Pep Guardiola has confirmed his intentions to take a break from football after finishing his Manchester City career and suggested it could last for several years.
Guardiola, 54, has been City manager since 2016 but during a disappointing season last year he put all speculation about his future to rest by signing a new contract that expires in 2027.
The Catalan has previously expressed interest in the possibility of coaching in international football later in his career, but stressed he would need to take a break before accepting any other role.
In an interview with GQ Spain, Guardiola said: “I know that after this stage at City I will definitely leave. It is a final decision, more than final.”
“I don't know how long I'll stay: a year, two, three, five, ten, fifteen, I don't know. But I'll leave after this period at City because I need to stop and focus on myself.”
Earlier in his coaching career, Guardiola took a year-long break after leaving Barcelona before taking over at Bayern.
Last season was City's first trophyless campaign since Guardiola's first campaign at the club, which had won four Premier League titles (six in seven seasons), ended in disappointment, with City having to fight for a Champions League place before finishing third.
Guardiola said that, in hindsight, it was easy to say that City should have been quicker to renew their ageing squad, a process that began in January and continued this summer with the signings of Ryan Ait Nouri, Ryan Cherki, Tijani Reynders and Sverre Nypan, before James Trafford arrived.
But when asked what he thought of City's campaign being described as a “failure”, Guardiola replied: “I'm glad I failed.
“I like failure. In this society where everything has to be perfect, where you have to put your food on Instagram… 'Oh, how wonderful, how happy I am.' Every day we have to prove that we are happy. Yeah, right.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
