Pep Guardiola will lead Manchester City out this Sunday at around 4pm for the 593rd and final time, ending a 10-year spell that brought the club 20 trophies. His first match in charge came on August 13, 2016, a 2-1 win over Sunderland on the opening day of the season, after which City finished third.
Guardiola went on to win six Premier League titles with City, though the club fell short of a seventh this season after finishing behind Arsenal. A decade on, only one player from that opening-day squad is still at the club, and even he is leaving this summer.
The starting line-up from Guardiola's first game
Goalkeeper Willy Caballero was picked ahead of long-serving Joe Hart that day but never established himself as a regular starter at City. After retiring, he became assistant to Enzo Maresca at Leicester, helping them win the Championship in 2024, then followed Maresca to Chelsea, where he added a Club World Cup win to his CV. With Maresca set to replace Guardiola at City, Caballero is expected to return to the club as assistant manager.
Full back Bacary Sagna left at the end of that first season after three years at the club, later playing for Benevento and Montreal Impact before retiring in 2019. He now lives in Dubai, does media work, runs a football app called Ladisfaction aimed at connecting grassroots players with clubs, and is an ambassador for the Dubai Sports Council. His son, Elias, plays for Al-Jazira in the UAE.
Centre back John Stones, signed for £50million, was the biggest fee ever paid for an English player at the time. He is the only player from that first matchday squad still at City and will leave as a free agent this summer after winning 20 trophies with the club and reaching two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final with England.
Aleksandar Kolarov, used at centre back that day despite being a left back by trade, left City after Guardiola's first season. He played for Roma and Inter Milan before retiring in 2022, had a brief spell as sporting director at Pisa, managed Serbia's Under-21s from 2024 to 2025, and is now assistant to Cristian Chivu at Inter Milan, where he has just helped the club win back the Serie A title. He is also an investor in the Bor Retail Park in Bor, Serbia.
Fellow full back Gael Clichy also departed after one season under Guardiola, later playing in Istanbul before retiring in 2023 following three years with Servette in Switzerland. He worked as assistant manager to Thierry Henry with France's Under-21s and Olympic team before taking his first senior job in 2025, managing Championnat National club Caen to an eighth-place finish.
Fernandinho, City's captain for his final two seasons at the club, made 383 appearances between 2013 and 2022, winning five league titles, six League Cups and the FA Cup. He later returned to former club Athletico Paranaense in Brazil before retiring in 2025. He told Daily Mail Sport last month: "Rumours are rumours. I'm starting to enjoy my life. So not planning coaching yet, not planning to go back to the UK yet. But you never know the future, what can happen. I'm so happy living here in Brazil with my family. We'll see next year, next season, what's happening."
David Silva, standing in as captain that day for the injured Vincent Kompany, played for City from 2010 to 2020, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups. He retired in 2023 after three years at Real Sociedad and now runs a vineyard, Bodegas Tameran, in Gran Canaria.
Raheem Sterling made 339 appearances for City, winning four league titles and the FA Cup, before leaving for Chelsea in 2022. After a difficult four years there, including a loan at Arsenal, his £325,000-a-week contract was terminated in February and he signed for Robin van Persie's Feyenoord. After just seven appearances he is expected to leave and become a free agent again this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne left City at the end of last season when the club did not renew his contract. He signed for Napoli, where he has made 20 appearances under Antonio Conte this season as the club finished second in Serie A, 13 points behind champions Inter Milan. Now 34 and troubled by a hamstring injury, he has a year left on his Napoli deal and is set to play at this summer's World Cup with Belgium.
Forward Nolito spent only one season at City, scoring six goals in 30 games before leaving because his family were unsettled in England. He returned to Spain with Sevilla and also played for Celta Vigo and Ibiza before retiring in 2023, and now works in youth coaching while building a media profile through podcasts in Spain.
Sergio Aguero scored 260 goals in 390 appearances for City before leaving for Barcelona in 2021, prompting Guardiola to cry on television and say, "we cannot replace him." Aguero retired three months after joining Barcelona on medical advice over a heart problem. He now works in punditry and media, and competed in a Formula E car in March against rivals including Brooklyn Beckham, with reports he is exploring starting his own Formula E team.
The substitutes from Guardiola's first game
Joe Hart, dropped by Guardiola because the manager wanted a goalkeeper more comfortable with the ball at his feet, is now a rising pundit for TNT Sports and Match of the Day. Guardiola has since said not giving Hart a chance was his one regret.
Pablo Zabaleta, part of City's first Premier League title win in 2012, left after one season under Guardiola and spent three years at West Ham before retiring. He has been assistant manager of Albania since 2023, though the side failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup.
Nicolas Otamendi stayed at City until 2020, winning three Premier League titles and the FA Cup, before joining Benfica. Now 38, he has made 281 appearances for the Portuguese club and is expected to represent Argentina at this summer's World Cup as they defend their title.
Fernando, who formed a defensive midfield pairing with Fernandinho, played 102 times for City before leaving a year into Guardiola's tenure. He retired in 2025 because of a knee injury and is working towards his coaching badges.
Fabian Delph joined City from Aston Villa in 2015 and made 89 appearances before moving to Everton, where he retired in 2022. He now makes occasional media appearances, including with City's own channels.
Two more from the wider squad
Winger Jesus Navas left City in 2017 and returned to Sevilla, where he went on to make 705 appearances before retiring last year. He remains an ambassador for the club, regularly attending training and media events.
Kelechi Iheanacho was 19 when Guardiola arrived and later found success at Leicester. Now 29, he plays for Celtic and had a significant say in this season's Scottish Premiership title race.