“A part of me is leaving” – Pep Guardiola issues emotional response to Txiki Begiristain’s Manchester City exit | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued an emotional response to news confirmed last weekend regarding Txiki Begiristain’s exit from the Etihad Stadium.

The 60-year-old will be bringing an end to a hugely successful 12-year stay in Manchester, having constructed some of the finest squads to have graced the English game, and overseen the finest period in City’s history.

With a number of blockbuster signings underlining his quality as a leading sporting director, including recruiting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, and Rodri, Begiristain will be a major figure to replace.

However, Begiristain himself has already negotiated and finalised his replacement, with Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana joining the club from early 2025 to undergo a transitional period before taking the role of Director of Football on a full-time basis from next summer.

Speaking to reporters on Friday afternoon on Txiki Begiristain’s confirmed decision to leave the Premier League champions at the end of the ongoing season, Pep Guardiola was hugely complimentary of his colleague on a personal note.

“A part of me is leaving, I would say,” Guardiola said. “A friend of mine, one of the architects to create one of the best teams ever from Barcelona at that time, and now here. A friend of mine, and I’ve known the decision for a long time, it’s for family reasons and personal reasons, and I know how grateful he is for this experience here.”

He continued, “Personally, he will be missed, but of course he will be missed a lot for the confidence, for the trust, for especially in bad moments because he made me incredible balanced in my job because I’m so energetic.

“When it’s going bad, I want to destroy everything, and all the time he said, ‘See you tomorrow, take a coffee’. And his balance to be completely crazy in other ones, his pause helped me lot in my period in Barcelona and of course, here.

“But I have the opinion that the Club is so solid, incredibly well-structured, and it has to be like that. All families have to move on [in the case of Txiki Begiristain], and the club will move on.”

It was further put to the 53-year-old that neither had expected to remain at Manchester City for the length of time that they have done, with Begiristain concluding a 12-year stay and Guardiola having been in his own role for nine seasons.

“You are completely right, I didn’t expect. But it happened because we won a lot,” Guardiola responded. “Otherwise, my chairman adores me, but he would have sacked me if the results were not good.”

He went on to explain, “The relations, whatever happens, are there and will be there. But it has been a long time because we won a lot. There is no secrets. Here it doesn’t matter where you are born; if you don’t win, your position everyone asks you to be sacked.

“And if you win and have success, the people support you. So it’s not much more complicated than that.”

Manchester City’s attentions remain firmly on events on the field, as they continue to strive for yet another successful season across multiple competitions this campaign, albeit with the challenge of competing without the presence of Rodri in the centre of the park.