Pep Guardiola next job: Big hint dropped on plans after Man City exit | Football | Sport

What Guardiola does next will be compelling to observe. The 55-year-old could opt for a sabbatical, much as he did between his stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Alternatively, he could pursue an entirely different path, such as taking charge of a national side.

Guardiola has previously expressed his interest in international management. In an interview towards the end of 2024, he spoke openly about his departure from City and hinted he would seek out a fresh kind of challenge.

He told chef Dani Garcia on his Desmontadito YouTube channel: “A time will come when I feel it’s enough and I’ll definitely stop then. I’m not going to manage another team.

“I’m not talking about the long-term future but what I’m not going to do is leave Manchester City and go to another country to do the same thing as I am now.

“I wouldn’t have the energy to do so. I’m still here doing what I am today. But the thought of starting off somewhere else, with all the process of the training and so on… no, no, no! Maybe a national team but that’s different.”

In 2024, it emerged that Guardiola had fielded three separate approaches regarding taking the helm of a national team, while he has long harboured ambitions for the Brazil job, currently occupied by Carlo Ancelotti. He was also linked with the England position prior to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.

Guardiola has presided over one of the most triumphant managerial tenures in English football history. Since arriving in 2016, City have secured 20 trophies, amongst them six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

They have also claimed the FA Cup three times and the Carabao Cup five times, including both competitions this season. They remain firmly in the hunt for the league title and face Bournemouth on Tuesday, aiming to extend the race with Arsenal into the final weekend.

It has been widely reported that former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will assume control at the Etihad. The 46-year-old, who served as an assistant to Guardiola during City’s treble-winning campaign in 2022-23, has been without a club since departing Stamford Bridge in January.

His exit from Chelsea came after he informed the club that he had been in dialogue with City on numerous occasions regarding succeeding Guardiola.