Five backroom staff depart as Guardiola era ends at Man City

Estiarte: The role nobody else does

Of the five departures, none of the roles is more significant — or harder to define — than that of Estiarte.

His official title has been Head of Player Support and Protocol, but that description did little to capture what he actually did. In practice, Estiarte operated as Guardiola’s most trusted confidant: a sounding board, a mediator, a protector of the squad environment and, in the words of Guardiola himself, someone who helped him “understand sport by seeing it from above.”

“Manel has helped me to understand that when I was going to make decisions about players of a very high level, he would say to me ‘no, stop, not like that,’” Guardiola has said.

“Like in life, there are things that you have to treat differently, and he, with that, has helped me a lot.”

Born in Manresa, near Barcelona, in 1961, Estiarte is widely considered one of the two greatest water polo players of all time (the other being Hungarian Dezső Gyarmati). He represented Spain for 23 years, making 580 appearances and scoring 1,561 goals.

He competed at six consecutive Olympic Games from Moscow 1980 to Sydney 2000, and holds the record for most goals scored in Olympic water polo history, with 127.

His friendship with Guardiola began on the final day of the 1991/92 La Liga season, when Estiarte – a passionate Barcelona supporter – went to congratulate the players after they won the title. The duo walked together at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and grew close over the years.

When Guardiola was appointed Barcelona manager in 2008, he asked Estiarte to join him. He has been at his side ever since – through three clubs, nine league titles, three Champions Leagues and 20 trophies.

What Estiarte provided was not tactical input, nor fitness insight. It was something closer to what a sports psychologist or life coach might offer — except that he is also a friend, which made him trusted in a way a formal appointment may not have been. 

Who stays?

James French remains at the club as Set Piece Coach. He joined City last summer alongside Lijnders, having spent 13 years at Liverpool as Opposition Analyst under both Klopp and Arne Slot.

French’s arrival last summer filled a gap that had existed since Nicolas Jover’s departure to Arsenal in July 2021. Carlos Vicens had taken on set-piece responsibility in the interim, although his title was Assistant.

However, Vicens himself left to become Head Coach of Braga in the summer of 2024.

French now provides continuity in a backroom that will be reshaped if Enzo Maresca — expected to be confirmed soon — comes to the club with his own staff.

In his final press conference, Guardiola was asked about what he expects from whoever takes over.

“The new manager cannot be a copy and paste,” he said. “When the club tell me who it is, of course I will call him. I will tell him, ‘Be yourself, and the club will support you unconditionally.’”