Manchester City confirm exit of ‘irreplaceable’ club figure after 13 years of service | OneFootball

Manchester City’s long-standing Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain has officially left the Etihad Stadium this week, ending a 13-year career with the Premier League giants.

Begiristain’s departure draws a close to a transformative era at the football club, in which the Spaniard played a foundational role in elevating Manchester City into one of the most dominant forces in European football.

His exit, while long-anticipated following an announcement in late 2024, marks the end of a footballing vision that reshaped Manchester City’s recruitment, strategy, and ultimately, their silverware haul.

Joining from FC Barcelona in 2012, Begiristain was among the first key pieces of a broader project driven by the City Football Group and Chief Executive Ferran Soriano. Together, the duo translated their previous success in Catalonia into a long-term plan for City – modernising the squad, attracting elite talent, and hiring managers aligned to a shared style of football, most notably Pep Guardiola in 2016.

Under Begiristain’s guidance, City secured 21 major honours, including seven Premier League titles and the long-awaited UEFA Champions League triumph in 2023, while his talent identification, forward-planning, and ability to structure squads across multiple age groups helped City evolve into a footballing superpower with a global reach.

Now, as announced by Manchester City this week, the long-standing Director of Football has officially departed his role at the Etihad Stadium following a tenure of 13 years at the Club.

Begiristain had announced that he would be leaving Manchester City back in October 2024, with Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana taking over the role full-time this summer and now leading the new era of the football club.

Recognising Begiristain’s staggering achievements during his time at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City have announced that the 60-year-old will be celebrated through a number of events in his honour surrounding the home game against Manchester United on 14 September.

The former Spain international will be the special guest at the Manchester derby, in what will also be an opportunity to pay tribute to Begiristain’s commitment to the club, hard work and ‘visionary abilities’ in the transfer market.

The Club have also announced that in-house production company City Studios will release a feature-length film – ‘A Farewell To Txiki’ – profiling Begiristain’s career both on and off the pitch, speaking to colleagues at City, as well as friends and family.

As part of the trailer for the film, Manchester City’s Chief Executive Ferran Soriano is captured as telling Begiristain, “You are the greatest Director of Football in history. How are we going to replace you?”

While Begiristain’s successor Hugo Viana now takes over the reins, the task of living up to his predecessor’s success is immense. The Portuguese official arrives with a strong reputation from Sporting, particularly for his work in identifying young talent and overseeing a healthy financial model.

Viana inherits a club in transition, with questions surrounding the long-term futures of senior stars such as Ederson, Jack Grealish, and İlkay Gündoğan, as well as the integration of high-potential youngsters like Claudio Echeverri and Vitor Reis. His ability to navigate that blend of squad evolution while maintaining City’s elite standards will be closely watched.

In the meantime, attention will now turn to September’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium – a fixture set to carry added emotional weight as supporters and staff pay tribute to the man those behind the scenes have described as ‘irreplaceable’.