In 2017, Pep Guardiola was quizzed about his thoughts on managing England one day.
Journalist Guillem Balague revealed that Guardiola has always had a set plan in place about his future; taking a sabbatical after leaving Manchester City and then managing a national team — which he felt would be the Three Lions.
After losing 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Gareth Southgate has decided to leave his post as England boss after eight years.
There were questions over whether Southgate would continue in his role for the 2026 World Cup.
However, the 53-year-old has swiftly made his mind up — with Alan Pardew urging the FA (Football Association) to appoint Pep Guardiola even before the former Middlesbrough boss had made his decision.
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Pep Guardiola shared his thoughts on becoming England manager in 2017
The £378,846-a-week man would be the greatest-ever appointment that England could make.
Guardiola is arguably the best manager in the world and his style of play seems to have become the tactical zeitgeist — whether it is at club or international level.
The Catalan’s footballing principles of building a possession-based team possessing several technical players and controlling games would suit the Three Lions squad — featuring intelligent technicians like Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer to name a few.
However, when asked in 2017 about whether he would be interested in the England job one, Pep Guardiola ruled out the option.
Guardiola was quoted by The Independent saying: “No.”
“Always, I believe in the English people has to be manager for the national team, the Brazilian people has to be manager for the Brazilian team.”
It will be interesting to see if Pep Guardiola ever changes his mind
Even down the line, it would seem unlikely if England passed up on the opportunity to appoint Pep Guardiola if he was on the market.
With how technically gifted this English squad is, Guardiola would seemingly find it relatively straightforward to pass down his ideas to them.
Furthermore, the chance to take England to the top is a prospect that would appeal to several managers across the globe.
Considering the Three Lions have quite a young team who will only improve with time as well as their recent experience of going far in tournaments, there are plenty of factors at play that should appeal to Guardiola in theory.
But only time will tell if the Manchester City boss will have a change of heart about the England job.
The FA will likely have to assess different alternatives to Pep Guardiola to replace Gareth Southgate.
