Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made it official- he will run out his current contract and then move on. The next challenge for the Catalan is a national team job somewhere, and he made that known today during an online forum for Brazilian company XP Investimentos.
So he’s only got two more chances now at finally bringing a Champions League title to Manchester City. If City is ever going to do the unthinkable and win a quadruple, there is only two more seasons in which Pep can deliver that too.
“A national team is the next step,” Guardiola said.
“I must take a break after seven years. I need to stop and see, learn from other coaches, and maybe take that path. … I would like to train for a European Championship, a Copa America, a World Cup.”
“After seven years at this club, I think I’m going to have a break. I will need to rest after being somewhere so many years and also stop to evaluate what we’ve done and to try to learn from other coaches.
“If, during this process of stopping, there is a chance to coach a national team, then I think I’d like that. I’d like to coach at a European Championship or Copa America or World Cup. I’d like to experience that.”
So where could Guardiola go? Which national team gig does he have his eyes on, other than the obvious- Spain?
Pep Guardiola, who just signed an extension at the Etihad this past November, did mention Spain, but also said that he doesn’t think he’ll land the job leading “important national teams like Brazil.”
And that’s because they typically only hire their own citizens for that gig. Although he certainly has his detractors, as does everyone else, Pep Guardiola is widely considered the finest manager in the game today.
In terms of pure tactics and strategizing, it’s hard to place any other gaffer above him right now.
He’ll be in very high demand, and it’s just going to be a matter of finding the right fit, and what openings will be present at the time that his contract is up.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.