Pep Guardiola has admitted that a part of him 'will be leaving' Manchester City when director of football Txiki Begiristain departs the club at the end of the season.
It was confirmed by the Citizens last weekend that Begiristain, 60, will step down from his post in the summer of 2025 after the club's involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Begiristain arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Barcelona in 2012 and has been described by Guardiola as a key "architect" of Man City's rise to dominance in English football, with a total of 22 trophies won across seven different competitions to date during his time at the club.
The Spaniard was hugely influential in appointing Guardiola as Barcelona manager back in 2008 and successfully lured him to Man City in 2016 after three years in charge of Bayern Munich.
Begiristain originally planned to step back from day-to-day operations at Man City when he turned 55, but he became so invested in the club's project and working alongside close friend and colleague Guardiola that he extended his stay until his 60th birthday, which he celebrated in August.
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Guardiola: 'Begiristain will be missed a lot'
Reacting to the news that Begiristain will depart at the end of the season, Guardiola told reporters on Friday: "Part of me is leaving. A friend of mine, an architect who created one of the best teams at Barcelona and here. Personally he will be missed a lot.
"I knew the decision for a long time, a family reason, personal reason. I know how grateful he is for his experience here. He will be missed a lot.
"For the confidence, the trust especially in the bad moments. He makes me incredibly balanced in my job. I'm so energetic when it is going wrong I want to destroy everything and all the time he said,' see you tomorrow take a coffee'.
"He helped me a lot in Barcelona and here, but I have the opinion the club is so solid, incredible structure and families have to move on and the club will move on."
Asked why both he and Begiristain have stayed for so long at Man City, Guardiola said: "You're right [we have stayed longer than expected]. It happened because we won a lot. Otherwise, my chairman adores me but he would have sacked me if the results were no good.
"There's no secrets. Here it doesn't matter where you were born, if you don't win your position, everyone ask you to be sacked, and if you have success the people support you. It is not more complicated than that."
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Guardiola addresses his future at Man City
Guardiola has also commented on his own future at Man City, with his current contract at the Etihad Stadium set to expire in the summer of 2025.
Recent reports have suggested that Guardiola is leaning towards signing a short-term contract extension at Man City as he likes the idea of completing at least 10 years at the Etihad, while he is also 'more likely' to stay at the club if they are found guilty of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League.
Should Guardiola decide to leave Man City at the end of the season, the Catalan has admitted that he could have a say on his successor, adding: "Of course with the relation I have [with City owners] if they ask my opinion I will give my opinion but it's not my job, the decision will be taken by them not me.
"I would say the new sporting director, at the moment I'm not here anymore, he has to choose the new manager."
Man City have confirmed that 41-year-old Hugo Viana from Sporting Lisbon will succeed Begiristain as the club's new director of football and the pair will collaborate in the preceding months to the latter's exit to "ensure a smooth transition".
Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim has been linked with potentially replacing Guardiola and reuniting with Viana at Man City, but the 39-year-old has played down such rumours.
Oliver Thomas
