Manchester City are set to hire Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain as their new sporting director.
Viana’s arrival at City could be announced as early as next week, after The Athletic reported that Begiristain is expected to leave the Premier League club at the end of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday.
Begiristain, who has been a pivotal figure in City’s success since his arrival in 2012, had initially planned to step back when he turned 55 but was so invested in the club’s project and working alongside manager and friend Pep Guardiola that he extended that to his 60th birthday.
Begiristain’s departure was fully supported by the club’s hierarchy and he will oversee a six-month handover period.
The Athletic has contacted Sporting and Viana for comment.
Since Viana joined in 2018, Sporting have proved effective operators in the transfer market, with Bruno Fernandes, Manuel Ugarte and Pedro Porro among those to leave for significantly higher fees than they were purchased for. Viktor Gyokeres, Ousmane Diomande and Morten Hjulmand are among those who star in the current team.
Head coach Ruben Amorim arrived at Sporting two years after Viana and guided the Lisbon club to their first Primeira Liga title in 19 years in 2021. They also won the league again last term.
Viana’s playing career saw him play for clubs such as Newcastle United, Valencia and Braga, having come through the ranks at Sporting. Having retired aged 33 in 2014, he decided to move into executive management, becoming the director of football at Portuguese side Belenenses in 2017 before leaving the post six months later.
Begiristain, who played a crucial role in luring his close friend Guardiola to Manchester, leaves a lasting legacy.
He joined the City in 2012 in a move that saw him reunite with CEO Ferran Soriano, who he previously worked with at Barcelona.
After taking over at City in 2016, Guardiola underlined Begiristain’s importance in bringing him to the club: “If Txiki worked for Chelsea, I would probably have called Chelsea,” he said.
Begiristain and Guardiola’s relationship traces back to their playing days at Barcelona. Begiristain, who was Barcelona’s technical director between 2003 and 2010, was instrumental in giving Guardiola his first opportunity in management.
City face Sporting in Lisbon in the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase on November 5.
(Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
