After 13 years, Txiki Begiristain’s time as Manchester City’s Director of Football has come to an end.
The 61-year-old officially left his post at the end of July after helping the Manchester club win every trophy possible throughout his reign, with his biggest achievement being Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2016.
City have replaced the Spaniard with Hugo Viana, who has been working alongside Begiristain since last October, but is now the full-time Director of Football at the Manchester club after being helped with the transition.
It has been a busy summer for Viana, and after watching him up close for months, Begiristain has now shared what has impressed him most about the Portuguese director.
Txiki Begiristain and Pep Guardiola with the Champions League trophy.
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Txiki Begiristain was impressed with Hugo Viana’s decision-making
Viana has been one of the stars of the summer at Man City as the new Director of Football helped trim Guardiola’s squad, while also bringing in seven new faces, with Tijjani Reijnders being the most impressive of the group so far.
Rayan Cherki is a player who personally excites Viana, as the French midfielder was a star City had to move fast for after missing out on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool.
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Begiristain has been speaking about his successor in a new Man City documentary, and the Spaniard has said that Viana’s decision-making skills impressed him most during their time working together.
“Good guy, also calm. I can see, you know, that a young, energetic sporting director comes in and he is not scared about taking decisions,” Begiristain said about Viana on Man City’s latest documentary A Farewell to Txiki.
Viana represents the start of something new at Man City, as several changes have taken place at the club recently.
The biggest decision the Portuguese director will have to make will arrive on his doorstep soon, as the 42-year-old has the unenviable task of having to replace Guardiola ahead of his exit in 2027.
Hugo Viana at a Manchester City game.
Photo by Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Ferran Soriano says Hugo Viana has been the perfect fit
In addition to Begiristain, Man City’s CEO Ferran Soriano has also been impressed with the work Viana has done at the Premier League club already, with the Spaniard stating that the Portuguese director has fitted seamlessly into the club.
“He’s decisive? Yes. He gets along well with people? Yes. He’s calm? Extremely calm. Well, maybe we have the new Txiki,” Soriano said.
“His integration with the group has been seamless. He’s one of us, and I think that’s the perfect outcome.”
Everyone at Man City seems to be happy with the work Viana is doing, and that is very important, as the Portuguese director is the man who will lead the Premier League giants into a new era once Guardiola is gone.