Pep Guardiola’s decade of dominance changed English football – but it also changed him

A clue came when Pep Guardiola said part of him would leave with Bernardo Silva. It wasn’t strictly accurate: it turns out all of the Manchester City manager is set to go when his captain departs. Guardiola’s final season at the Etihad Stadium has taken place with his future providing the backdrop: there have been times when, looking drained, it felt like his last but others when, energised by a new-look team, it felt like he might see out a contract that runs until 2027.

Now it looks as if he is indeed set to leave. An era is ending. Guardiola is unlikely to have done the maths on it, but his valedictory match, against Aston Villa on Sunday, will mean he has managed City more times than anyone else, a 593rd game to Les McDowall’s 592.

He is approaching 200 more victories in their dugout than anyone else. Calling him City’s greatest manager is utterly uncontroversial. The surprise is not that he is going now, but that he has had such longevity.

Pep Guardiola won 20 trophies with Man City (Getty) The manager who did four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich had seemed on a personal global tour. He instead became the longest-serving manager in the Premier or Football Leagues (given that some of Simon Weaver’s time at Harrogate was spent in non-league). He was the exotic import who became part of the furniture.