A new era awaits at Manchester City, which will take time to get used to | OneFootball

Yesterday, the end of an era arrived at Manchester City. Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones all said goodbye at the Etihad Stadium after City fell to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa to end the 2025-26 season. The match itself wasn’t important. Yesterday was all about seeing a host of City legends say goodbye. The fact that Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan got their moment as well symbolized the end of the Pep Guardiola era at City. It will take time for that reality to set in, but it is upon us perhaps quicker than expected.

It feels surreal that the Pep Guardiola era has come to an end at Manchester City.

Yesterday marked the end of an era at Manchester City. To see Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ederson all say goodbye one after another was fitting, with Fernandinho there to see off his manager and great teammates. Guardiola has led City to an unprecedented level of dominance in English football. Outside of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, and Kyle Walker, those five players represent the Guardiola era. Each left their mark in their own way and helped bring Pep Guardiola’s ruthless vision for City to life.

Once yesterday’s post match festivities were complete the reality was that Pep Guardiola’s time at City had ended. The Pep Guardiola Stand will be a constant reminder of what Manchester City achieved over the past decade. As will the series of mosaics and statues that are at the CFA and surround the Etihad. But those fitting tributes also represent the end of a golden era at the club. Writing that sentence hasn’t sunk in. Nor has the prospect of seeing Manchester play without Pep Guardiola prowling the touchline. It is a surreal feeling to contemplate that reality. But that is the reality City are facing, one that will become even more clear after today’s parade and party at Co-op Live.

What comes next will be a ride for City, as a new era is filled with excitement.

For the first time in a decade, a new era awaits at Manchester City. Players have come and gone under Pep Guardiola but he was always there. Now he is not. A future awaits City without the one of the greatest managers football has ever seen.

That is an exciting prospect to ponder, especially with the current City squad. This squad is filled with players like Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Josko Gvardiol, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Phil Foden entering or in their prime, and players like Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly and Vitor Reis, to name a few, with their best years ahead. The foundation on the pitch is strong at Manchester City. A new manager will have a squad full of tools to unleash and mold. These City players are embedded in the Pep Guardiola way, so that is an exciting prospect to ponder for next season and beyond.

It still hasn’t sunk in that Pep Guardiola’s era has ended at Manchester City. It will likely take time for that to do so. A new era awaits after seeing some of the best football ever played in England reside at the Etihad for over a decade. That is the reality of what unfolded yesterday as the symbolism of what yesterday meant has only just begun to hit home.