**During his time at [Manchester City](https://mancitynews.com/), Pep Guardiola became one of the greatest [Premier League](https://essential.football/premier-league-free-agents/) managers of all time. With six league titles, three FA Cups and a treble to his name, this much cannot be denied.**
With his departure confirmed, the Premier League now must say a heartfelt goodbye to the legendary Spaniard. But who has been part of Guardiola’s best XI during his ten-year stint at the Etihad Stadium?
It probably doesn’t need to be said, but we’ll only be looking at players’ performances from 2016 to 2026 for this XI. As such, the likes of Joe Hart, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho will not make the final cut, despite being excellent players for the Sky Blues prior to Guardiola’s arrival.
This one is a no-brainer. Guardiola saw many ‘keepers come and go during his time with City, but none of them were as long-lasting – nor as successful – as Ederson was.
Ederson was Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper in each and every one of his title-winning campaigns – the Brazilian is an assured shoo-in for a list such as this.
Kyle Walker is well past his best now, but one would be remiss to forget just how good he was during his heyday with the Sky Blues.
Lighting-quick, physically dominant and possessing excellent attacking acumen (don’t let his modest goals tally fool you), many believe that Walker is the greatest right-back in Premier League history.
Before Ruben Dias joined City, Guardiola’s men were often categorised as a ‘soft touch’ at the back. Following his arrival, this tag was quickly shed.
The Portuguese icon proved to be an absolute monolith at the heart of City’s defence, being a key contributor towwards their treble-winning campaign in 2022/23.
Remember what we just said about City being a ‘soft touch’ in defence? Well, John Stones was at the heart of this criticism – however, he swiftly became a rock-solid centre-back under Guardiola’s tutelage.
Once dismissed as a liability, Stones eventually blended his excellent technical ability with genuine defensive acumen. Nowadays, he is widely regarded as one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League era.