End of an Era: Pep Guardiola Leaves Manchester City After 10 Years — Successor Identified

Pep Guardiola's legendary 10-year journey at Manchester City, which delivered the club's golden era, is coming to an end. According to The Daily Mail's Oliver Holt and The Athletic, the 54-year-old Catalan manager has decided to step down despite having one year left on his contract, and personally informed his players of the decision. The official announcement is expected after Manchester City's final fixture of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday, May 24.

Guardiola's record at the Etihad will go down as perhaps one of the most glittering managerial careers in modern football: 16 major trophies as City boss (20 in total by the time he leaves), the historic treble in 2022-23 (Premier League + FA Cup + Champions League), the first-ever 100-point Premier League season, and the club's first-ever Champions League title. Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup final win over Chelsea was his 20th trophy at City. Despite last season's first trophyless campaign, he still managed to clinch a domestic cup double this year — proof that even a below-par Guardiola team is still elite.

The successor is taking shape: Enzo Maresca, Guardiola's former City assistant who shone last season as Chelsea boss by winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, is on City's radar. According to David Ornstein and Sam Lee at The Athletic, Maresca had been in contact with City before his Chelsea departure mid-season. His exit from Chelsea in January was "acrimonious" — Chelsea ownership BlueCo did not want a mid-season change, but Maresca's City talks pushed the relationship past the point of no return. Now City will pay significant compensation to Chelsea for the Italian.

Opinions vary on the reasons behind Guardiola's departure. Some sources point to the slight dip in performance over the last two years; others suggest he may be seeking new challenges in world football, with Real Madrid speculated. Another possible route is the Spanish national team — his closeness to the staff that delivered the 2010 World Cup is well known. But what's clear for now is that an era is closing at the Etihad.

Sunday's clash against Aston Villa may be City's last shot at the Premier League title race. Arsenal ending their 22-year drought and opening up a five-point lead heading into the final weekend has made City's task all but mathematically impossible. Even so, Guardiola's final match will serve as a symbolic farewell to a 10-year legendary chapter. The Etihad on Sunday will host a goodbye day — and world football will witness the departure of one of its greatest-ever managers.

Source: Based on Pep Guardiola departure reporting from CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Irish Times, AOL. Primary sources are The Daily Mail (Oliver Holt) and The Athletic (David Ornstein, Sam Lee).