Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared that he will not take a new job immediately after his spell at the Etihad Stadium ends. Guardiola has now been in charge for nine years in the north of England, but admits he needs a break.
Guardiola took over as manager in 2016 and will complete a decade in the job at the end of the coming season. The 54-year-old has won six Premier League titles, a success rate of 67 percent, and has led the team in 533 games. He still has two years left on his contract. In an interview with GQ Hype, quoted by MD, Guardiola said that he has decided to take a break after this period.
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“I know that after this period with City, I’m going to stop, that’s for sure, it’s determined, more than determined. I’m going to leave my job after this time with City, because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body.”
Guardiola has previously taken a break between jobs at Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the 2012-13 season.
“I think I knew when it was the right time to stop. The same thing happened to me as a coach [at Barcelona] – there came a time when I said enough, enough is enough. I want to look for a new challenge.”
“Stop comparing Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi” – Guardiola
With Lamine Yamal’s explosive breakthrough at such a young age, and with few similar instances before him, his position and circumstances have led to comparisons with the great Lionel Messi. Guardiola believes these comparisons are premature.
“I think Lamine Yamal should be allowed to develop his career. And when he has been playing for fifteen years, we can determine if he is better or worse. Let him build his career. That they compare him to Messi is a big thing. It’s like comparing a painter to Van Gogh. They’ll say, ‘Wow, he’s not bad,’ and that’s a sign that he’s good.”
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