Pep Guardiola has one final question that Man City’s 115 players may answer for him.

Man City enters the new season with doubt surrounding Pep Guardiola’s future, and this might be his final season in charge at the Etihad.

When Pep Guardiola was playing for Barcelona in the 1990s, he would often get up early, sneak downstairs, and turn on the television. He wanted to watch Michael Jordan perform because he knew he’d never see anything like it again.

“I had the feeling that I would never see this kind of charisma, this competitor, and this level of skill all in one person to win so many championships,” Guardiola said earlier this year.

“Athletes such as Tiger Woods, [Rafael] Nadal, [Roger] Federer, and [Novak] Djokovic all have the same package. You never know when you’ll see it again, so I don’t want to miss it. I’m there when Tiger plays, whether it’s 18 holes or four days; I don’t miss a stroke because I don’t think I’ll see it again.

Guardiola undoubtedly watched the legendary The Last Dance documentary during lockdown, which chronicles Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ rise in the 1990s, culminating in Jordan’s final season in 1997/98, when that great team went out on a high as NBA champions.

Guardiola idolised Jordan, but he didn’t compare himself to the motivated great. Guardiola has always been more of a facilitator than a star, even as a player. In his coaching career, he is no different, thus the Catalan considers himself more of a Phil Jackson, the legendary Bulls coach, than a Jordan. They are related because they have a superstar to help shape their careers.

“Messi is everything to my career. “He made me more competitive than my parents did,” Guardiola stated. “We’ve won a lot, and we would have won even without him, but how many titles did we win with Messi? Impossible.

“I simply compare Messi with Michael Jordan. With Messi, I felt the same way Phil Jackson did with Michael Jordan. Jordan won six NBA titles, and I won several medals with Messi. “I always say that Messi has made us all better.”

Guardiola has not always had Messi. In Manchester, he has solidified his reputation as the best coach of his generation, if not the greatest of all time, by breaking record after record with Manchester City. It is strange to reflect back on his first

season and witness the criticism and questions, as well as the allegations that he would never be able to play in England. Now, nine years later, he hasn’t simply ‘understood’ English football; he has changed it, possibly permanently.

But, is this the end? Is this the last dance? Guardiola has a year left on his contract, and there is no sign of an extension. He is as difficult to read as ever, but the widespread consensus is that he will ride off into the sunset in the summer of 2025, capping a nine-year reign that will never be forgotten and most likely never be surpassed.

It has felt like the end is near since December 2023, when City conquered the planet. Winning the Club World Cup seemed like a formality to most onlookers and failed to capture the interest at home, but it was a big goal for Guardiola and his team. They finished the job with minimal fuss.

Then, in the depths of the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, Guardiola began to speak like a guy nearing the end of his career for the first time since taking the position.

“I would like to say we had the feeling we would close the chapter, we won all the titles, there’s nothing else to win, I had a feeling the job was done, it was over,” stated the coach.

Guardiola did state that he now wanted to “buy another book and start to write it again,” but for a man who had spent seven-and-a-half years building up to that point, the prospect of starting over would have seemed daunting.

That victory in Jeddah reenergized City, driving a push to a fourth consecutive title at the end of last season, when the question of the 53-year-old’s future was broached once more. Guardiola was less definitive this time, admitting: “The reality is I’m closer to leaving than staying.”

That much is evident, and while he has hinted that he will speak with the club this season to assess how his players respond to him, another extension is doubtful as the season begins. However, there is a very large elephant in the room. The Premier League’s case against City is likely to be heard this season, with a decision expected before the end of the season. Could this affect Guardiola’s thinking?

It is absolutely feasible, but the number of variables makes it tough to make a call. If City is cleared, as club administrators expect and have assured Guardiola they will be, then perhaps he will see it as the perfect time.

When questioned about his future if City were found guilty in May, he replied, “I will answer when I receive the sentence. You’re questioning as if we’ve been punished. And we are innocent until guilt is proven. I know people want it. I understand; I feel it. I’ll wait. Wait and watch, and after the sentence is completed, we will come here and explain it.

“But I will not evaluate my future if it is determined by whether I am in the Premier League or League One. Absolutely. There is a better chance of staying if we are in League One than in the Champions League.”