The 2025–26 Premier League season ended with a rare sense of closure. In the same weekend, Pep Guardiola managed his final Manchester City match and Mohamed Salah played his last game for Liverpool. For more than a decade, both men shaped the league’s most intense title race and helped push English football to a higher level.
Guardiola’s exit closes a run that changed how City played, won, and dominated. Salah’s departure ends one of the most productive attacking spells the Premier League has ever seen. Together, their exits mark a clear turning point for the competition.
Guardiola’s City Chapter Comes to an End
After arriving in 2016, Guardiola spent ten seasons turning Manchester City into a relentless, trophy-winning machine. His final match brought his total to 593 games in charge, and his time at the club ended with another major haul of silverware already secured earlier in the season.
City also honored him in a lasting way by renaming the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium the Pep Guardiola Stand. It was a fitting gesture for a manager whose influence reached far beyond results.
What His City Record Stands For
- 593 matches: the full body of his City management career.
- 17 major trophies: a run that included the 2023 UEFA Champions League.
- 100 points: the famous 2017–18 league campaign that redefined excellence.
- Next step: a break from day-to-day management while staying linked to the City Football Group.
His impact was not only about winning. Guardiola made positional play mainstream in England, pushed fullbacks into new roles, and made pressing feel like a permanent requirement rather than a tactical choice. Many teams copied pieces of his model, even if few could reproduce it fully.
“There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it is my time,” Guardiola said in farewell. “Nothing is eternal… Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.”
Who Might Follow Him at the Etihad?
With the job suddenly open, Enzo Maresca has quickly emerged as a name to watch. The former Chelsea manager fits the modern profile City often favors, though any replacement will face enormous expectations from the start.
Guardiola is expected to step back from coaching for a while, but his link to the club will remain through his ambassador role. That means his departure is less a clean break than the start of a new phase in the relationship.
Salah Ends a Liverpool Career Built on Big Moments
At Anfield, the goodbye was just as emotional. Mohamed Salah ended his Liverpool spell after nine years, leaving the club as one of its greatest modern players. He signed off with a strong performance against Brentford and received a guard of honor from teammates and supporters.
Since arriving from AS Roma in 2017, Salah became a constant threat in front of goal. His first season was historic, as he scored 32 league goals in a 38-game campaign and set a standard that never looked attainable at the time.
Salah’s Liverpool Numbers
- 255 goals: his total for the club.
- 435 appearances: a long stretch of consistent availability and production.
- Third place all time: on Liverpool’s scoring chart.
- 4 Golden Boots: proof of his long-term finishing power.
He thrived under Jürgen Klopp and continued to matter under Arne Slot, delivering goals when Liverpool needed them most. Pace, composure, and repeated clutch finishing made him one of the most reliable forwards of his era.
“It is very tough to leave a place like this,” Salah said after the match.
A Rivalry That Raised the Standard
The departures of Guardiola and Salah do more than end two careers at elite clubs. They also close the book on the defining Manchester City-Liverpool rivalry of the late 2010s and early 2020s. For years, those two teams drove each other to extremes, often forcing title contenders to reach the 90-point mark just to stay in the race.
With Arsenal taking the 2025–26 Premier League title, the league now enters a different era. New managers, new stars, and new rivalries will emerge, but the long duel between City and Liverpool has left a standard that will be difficult to match.