Pep Guardiola has revealed he has planned out his future in football after leaving Manchester City.
As City suffered a dramatic slump in form during the midway point of last season, speculation mounted that Guardiola would call time on his illustrious spell in charge of the club.
It is understood that City chiefs began tentative planning for a future without the Catalan in charge, while Guardiola received contact from the FA about the then-vacant England job.
However, in November the former Barcelona boss agreed an extension to his current deal with the club, keeping him at the Etihad until 2027.
While speculation has consistently linked Guardiola with some of the top jobs in world football after his time in Manchester comes to an end, the 54-year-old recently revealed that he will instead look to step away from football when the time comes.
‘I know that after this stage with City I’m going to stop, that’s for sure, it’s decided, more than decided,’ Guardiola told GQ Hype magazine.
Pep Guardiola admitted he is ready to step away from football when he leaves Manchester City
54-year-old insisted he intends on ‘focusing on myself’ when his career in the dugout is over
Guardiola also reflected on his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2011-12 campaign
‘I’m going to leave after this stage with City, because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body.’
Guardiola reflected on his decision to leave Barcelona in 2012 after leading the club to 14 trophies during his four seasons in charge at the Nou Camp.
He continued: ‘I think I know how to stop at the right moment.
‘The same thing happened to me with my coaching job [at Barcelona], there came a time when I said enough is enough. I’m going to look for another challenge.’
Despite a dismal period that saw them drop as low as seventh in the Premier League table, Guardiola’s side recovered to ultimately secure Champions League football.
‘When you win six Premier Leagues, there comes a time when you go down,’ he added.
‘That’s human nature. Then, we probably should have moved more players, but it’s very easy to say that afterwards…’
