Is it time for Pep Guardiola to think about the end?

The question is: Will Pep Guardiola know when to leave, or will he make the same mistake as many legends before him?

Echoes of the Past

Sir Alex Ferguson left football at the top of his game in the most beautiful setting. The Premier League trophy in hand, children playing on the Old Trafford lawn, and Manchester United's internal peace after the storm named Wayne Rooney. On the other side of the city, Roberto Mancini, the leader of Manchester City at that time, was fired. Ferguson left in a blaze of glory, as if he had written the perfect ending for himself.

Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, stayed too long. He ignored all the warning signs, trying to hold on to the fading values of a disoriented Arsenal. Johan Cruyff, Guardiola’s greatest inspiration, didn’t even have time to choose to leave. He was sacked by president Josep Lluis Nunez in the middle of the 1995/96 season after endless arguments. As for Jurgen Klopp, he left after bringing Liverpool back to the top. The German still wants to take charge, but his past success makes leaving the football world more difficult than ever.

Guardiola is at that crossroads now. He has managed his 1,000th game, more than half of them with Manchester City. At 54, he is still young enough to say goodbye, but he has been through enough of his peaks to know that no one wins forever.

Man City are still playing the football he wants. But within that light, a question looms: will Guardiola know when to stop?

Pep is Man City's legacy.

For people like Pep, quitting is not just a career decision. It is an internal battle. To stop, Guardiola must dismantle a machine driven by energy, ambition, a thirst for victory and a huge ego. Those qualities helped him dominate European football for two decades, but they also make letting go almost impossible.

Bob Paisley did it. He announced his retirement a year early, but still won the league and League Cup in 1982/83. Liverpool also won the European Cup the following season. Some say Paisley left too early, but at least he chose when glory was still within reach.

What future for Man City when Pep leaves?

What can Guardiola learn from that? He has been at City for nearly a decade, longer than at any other time in his career. Everything revolves around him. From the club structure, the recruitment system, the training philosophy, to every little detail in training. City is built to serve Guardiola. Nowhere else in the world can offer such absolute power.

Not at Barcelona, not at Bayern Munich. There, he was simply the inheritor of a legacy bigger than himself. At Man City, he is the legacy.

But because of that, the succession problem becomes more difficult than ever. The club must prepare for the future, but also understand that the great coach has the right to choose his own way of leaving. Every time Guardiola hints, the leadership has to discuss the successor, and it is always a sensitive topic.

Mikel Arteta was once seen as Pep's natural heir.

Mikel Arteta was once seen as the natural successor. But now that Arteta has become an icon at Arsenal, that seems unlikely. It is hard to imagine him leaving the Emirates for the Etihad, especially if Arsenal win the title this season.

And above all, the Premier League lawsuit against Man City, with 130 charges against him, is looming large. Guardiola has said he will stay until the final verdict is reached. But as time drags on, he must be asking himself: can he wait? Should he protect his legacy from the outside, before the controversy tarnishes the image he has worked so hard to build?

Guardiola could end up managing a national team, as he has hinted. But it’s hard to imagine a perfectionist like him waiting for players to return from their clubs, or being constrained by the limits of his power. He could also take the Ferguson route: withdraw completely, keep quiet and let his legacy speak for itself.

Cruyff was fired at the age of 50, but what he left for Barcelona football and the world is immortal. After leaving the Nou Camp, he remained a "teacher of ideas", still sought advice by generations of Barca presidents. Guardiola can follow that path, an outsider, but his influence still spreads.

Guardiola’s story is also a reminder of the cost of modern coaching. Pressure, fixture lists, social media, media, copyright, commercial obligations, everything burns out coaches today faster. No one can do it forever, even a genius.

So when Guardiola reaches 1,000 games, the question is no longer “will he win again?” but “how will he exit?” A great career is not measured by the number of titles won, but by how one walks off the stage. Ferguson left triumphant. Wenger left in disbelief. Cruyff was forced out in conflict.

Which way will Guardiola choose?

Maybe he’s not ready yet. Man City are still strong, still hungry. But whether he leaves sooner or later, one thing is certain: when Pep leaves Etihad, he will not just leave a club, but close a journey of 1,000 matches, a big chapter in contemporary football.

And if he doesn't choose the right time, he could lose what every great coach fears most, leaving when the world has started to get used to not needing him anymore.

Source: https://znews.vn/da-den-luc-pep-guardiola-nghi-den-hoi-ket-post1601371.html