After a decade in charge of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the 2025/26 season, closing one of the most successful eras in modern football.
Beyond the trophies and dominance on the pitch, Guardiola’s time at City also reshaped the club’s commercial strength, particularly in matchday revenue and transfer investment.
When Guardiola arrived for the 2016/17 season, Manchester City generated £51.8 million in matchday revenue, with an average Premier League attendance of 54,019 fans per game at the Etihad Stadium. Over the following seasons, matchday income climbed steadily to £56.6 million in 2017/18 and £58.2 million in 2018/19, despite attendance figures remaining relatively stable.
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted that growth. Matchday revenue fell to £41.6 million in 2019/20 before collapsing to just £732,000 in 2020/21 as matches were played largely behind closed doors.
City quickly recovered once fans returned to stadiums. Driven by continued success under Guardiola, the club generated £71.9 million in matchday revenue during the 2022/23 campaign across 31 home matches.
That level has remained consistent in recent years. Manchester City earned £75.6 million from matchday operations in 2023/24 and around £75 million again in 2024/25, while average attendance continued to hover above 53,000 spectators per match.
The figures underline how Guardiola’s success helped maximize the commercial value of City’s home games without major fluctuations in crowd size.
At the same time, Manchester City heavily backed Guardiola in the transfer market. According to Transfermarkt data, the club invested more than €2.05 billion in player signings during his 10-year tenure.
The biggest spending year came in 2017/18, when City spent approximately €317.5 million on reinforcements. Other major investment peaks arrived in 2023/24 (€259.6 million) and 2025/26 (€301.8 million).
The spending often correlated with immediate sporting success. Following the record investment of 2017/18, City won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. Interestingly, Guardiola’s lowest spending season — 2018/19, with €78.59 million invested — still produced four trophies, including the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield.
However, those achievements came after the club had already spent more than €530 million across the previous two seasons, highlighting the long-term impact of sustained investment.
The peak of Guardiola’s reign came in 2022/23. After several consecutive years of significant spending, City added another €155 million in transfers and went on to secure one of the greatest seasons in club history, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.