Manuel Pellegrini has explained why he is leaving Malaga at the end of the season: “I’m looking for a sporting project that allows me to feel fulfilled.”
The Chilean, who is strongly linked with the vacancy at Manchester City, has today told reporters that he will be leaving Malaga at the end of the season.
“Professionally I am living my last hours in Malaga. On Sunday I will direct my last game as Malaga Coach at La Rosaleda,” Pellegrini confirmed to reporters today.
“It will be very emotional and I hope to leave the club qualified for Europe with the mission accomplished and the misfortune of the project changed.
“The arrangement with the club has been rewarding and fulfilling. Everyone has a right to go their own way.
“I’m not in search of economic ambitions, but a sporting project that allows me to feel fulfilled.
“Here I can have a quality of life that I could not have had elsewhere.
“My attachment to the city will be lifelong. I thank the players and my coaching staff.”
The Coach was speaking at an event where he was awarded the Golden Shield for service to the Malaga province.
Pellegrini reflected on the past season’s achievements, which saw a debut Champions League campaign go from the preliminary rounds through to a last-gasp quarter-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
That run, coupled with regular positioning in the top six in La Liga through the season, came after an unsettling summer at La Rosaleda that saw the club’s owner withdraw funding without explanation.
“There was a change in the original project and maybe at a club like Malaga people thought we were going to leave the club.
“There was something that was essential to achieving our union, our impulse. We wanted to get into the Champions League proper. It is impossible to reflect my admiration through words. A constant acknowledgement.
“The reward of sporting glory is unmatched by anything else, even economically. Many did not believe that we could progress, and we have gone even higher.”
