Pep Guardiola's greatest Manchester City XI

10 illustrious years. 592 matches. 423 wins. 20 trophies. One Pep Guardiola.

The Catalan will leave the Etihad Stadium after a decade of dominance, but he will depart having left an indelible mark on Manchester City and English football.

Only Sir Alex Ferguson, with 13, has won more than Guardiola’s six league titles. No other manager has won four consecutive league titles, nor win four League Cups in a row.

There was the Centurions of 2017/18, and a domestic hat-trick in 2019. For years it seemed the holy grail, the UEFA Champions League, would elude him but he finally steered City to continental glory in 2023 as they completed the coveted Treble.

Trusted liutenants in the early years of his tenure departed, new players arrived and yet Guardiola's ability to hoover up silverware remained.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has consistently reiterated how fortunate he is to have worked with such a vast array of exceptional players, which is why picking his greatest Manchester City XI is quite tough.

Be warned: there are some notable omissions.

GK: Ederson

The goalkeeper position was one of few areas on the pitch that needed little discussion.

Ederson was a transformative addition, not only to Manchester City but to the Premier League. His remarkable passing range and composure in possession redefined the expectations of a goalkeeper in England's top-flight, and Ederson was a fundamental cog in Guardiola's build-up play.

Signed from Benfica for £35m, he spent nine seasons under Guardiola, winning the Premier League Golden Glove on three occasions and being named the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper in 2023.

RB: Kyle Walker

The first major piece of Guardiola's tactical jigsaw, Walker provided the physical intensity, raw speed and tactical flexibility to fulfil the Catalan's high-intensity system.

Signed from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017 for an eye-watering fee as far as full-backs were concerned, Walker repaid the significant investment and more as he played a pivotal role in City's all-conquering Centurions and their Treble-winning side.

CB: John Stones

2026 will not only mark the departure of Guardiola but also John Stones, who has thrived under the tutelage of Man City boss.

Whilst Stones has predominantly operated as a central defender under Guardiola, it was his performances as an 'inverted centre-back' during the Treble season where the Barnsley Beckenbauer earned great acclaim, stepping into a midfield pivot whilst in possession and providing City with greater authority on the ball.

Were it not for recurring injury issues, there would be no hesitation in regarding Stones as one of the club's greatest ever defenders.

CB: Ruben Dias

The cornerstone of the Man City team that win the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in 2023, Ruben Dias' impact at the Etihad Stadium was instantaneous.

Purchased from Benfica in a deal worth an initial £62m in September 2020, Dias immediately acclimatised to the Premier League and established himself as a formidable defensive force.

Boasting a 73.8% Premier League win percentage, when Dias is fit and available, City have tended to triumph.

LB: Joao Cancelo

The left-back position had been a conundrum for Guardiola during his opening three years at the Etihad, and then Joao Cancelo came along.

Encountering a tough first year in Manchester, the Portuguese defender flourished into one of the world's best left-backs as he immersed himself in another revolutionary Guardiola role, the 'false full-back'.

Fulfilling his traditional duties as a defender, Cancelo's vision and incisiveness saw him become a key creator in Man City's attack,

CDM: Rodri

Manchester City's first Ballon d'Or winner.

Rodri took some time to find his feet at City following a £62.6m switch from Atletico Madrid, but once he'd absorbed Guardiola's demands, he evolved into an indomitable force.

The midfield lynchpin would break up forays and dictate the tempo with mesmerising ease. He was the driving force for both club and country; it's a shame an ACL injury robbed us of witnessing Rodri operate at his peak level for many more years.

CM: Bernardo Silva

459 appearances across nine seasons tells you everything you need to know about Guardiola's trust in Bernardo Silva.

There's an argument that Silva, even in the midst of his namesake David Silva, was the most important player in the Guardiola era.

Able to perform to a world-class level across multiple roles and duties, B. Silva has been at the forefront of City's dominance over the last decade with his bewitching technical ability and tenacious mentality.

CM: Kevin De Bruyne

One of the greatest midfielders of the Premier League era, there's no dispusting Kevin De Bruyne's inclusion in this XI.

Currently holding the record alongside Thierry Henry and Bruno Fernandes for most assists in a single Premier League season, De Bruyne could unearth a pocket of space in a crowded room and split an entire defence with one piercing pass.

His wizardry was often beyond comprehension and his return of 92 goals and 164 assists only scratch the surface of the Belgian's influence on matches.

RW: Riyad Mahrez

We've overlooked some big players here to stick true to positioning but Riyad Mahrez is more than worthy of his mention within Guardiola's pool of greatest Man City players.

Following his title-winning exploits with Leicester City, Mahrez continued to wreak havoc on the Premier League under Guardiola with his creativity, composure and craft.

He was imperative to Man City's Treble quest, creating the most chances of any player in the UEFA Champions League in the 2022/23 season, and only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min bettered his return of 78 goals and 59 assists during his five-year spell with the club.

LW: Raheem Sterling

One of football's many mysteries is the decline of Raheem Sterling, especially when you remember how frighteningly good he was during the 100-point season and the domestic treble of 2018/19.

Sterling was directly involved in 46 goals in the latter, but it was the consistency of his productivity that was remarkable above all else. The winger hit double figures in every one of his six seasons at the Etihad; only Sergio Aguero and Erling Haaland have scored more goals for Guardiola at Man City.

He was guilty of the odd spurned chance - who could forget that miss against Lyon in the 2020 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals - but under Guardiola's tutelage, Sterling developed into one of the most lethal forwards on the continent.

ST: Erling Haaland

It was a toss up between the Norwegian brute or the predatory Argentine, and I've sided with the former.

Erling Haaland's scored 38 more goals and registered six more assists in just 16 more appearances than Sergio Aguero managed under Guardiola's supervision.

Breaking goal records from the minute he returned to England following a £51m move from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland will go down as one of Guardiola's greatest purchases.