What Was Pep Guardiola Really Worth to Manchester City?

I'm so excited.

It's that time of the year again.

The English Premier League is back, but this time there is a major character missing from this year's lineup.

Pep Guardiola might just be the most successful manager of the last 20 years.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, nobody has been more dominant in English football, and yes, he had enormous financial backing at Manchester City, but he still had to make it happen on the field.

Six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, and finally, in 2023, the Champions League as part of that historic treble for Man City.

And just like in any sport, winning makes for good business, because over those 10 years, Manchester City didn't just win, the club became bigger, more valuable, and more influential.

It attracted some of the world's best players and established itself at the very top of world football.

And City had the money and the ambition before Pep arrived, but how much of what Manchester City has become is because of Pep Guardiola? And now that he's gone, we're about to find out what happens without him.

Let's get into it, because if you wanna know what's really going on in sport, you gotta follow the money.

And now it's time.

It's time.

It's time for Moneyball.

Moneyball.

Are you familiar with the story of Moneyball?

Welcome to Moneyball: the Business of Sport.

This is the show for sports insiders and for fans that wanna know what is really going on in the game.

I'm your host, Scott Keenan, and if you like the show, please subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, as a Manchester United fan who has lived and worked in Manchester, it's been impossible to ignore the rise and rise of Manchester City since 2008 under new ownership, uh, and under Pep Guardiola for the last 10 years.

And now he's gone, what does it mean for the team that has won the most in the last decade than anybody else? Well, there aren't many better people placed to help me answer this question today than Ben Ransom from Sky Sports in the UK.

He is a good mate of mine, and he's based in the North there, where he's covered City closely for a very long time, including countless press conferences with the great man, live crosses, and one-on-one interviews with Pep Guardiola too.

Ben, a big welcome to Moneyball.