Where Are They Now: Pep Guardiola's first Man City squad with last survivor John Stones set to leave
Manchester City’s first-ever season under the helm of Pep Guardiola would be the 2016/17 campaign, and that summer the club would go about shaping the squad to his liking, with one of the signings being John Stones.
Now, almost ten years on since signing for the club in which he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and three EFL Cups along with a Champions League and Club World Cup, it has been a spell filled with silverware for Stones.
The England international has announced he will leave the club, and with that none of Guardiola’s first Man City squad remain at the club.
Before he leaves the club, the England international could still add to his trophy cabinet, with City still in the Premier League title fight with Arsenal and facing Chelsea in the FA Cup final this season.
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Stones’ announcement could be followed shortly by Guardiola's, as his future remains in the air, and so at SPORTbible we thought we would look at the first squad assembled by the Catalan and see where they are now.
Claudio Bravo
The Chilean joined the club that summer along with Stones as Guardiola looked to build a squad able to play the brand of football synonymous with the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.
Claudio Bravo found it difficult at times during his career at City and would be replaced as first choice by Ederson the next season; however, he would remain at the club until 2020, when he would join Real Betis, where he would play his final season as a professional footballer.
Now, Bravo is working as a commentator for ESPN Chile and is involved with Eluno Campus as a coach for young footballers.
Willy Caballero
This would be Willy Caballero’s final season with Man City before he would opt to move to Premier League rivals Chelsea, where he would spend four seasons before joining Southampton for a further two campaigns.
His spell at Chelsea would be successful, as he would win a Europa League and Champions League, and since retiring he is now a coach.
It has been a post-retirement career full of silverware, as he won the Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea; however, following the departure of Enzo Maresca, the Argentine has also left the club.
Bacary Sagna
The former French international would depart the club at the end of this season to move to Italy to join Benevento in February 2018 before finishing his career at Montreal Impact, leaving at the end of the 2019 campaign.
Bacary Sagna has now moved into coaching and is now the head coach of Banaat FC, a women’s team in the United Arab Emirates.
Vincent Kompany
Manchester City’s iconic captain would leave the club at the end of the 2019 campaign to see out his career at Anderlecht, where he would play one further season.
Vincent Kompany would begin his managerial career at the Belgian club before being appointed Burnley boss, in which he would guide the Clarets back to the Premier League before being appointed Bayern Munich manager after the relegation of the English club back to the Championship.
Since then, he has gone on to rebuild Bayern into one of the most feared clubs in Europe, winning the Bundesliga on two occasions.
Pablo Zabaleta
The Argentine would leave Man City at the end of the campaign to join West Ham United, where he would spend the final three seasons of his career.
Pablo Zabaleta is another figure to move into coaching following his retirement, as he is now the assistant manager of Albania, and with this role he does punditry across England and Spain.
Aleksandar Kolarov
The former Serbian international would leave the club at the end of this campaign to join Roma, where he would spend three seasons before a move to Inter Milan to spend a further two years before retiring.
Aleksandar Kolarov would be appointed sporting director of Pisa in June 2013, but he would last only a month at the club.
Now, Kolarov has landed another job in football back at his former club, Inter Milan, where he is an assistant manager under Cristian Chivu.
Gael Clichy
The former French international would be another player to leave at the end of this campaign as Guardiola continued to shape a team he wanted to bring unparalleled success in the club’s history.
Gael Clichy would move to Turkey to join Istanbul Basaksehir, where he would win the league in 2020 before moving on to Servette in December 2021, and he would spend 18 months here before retiring.
Now, the former Arsenal star is a manager in Championnat National with Caen, with the club set to finish mid-table in his first campaign in this role.
John Stones
The England international is set to leave Man City at the end of this campaign, and where his future lies is unknown, and as he is set to turn 32 by the summer, it is expected he will continue his playing career for a few more seasons.
Stones will be hopeful of being included in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup, likely the last time he will have a chance at winning the competition for the Three Lions.
Nicolas Otamendi
The Argentine would be part of Guardiola’s side for four seasons before moving to Portugal to play for Benfica, where he remains at the age of 38.
Nicolas Otamendi has lifted the Portuguese top flight on one occasion since his move to Benfica; he was a key player in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, and he will be hoping to be part of only the third nation to win this competition consecutively after Italy and Brazil.
Fernando
The Brazilian would leave the club at the end of this first campaign under Guardiola to join Galatasaray, where he would spend two seasons.
Fernando would only retire from football at the end of last season after a year with Internacional in Brazil, at the age of 38.
Ilkay Gundogan
The German international is currently playing for Galatasaray and is set to win the Turkish league title this season after joining from Man City at the start of this campaign.
Ilkay Gundogan had left Man City in the summer of 2023 after winning the treble as captain of the club to join Barcelona; however, this spell in Spain would not be successful, and he would return to the Etihad for a season.
Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian would join Man City this summer for around £54.5 million in a deal that would look to be a steal after the career he had for the club and the impact he had during his spell.
Kevin De Bruyne would become one of the best midfielders to ever operate in the Premier League during his time under Guardiola, but he would take the decision to leave the club in the summer of 2025 to join the then Serie A champions Napoli, where he remains.
Fabian Delph
The former England international would remain at the club until the end of the 2019 campaign, operating as a versatile option for Guardiola as a midfielder and left-back.
He would join Everton, where he would spend three seasons at Goodison before taking the decision to retire from football, and since then he has worked as an ambassador for Manchester City as well as being a pundit.
David Silva
The former Spanish international would remain at Man City until the summer of 2020, when he would opt to join Real Sociedad on a free transfer, where he would spend three seasons before being forced to retire after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
David Silva has not ruled out a return to football in a coaching manner with the potential to become a manager; however, he has turned to the sport of Hyrox as a hobby.
Fernandinho
The Brazilian would prove to be a pivotal piece of Guardiola’s side until his decision to leave the club in the summer of 2022.
Fernandinho would then join Athletico Paranaense, the club where he began his career, spending two seasons at the club before retiring at the age of 39.
Since retiring, he has been working as a coach for Caioba, helping to inspire the next generation of footballers.
Yaya Toure
The Ivorian international would remain at Man City until the summer of 2018, where he would leave at the end of his contract to join Olympiacos, playing five matches before joining Chinese club Qingdao Huanghai for a season.
Since his retirement, Yaya Toure has been coaching, working with several clubs including Olimpik Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur and Standard Liege before becoming assistant manager of Saudi Arabia under Roberto Mancini until October 2024.
Raheem Sterling
The England international would have an incredible career at the Etihad, but since making the decision to leave the club in the summer of 2022, he would join Chelsea.
Raheem Sterling would be contracted to Chelsea until February 2026, when he would join Dutch club Feyenoord, as he attempts to revitalise his career after a bad spell in London with the Blues and during his loan spell with Arsenal.
Nolito
This would be the only season that the Spaniard would spend in England before he returned to Spain to join Sevilla, where he would feature for three campaigns.
Nolito would then join Celta Vigo, a club he would play at for two seasons before joining Ibiza for a campaign before announcing his retirement in the summer of 2023.
Most recently, he was the face of the footballing competition, the Ganafote Cup, in Spain this year.
Jesus Navas
The Spaniard would officially retire in December 2024 due to a chronic hip injury after eight seasons with Sevilla, post-Man City, where he only had four campaigns.
Jesus Navas was a vital piece of the Sevilla team that would combat in La Liga over the past few seasons against the threat of relegation.
The former Spanish international was the ambassador of the Copa del Rey this season.
Leroy Sane
The German international would remain at the English club until the summer of 2020 before joining Bayern Munich, where he would spend five seasons.
His former teammate, Kompany, would bid him farewell at the start of this season as he joined Galatasaray, where he linked up with Gundogan, and he is set to win the league this campaign.
Sergio Aguero
The Argentine would be a crucial player at Man City since his move to the English club in the summer of 2011 until the day he left in the summer of 2021.
Sergio Aguero would have Guardiola in tears after his final game for the club before he joined Barcelona, but the striker would only feature in four La Liga games for the Spanish side before being forced to retire due to health concerns.
At present he is the chairman of King's League Mexico, KRU FC, after joining the competition in November 2022.
Gabriel Jesus
The Brazilian striker would leave Man City to join Arsenal in the summer of 2022 to be part of Mikel Arteta’s side.
Gabriel Jesus has yet to experience success with the Gunners since his move but has the chance to be an important part of the squad this season as they attempt to deny Guardiola and Man City in the Premier League title race.
Topics: John Stones, Pep Guardiola, Premier League, Man City
Brendan McGilligan