Sport
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be manager of Manchester City for at least two more seasons after the 2024/25 season, after signing a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current season, but has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There were suggestions he could leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned following the Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me,” Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have had so many great times together. I have a very special feeling for this football club.”
“That's why I'm so happy that I'm staying for two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to trust and support me – the owner, the chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and of course the fans… everyone has a bond with Manchester City. It has always been an honor, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I've said this before, but I have everything a manager could wish for and I really appreciate that.
“Hopefully we can now add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Guardiola, who was appointed in 2016, is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time. During his time at the club he won eighteen major trophies.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League win in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the line.
He also boasts a winning percentage of 72.04% in all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.