Translation result.
▲ ⓒGuardiola SNS
[SPOTV News = Jang Ha-joon] Manchester City will give Pep Guardiola—the manager who presided over the club’s most successful era—its highest tribute.
On May 22, the club announced his farewell on its official website and revealed a special plan: the north stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed the “Pep Guardiola Stand,” and a full‑length statue of him will be erected outside the stadium.
Few managers anywhere receive honors of this magnitude. Guardiola’s imprint on the club has been nothing short of transformative.
When he took charge in 2016, he rewrote City’s history, turning a club long overshadowed by local rival Manchester United into a global powerhouse.
Under Guardiola, City captured six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League. They also won three FA Cups, five League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup, effectively sweeping the major trophies.
He amassed 20 trophies in ten years — a remarkable haul in an era where even a single title is hard to secure. He even sealed his tenure with a cup win in his final season.
Observers also credit him with changing the game in England: City became the first team in Premier League history to reach 100 points in 2017–18, completed the treble in 2022–23, and recorded the league’s first four‑peat — all under Guardiola.
He fully embedded possession‑based build-up football into the English game, influencing tactical trends and how teams around the Premier League operate.
Club leadership lavished praise on him. Owner Sheikh Mansour said, “Guardiola turned our vision into reality,” calling him “a manager who will remain forever in Manchester City’s history and identity.”
With this honor, Guardiola becomes only the second person in City’s history to have a stadium stand bear his name. He will also be the first manager to be honored with a statue outside the Etihad, joining Sergio Agüero and Vincent Kompany.
Most Commented