Chairman, welcome. Thank you again for sparing us this time in your busy schedule. It's never a dull year, is it, with City? Never a dull season. And probably the only place we can start is Pep Guardiola. We've said goodbye to him now. What's the overriding feeling of his tenure and his departure?
For us to have a manager stay for 10 years, particularly in the modern game, in modern football, that's exceptional. That is absolutely exceptional. It's exceptional for the club, exceptional for obviously everybody associated with the team, the players, the entire organization, and of course exceptional for the manager himself to maintain that level of commitment. So I think when I look back, it was a period that I think all City fans will always cherish and remember with joy and tremendous memories.
I mean, it's fair to say, isn't it, that he's become a friend as well as a manager and an employee. Can you give us an insight into your personal connection that you can talk about freely?
Yes, I think I will say that he's more than just the manager of the club to me. He's a friend. I mean, we are close friends. We've over these years become close friends. And I will say that, I don't know if he'll admit it, but I consider myself his psychiatrist. I had to help him over the years. Not in the good times. The good times is easy. It's always the challenging part. And inevitably over these last 10 years, we've had a lot of ups and some downs. And in the downs, he must have quit a hundred times over these 10 years, just so you know, just for the record. There's the story, as you all know, the boy that cries wolf. In the case of Pep, when he says 'I quit,' it doesn't mean he's quitting. You don't take it that serious. You have to manage him. He never thought he would stay more than four years, more than five years. So in his mind, even year four or five, it was always 'Okay, how much more time? How much more time?' And it had to be done in the correct way. And I would say I always had a very clear understanding with Pep because of that analogy of the boy that cried wolf. Whenever he quits or whenever he thinks it's time, I will always convince him to come back until the time where I know it's actually the real time, where it's actually the real moment that Pep decides actually it's time. There's the moments that are not real and he actually needs someone to bring him back. And there was always going to be one moment where it was going to be real, and we reached that. And I knew it, and that's why I didn't fight it. Throughout these years, I've always fought it and always brought him back because I knew that was always the answer. But in this particular one, I think he knew, and I knew that he knew, and that's why it was the right thing for him and it was the natural thing. And I will tell you, I did not fight this at all because I knew this was the time he actually meant it.
And we can say from your answer that he exceeded expectations, your expectations, City's expectations. But what is his legacy to English football?
He changed English football. I say that with the utmost humility. But I believe that you look at the way the league has evolved, the teams have evolved here in the Premier League over these 10 years, the way football is played in this league from 10 years ago to today. In my view, it's unquestionable his influence over the game, his influence over how football is being played, his influence on the tactics, his influence on the coaching. I mean, for me, it's unquestionable. He has left his thumbprint over this league. And I say it with humility, but also I think many, I'm sure pundits and experts in the game will probably agree with that. Very few managers will come in in football and change not just a team but an entire league or influence a change in an entire league. Very few. And Pep has done that here. There's no question about that in my mind. He got the perfect send-off after the game against Aston Villa. You know, getting 60,000 people to stay behind to acknowledge a manager is leaving, and it was some kind of emotional evening.
It was very emotional, very emotional, and he deserves that. But we have great fans. We have unbelievable fans. And to open that stand for the first time, to have the highest capacity ever at the... and to have it, was it all, you know, sometimes in life things just work out and they work out. Did we plan that Pep would leave this summer? Did we plan that the North Stand was going to finish and be opened for the last game of the season that happened to be his last game, and that that North Stand would be named after Pep on that day? I mean, come on.
I can tell you everything was perfectly planned two years ago. But sometimes in life these things just all kind of land in the right place. And that happens when you are genuine and when your heart is in the right place. And sometimes everything just falls into place. I think it all fell into place in the right time and it was, I think, beautiful because you had the stand and it was a phenomenal stand, gorgeous, and it's perfect. It's actually, you know, for that game, for that time, for him, and for that particular stand to be named the Pep Guardiola Stand and have his spirit stay here with us always. And to have 61,000 people there happy and with appreciation, sad of course, but also happy. I think it was beautiful. Really beautiful. I'm so happy the way it played out.
Well, let's get straight into that because you've hired three managers, all of them won the Premier League, which instantly puts pressure on the next man in. That there will be City fans sitting at home now concerned that the club's peaked, that there's only one direction it could possibly go after 20 trophies in 10 years. What would your message to those people be today?
We are far from peaked. 18 years. I look at where the club was in 2008 and then I look at every part of these last 18 years. You know, Roberto Mancini brought that first Premier League title to this club. We will never forget those moments. It was a great period then, first FA Cup in many, many years. And then Manuel came in, same thing, another Premier League title and more success. And then Pep came in and it was, you know, getting that mindset, that DNA of a winning club. And now this club is the way we all know it right now. We are used to, because it's in our DNA, winning. This is a club that is designed, built to win. And what Pep has given us has taken us to the next level. And I think we are so thankful for what he's helped build here.
You can't take that for granted.
No, no, of course not. Winning is hard. It's not easy. It's a lot of hard work. And it's a lot of hard work by a collective. Look at over these 18 years how many different generations of teams that we have been collectively putting together. Each one special. From that first group of the Agueros and the Tourés and the Silvas, to the next group of the Kevin De Bruynes and the Ilkay Gündoğans and the Bernardos, to this group of the Erlings and the Cherukis and the Fodens and the Khusanovs. And we continue. In every aspect, it's different because it's different players, but the success will come because I think we do a very good job in maintaining a winning mindset. And hence when you look at our records in English football over these last 18 years, I believe Manchester City is the most successful club in this country. I think top down, Sheikh Mansour, myself, and then the whole organization, we have a team. And that team is a winning team. And that team will continue. And there will be players and there will be coaches and there'll be executives. It's part of life, but we will keep going and we will continue to deliver.
So, we've waved goodbye to Pep, Chairman. The question on everyone's lips, who's next?
I think what I can say at the moment is we've gone through a very thoughtful and structured process. And the team is convinced, and I am convinced, rest assured, that we'll bring in the right manager for this club. Just be patient with us. Very soon we'll announce it and you will be very comfortable that we have selected and brought in the best manager possible for this club.
