Manchester [UK], May 22 (ANI): Pep Guardiola will step down from his role as Manchester City manager, bringing down the curtains on one of the most illustrious reigns for a manager in European football history.

A statement from Man City, who are in second place in the Premier League with 78 points, but have lost it to Arsenal with one game each left, said, 'Pep Guardiola will step down as Manager of Manchester City this summer. The Catalan, who joined City in July 2016, has had a transformative effect during his ten years in charge, and will leave having won 20 major trophies - making him the most successful Manager in our history.'

The club also said that despite his departure from the club as its manager, Guardiola will continue his relationship with the City Football Group, the club's parent company, as its global ambassador.

'Despite his departure as Manager of Manchester City, Pep will continue his relationship with the City Football Group, by taking up a role as a Global Ambassador. The role will see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations,' the club statement said.

Guardiola, who came to City back in 2016, departs after transforming the English club into a European football giant, having won six Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League, three FA Cup titles, 5 League Cup titles, a FIFA Club World Cup title, UEFA Super Cup and FA Community Shield each.

The 2022-23 season saw Guardiola and a star-studded City operating at the peak of its powers, having become only the second football club in English football history after their arch-rivals Manchester United to have captured the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, a season which is viewed as the club's best one in their 132-year history.

Speaking on his departure from the club, Guardiola said, as quoted by the official Premier League website, 'When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, 'Okay... Noel is here. This will be fun.'

'And what a time we have had together. Do not ask me the reasons I'm leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it is my time. Nothing is eternal; if it were, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.'

'This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how it changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too.'

'We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way,' he signed off. (ANI)