Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has revealed that Pep Guardiola considered leaving the club numerous times during his decade-long reign before eventually stepping down at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Speaking on 4 June, Khaldoon said Guardiola’s emotional attachment to the club often led him to question his future during difficult periods, although those moments rarely developed into serious resignation plans.
“Inevitably over these last 10 years we’ve had a lot of ups and some downs, and in the downs, he must have quit 100 times over these 10 years,” Khaldoon said.
Drawing a comparison with the famous fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, he suggested that Guardiola’s declarations were often made in moments of frustration rather than genuine intent.
“When he says ‘I quit’, it doesn’t mean he’s quitting. You don’t take it that seriously. You have to manage him,” he said.
Khaldoon added that he had always persuaded Guardiola to continue, but this time he recognised that the Spaniard’s decision was final.
“Whenever he quits or whenever he thinks it’s time, I will always convince him to come back, until the time where I know it’s actually the real time, and we reached that. I knew it and that’s why I didn’t fight it.”
Guardiola leaves Manchester City after one of the most successful managerial spells in football history. Since arriving in 2016, he guided the club to six Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and a total of 20 major trophies.
His final season still brought silverware, with City winning both the FA Cup and League Cup. However, the club finished second in the Premier League, seven points behind champions Arsenal, extending their league title drought to two seasons.
Despite suggestions that City’s dominant era may be ending, Khaldoon rejected any notion that the club has reached its peak.
“We are far from peaked. We are used to winning because it’s in our DNA. This is a club that is designed and built to win,” he said.
The chairman also expressed confidence that City’s next managerial appointment would keep the club competing for major honours.
Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is widely expected to succeed Guardiola. Maresca previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022/23 season before moving into management and later winning both the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea.
While declining to confirm the appointment, Khaldoon insisted the club had followed a detailed and structured selection process.
“What I can say at the moment is we’ve gone through a very thoughtful and structured process and the team is convinced, I am convinced, that we will bring in the right manager for this club,” he said.
“Very soon we’ll announce it and you will be very comfortable that we have selected and brought in the best manager possible.”
