Khaldoon Al Mubarak has revealed that Pep Guardiola threatened to quit Manchester City “100 times” during his decade in charge before the chairman finally believed him.
The 55-year-old Guardiola stepped down at the end of this season after leading City to 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League victory.
Guardiola had one year remaining on his contract but told his final news conference that the club needed a “new manager” and “new energy” to move forward.
Speaking in his annual interview with in-house media, Khaldoon explained why this resignation felt different from all the previous ones he had managed to talk the Spaniard out of.
“I knew it and that’s why I didn’t fight it,” Khaldoon said, reflecting on the moment he accepted that Guardiola’s departure was inevitable this time around.
“Throughout these years, I’ve always fought it and always brought him back because I knew that was always the answer,” the chairman added, outlining the pattern that had defined their long working relationship.
“But in this particular one, I think he knew – and I knew that he knew – and that is why it was the right thing for him and it was the natural thing.”
Khaldoon described his relationship with Guardiola as one that had grown far beyond the professional, calling himself something of an informal confidant for the manager throughout the years.
“He’s more than just the manager of the club,” Khaldoon said. “To me, he’s a friend. Over these years we have become close friends and I don’t know if he will admit it, but I consider myself his psychiatrist.”
Khaldoon compared Guardiola’s repeated resignation threats to the fable of the boy who cried wolf, explaining that those around him had learned not to take every outburst at face value.
“Inevitably we have had a lot of ups and some downs and in the downs, he must have quit 100 times over these 10 years,” Khaldoon said, capturing just how frequent those moments had been.
“There is the story as you all know, The Boy that Cries Wolf. In the case of Pep, when he says I quit, it doesn’t mean he’s quitting. You don’t take it that seriously – you have to manage him.”
Before last month’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium, Guardiola was asked if it would be his last visit and replied “no way,” insisting he still had “one more year [on his contract].”
The manner in which he delivered that answer, followed by a quick exit from the room, raised eyebrows among those present and added to mounting speculation about his future.
Guardiola joined City in 2016 and signed successive contract extensions in May 2018, November 2020, November 2022, and November 2024, always eventually finding reasons to stay beyond his initial intentions.
“He never thought he would stay more than four years, then more than five years,” Khaldoon said, revealing that Guardiola had always been questioning how much time he had left to give.
Guardiola’s former assistant Enzo Maresca has been identified as the leading contender to replace him, with City understood to be in advanced talks with the ex-Chelsea manager.
Khaldoon offered little detail on the process but urged patience, saying: “Very soon we will announce it and you will be comfortable that we have selected and brought in the best manager possible.”
