Man City Waves Goodbye to Key Executive as Fresh Era Dawns
Manchester City have officially confirmed the exit of veteran sporting director Txiki Begiristain, signaling another milestone in the club's evolving era.
Begiristain, the ex-Barcelona player and administrator, arrived at Man City in 2012 and played a pivotal role in over ten years of triumph for Manchester's blue side.
During Begiristain's tenure, Man City secured seven Premier League crowns, two FA Cups and the Champions League—totaling 21 major honors across 13 seasons, while also bringing in Pep Guardiola and iconic talents such as Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and İlkay Gündoğan, leading the club to hail the Spaniard as among football's "most accomplished sporting directors."
His exit was first announced in October 2024, with Man City simultaneously revealing that Hugo Viana had been selected as Begiristain's replacement.
Viana, who knows the Premier League from his time as a Newcastle United midfielder, began collaborating with Begiristain in April and now assumes complete responsibility as the new campaign approaches.
Together, they supervised six new acquisitions during June and July for approximately £150 million ($198.5 million), with £27 million ($35.7 million) keeper James Trafford being the final addition. Whether completing the handover at this stage of summer indicates supporters shouldn't anticipate additional new signings before the Sept. 1 deadline remains unclear.
Viana assumes control with credentials as one of Europe's most promising young football administrators. The 42-year-old served seven years as sporting director at Sporting CP, the organization he initially joined at 15 and launched his professional journey. In Lisbon, Viana orchestrated Ruben Amorim's appointment in 2020 and collaborated with the current Manchester United manager in constructing Sporting's first Primeira Liga champions since 2001–02—predating even Cristiano Ronaldo's first-team emergence.
Sporting claimed Portuguese titles again in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Viana's most significant transfer achievement was securing Viktor Gyökeres in 2023, acquiring the Swedish striker from England's EFL Championship. Following Viana's departure to Manchester, Sporting successfully arranged a lucrative agreement with Arsenal to triple their original investment.