Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City will be the final club job in his managerial career.
Guardiola has enjoyed eight-and-a-half glittering years in charge at the Etihad, leading City to six Premier League titles and numerous other trophies.
The Spaniard is currently in the midst of his toughest period of his tenure, with City having won just one of their last eight games in all competitions.
However, Guardiola penned a new deal until 2027 last month, which will take his time with the four-in-a-row Premier League champions past a decade.
And, speaking in an exclusive interview with Spanish chef Dani Garcia, Guardiola provided a major update on his future and revealed he will not lead any other teams in the future once he leaves City.
‘I’m not going to manage another team,’ he said. ‘I’m not talking about the long-term future but what I’m not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country, and do the same thing as now.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed Manchester City will the final club job in his managerial career
Guardiola has enjoyed a stunning tenure with City since joining in 2016, winning 18 trophies
In an interview with Spanish chef Dani Garcia, Guardiola provided an update on his future
‘I wouldn’t have the energy… The thought of starting somewhere else, all the process of training and so on… No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that’s different.
‘I should stop, like these chefs that go to other countries, stop and see what we’ve done well and what we could do better and when you’re busy all day, day after day you don’t have time to do that.
‘I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t. I think stopping would do me good.’
Guardiola went onto open up to Garcia about his plans when he does eventually retire from coaching.
He said: ‘I’m still young and when I stop, there’s several things I want to do.
‘One of them is to learn French, dedicate my free time to myself so I can play golf and then begin to learn how to cook simple things.’
Meanwhile, City dropped further points in the title race on Saturday when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace, with the result meaning their grasp on the Premier League is slipping further away by the week.
And the 53-year-old admitted he finds it tough to deal with when his side are struggling for positive results.
Guardiola penned a new two-year deal with City which will take him past a decade at the club
Guardiola said he plans to learn to French, improve his cooking and play golf when he retires
‘The starting point with coping with the problems of defeat would be being with people, your family basically,’ he said.
‘But no-one can really console the loneliness of the football manager. You have people beside you but the bad decisions, why have I done that, it’s gone wrong because I did this, I didn’t push them enough….the pain of the defeat, you feel it alone.
‘You might have friends around you, but when you close that bedroom door and turn off the light there’s no consolation.
‘You have to let one or two days pass and then start again. Golf helps me. One of the best therapies I have is when the Augusta Masters or one of the major tournaments comes round from Thursday to Sunday and I prepare my matches at home or here in Tast (Guardiola’s Spanish restaurant in Manchester).
‘I look at our rival and the images I want to take but always with the golf on in the background.’
Elsewhere, City’s struggles this season have been widely put down to the absence of Rodri, with the Ballon d’Or winner out for the season with a serious knee injury.
Guardiola’s side have also suffered multiple injuries elsewhere in the team, but the Spaniard admitted that Rodri’s absence is the biggest blow of them all.
Guardiola admitted he finds it tough to deal with when his side are struggling for form
City have won just one of their past eight games and are eight points adrift in the title race
The Spaniard also opened up on how much City are missing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri right now
‘He’s been voted the best player in the world and of course we miss him,’ he added.
‘Imagine a scenario where Messi has just been voted best player in the world and we’re having to play without him for a whole year.
‘I don’t think we would have won the treble or the sextuple without them. These players are unique and they show that uniqueness especially in the bad times, when games are going against you.
‘Rodri is at another level in that respect so of course we miss him. ‘But time passes quickly and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger.’
Guardiola, who has been credited with transforming English football, is the first manager to win four consecutive top flight titles in England.
In total, he has won 354 of his 495 games in charge of City at an astonishing rate of 71.52 per cent, lifting 18 trophies in the process.
City currently fourth second in the Premier League after 15 games, eight points behind Liverpool.
Meanwhile, they are languishing in 17th in the Champions League League Stage, and return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Juventus.
