Pep Guardiola has already given his verdict on international management amid England links
The Manchester City manager has previously spoken about his next role in football.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly being considered by the FA as Gareth Southgate’s long-term replacement as England manager.
The 53-year-old is set to begin his ninth season as Manchester City manager next month, which could be his final campaign at the Etihad as his contract expires in a year’s time. Reports have suggested he is considering stepping down at the end of the 2024/25 season.
If so, the FA may be willing to appoint an interim manager for the next 12 months, according to the Independent. The outlet claim Guardiola is the ‘outstanding candidate’ and while it’s not the ideal plan to hire an interim, it’s one the FA would explore if it meant securing the services of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.
As unlikely as Guardiola being Southgate’s long-term successor may seem, the City manager has said he would like to turn his hand to international management in the future.
"I would like to be an international manager in a national team,” Guardiola revealed in 2018, when speaking at Liverpool University. "It will happen because every three days I would like to be involved but a little bit more calm, play more golf, now I don't have time to play.
"Sooner or later it is going to happen, if I have a chance with an international team, if they come knocking at my door,” he added.
Guardiola reiterated those comments three years later: “The next step will be a national team, if the opportunity presents itself,” he said. “I must take a break after seven years [at City].
“I need to stop and look, learn from other coaches and then maybe take that path. I would like to coach in a European Championship, a Copa America, a World Cup.”
It’s a plan Guardiola even referenced earlier this year in an interview with ESPN Brazil. “A national team. I would like to train a national team for a World Cup or a European Championship,” he said.
The obvious choice for Guardiola would be to take over the Spanish team, but in September 2018 he said that ‘is not going to happen’, presumably given his strong views as a Catalan national.
Guardiola has knocked back any questions about possibly taking over as England manager in the past but has repeatedly expressed his love of English football. “That is why it is unique,” he said in May 2023. “It’s so special. It’s why I am a long time here. I love it.”