LONDON – Huddled with a couple of journalists in a small side room at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah last December, a member of Manchester City staff told Pep Guardiola that he would have to fulfill a contractual obligation for the Premier League by answering a couple of questions about the next game against Everton.
He had just lifted the FIFA Club World Cup (his fifth trophy of 2023) and, looking happy but emotionally exhausted, was in no mood to talk about what awaited him on a cold winter's night at Goodison Park.
“Please, not Everton!” he said with an exasperated half-smile, implying that he couldn't bear to think about returning to the grind of England's top flight.
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A few minutes earlier, in the press conference room, he had said that winning the Club World Cup had “closed a chapter.” His words were spoken in such a way that the city staff in the room thought, for a brief but panicked moment, that he was about to resign on the spot. To those listening, it felt like a resignation speech without resignation.
In the end, Guardiola found the motivation to think about Everton (City won 3-1 five days after their success in Saudi Arabia) and lead his team to a record fourth consecutive title, secured with a 3-3 victory. 1 over West Ham. United on the last day of the season.
Speaking after another title, the word “motivation” came up again.
“Last year, after [completing the treble in] In Istanbul I said: 'It's over, there's nothing left,'” Guardiola recalled. “But I have a contract and I'm starting to think: 'No one has made four in a row, why don't we try?'
“And now I feel like it's done, so what's next? Now I don't know exactly what the motivation is because it's hard to find it when everything is done.”
His motivation in the week after West Ham was to become the first manager in the history of English football to win the league title and FA Cup in successive seasons. That dream ended with the surprise 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday, but the question afterwards remains the same. What is Guardiola's motivation to move forward?
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, City have won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. They have won a treble, a domestic treble, two league and cup doubles and have become the first English team to win four titles in a row. Guardiola has nothing left to achieve.
After lifting another Premier League last week, he admitted he is “tired” and said he is “closer to leaving than staying.” City staff have been keen to emphasize that, after eight years in Manchester, he was simply stating that he is closer to the end of his career at the club than the beginning, rather than casting doubt on his future beyond this summer.
The reality is that, after four years as coach of Barcelona and three in charge of Bayern Munich, Guardiola never had the intention of staying so long at City. The end of his trophy-laden reign is approaching and the only question that remains is when will he retire?
Manchester City insist they have received no indication from Guardiola that he will not honor his contract, which has another season left to play. They would like him to sign a new contract and take his reign beyond 10 years, but there is no pressure and Guardiola will be free to decide how and when he leaves.
He has little left to do in club football, but he still has ambitions of leading a national team in a major tournament.
There is a World Cup in the United States, a venue Guardiola likes, in 2026 and another in Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030, and he has been linked with jobs in Brazil and England in the past. The Three Lions, who could be looking for a new coach after the European Championship if Gareth Southgate decides to step forward, have made no secret of their desire to hire Guardiola if the opportunity presents itself.
Guardiola has become a calmer coach since starting with Barcelona in 2007 and was philosophical after Saturday's loss to United, saying that “in football and in life you win and you lose.”
Instead of poring over the result at Wembley over the summer holidays, he has to make decisions about what comes next. Do you have the same motivation to return to training camp in July ready for another grueling season? Does the thought of another Champions League and a fifth consecutive Premier League title inspire your competitive spirit enough to start again?
By Guardiola's own admission, his time at City is coming to an end. The question is when and only he knows the answer.
