MANAGER PROFILE
Pep Guardiola (leaving) / Enzo Maresca (incoming) — Manchester City
CLUB
NATIONALITY
Guardiola: Spanish. Maresca: Italian.
BORN
Guardiola: 1971, Santpedor, Spain. Maresca: 1980, Pontecagnano, Italy.
APPOINTED
Guardiola: July 2016. Maresca: confirmed for 2026/27.
Playing Career
Guardiola: Midfielder. Barcelona (11 years as player), Brescia, Roma, Al-Ahli. 47 caps for Spain, World Cup runner-up 2002. Maresca: Midfielder. West Brom, Juventus, Sevilla, West Ham and others. Over 500 professional appearances.
Management Philosophy
Guardiola: positional play, tiki-taka, high pressing, tactical flexibility — changed how football is played worldwide. Maresca: similar principles to Guardiola, whom he knows well, having worked under him at Man City as reserve team coach.
Honours as Manager
Guardiola at City: 6 Premier League titles, FA Cup x3, League Cup x5, Champions League, Club World Cup, Super Cup. 20 major trophies in 10 years. Maresca: Championship winner with Leicester City 2023/24.