm going to retire, but I'm going to take a break. How I want to be remembered, I don't know.

"All coaches want to win so we can have a memorable job, but I believe that the fans of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City 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."

City have endured a disappointing season so far, with the club battling for Champions League qualification after winning four straight Premier League titles. However, they could still end their campaign with a trophy if they beat Crystal Palace to win the FA Cup final later this month.

Reflecting on City's struggles, Guardiola added: "It was a year of great learning. There is not just one reason why this year was difficult, there are many details, like wrong decisions made for me.

"So, it has been a year of great learning for me, personally. People think we learn more from defeats than from victories. But I also think I learn from victories. I knew there would be a moment when we would fall, but we fell a lot.

"We didn't expect to be so far, but we can't win them all. What we did during 10, nine years was exceptional, but now we have to sit down and learn to try to understand what we need to produce in the future."

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