- City Give Guardiola Forever Seat at the Etihad
Manchester City have announced that the newly expanded North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed The Pep Guardiola Stand, in a permanent tribute to the manager who transformed the club into one of the dominant forces in modern football.
The stand will open fully for the first time during Guardiola’s final match in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday, turning the Premier League fixture into both a farewell and a celebration of the most successful managerial reign in City’s history.
The decision, approved by club owner Sheikh Mansour, recognises Guardiola’s decade-long impact on Manchester City, both in terms of trophies and the identity he built around the club.
“I said a long time ago that Manchester City should have the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field. For ten years Pep has been the personification of that ambition,” Sheikh Mansour said.
“He has made an indelible imprint on the DNA of the Club. One that is borne more from how he won than from the many trophies he lifted.”
As part of the tribute, City will also commission a statue of Guardiola outside the newly named stand, creating a permanent landmark for supporters to honour the Catalan’s legacy.
The Pep Guardiola Stand forms part of the wider Etihad Stadium redevelopment project. Located at the end of Joe Mercer Way, the expanded structure will add more than 7,000 seats, taking the stadium’s capacity beyond 61,000.
The redevelopment also includes Medlock Square, a new fan zone, as well as a hotel, museum, retail outlets, office facilities, restaurants and bars. The project is intended to transform the Etihad campus into a year-round entertainment district, beyond matchday football.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the naming of the stand and the planned statue would ensure Guardiola’s influence remains permanently embedded in the club.
“The Pep Guardiola Stand, and the statue that will sit outside it, rightly ensure that Pep’s legacy will remain forever woven into the fabric of this football club, the city of Manchester and English football,” he said.
“The unique relationship that he has with our fans has been earned through the honesty and passion of his ten seasons fighting to bring them success.”
Chief executive Ferran Soriano said Sunday’s match would allow supporters to show their appreciation for a manager whose work changed the trajectory of the club.
Guardiola arrived at Manchester City in 2016 after successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Over the following decade, he reshaped City’s footballing identity, building teams defined by positional play, relentless pressing, technical control and tactical reinvention.
His reign delivered multiple domestic and international titles and established City as a benchmark for excellence in English and European football.
But his legacy extends beyond silverware. Guardiola changed how City played, how opponents prepared for them, and how English football thought about space, possession and control.
Sunday’s match against Aston Villa is therefore expected to carry deep emotion for City supporters. It will not simply mark the end of a managerial tenure, but the closing of an era in which Manchester City moved from ambition to dominance. With a stand and statue now bearing his name, Guardiola’s presence at the Etihad will outlast his final whistle.
The manager may be leaving the touchline, but City have ensured that his name remains part of the stadium, the club and the story of English football.
