Pep Guardiola has reiterated his desire to take a break from football when he leaves Manchester City, but now he has offered a hint as to what his next job could look like.
Guardiola, who joined City in 2016, is out of contract next summer but has remained calm on his future. Last week, he declared that he wants to stay 'forever' and would be willing to sign a 10-year contract at the Etihad. He made the remarks in response to reports that he was being lined up to be a future Brazil manager.
He has also been linked with the Argentina job, and that possibility was put to him in an interview with AS Argentina, to which he confirmed his intentions to take a national team role in future after leaving City.
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However, when previously asked about his future past 2023, Guardiola has remained calm and insisted he will talk with City when the time is right. He has a good, open relationship with the club, and has also said he intends to take a break from football whenever he does leave City.
He repeated that decision to AS, adding his national team ambitions, saying: “One day I would like to be the coach of a national team, but I would not like to choose it immediately. I need to rest for a while."
That means a reunion with Lionel Messi looks off the cards, but Guardiola was full of praise for his former Barcelona star.
“Messi means everything in my career," Guardiola said. "I felt what Phil Jackson could feel with Michael Jordan because I had Leo Messi. I owe Messi everything. Everything, everything everything. He made me more competitive.
"We had an impressive group of players, there were a lot of stars who created a unique chemistry between them. Without him, we too would have won. But how much? Impossible. I owe him a bottle of wine to thank him for all the contracts he made me sign."
