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Exhausted Guardiola decided to leave before 2012

Pep Guardiola was applauded during Friday's press conference © Getty Images

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Pep Guardiola delivered an emotional address to the Spanish media on Friday, explaining that he decided before Christmas that he would leave Barcelona at the end of the season.

Guardiola, speaking in front of several Barcelona players including Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, spoke of the heavy stress that four years in charge of such a European powerhouse brings.

Citing a need for rest, Guardiola revealed that he told the club's president in December that he would leave, but kept the news from the players until they fell out of contention for La Liga and the Champions League. As a result, assistant Tito Vilanova will take over.

"I want you to understand this is not a simple decision for me, but I'll try to explain what I feel," Guardiola said. "I'm sorry deeply for the confusion over the past few weeks. It was a mistake.

"I've always wanted short contracts because the demand at Barcelona is so big. I've lived that as a player at Barcelona. Four years is an eternity for a coach. I didn't want a contract that would not allow me to take the decision I wanted to take.

"At the beginning of the October, I told the president that I was seeing the end of my reign, but I couldn't tell the players at the time. Now, out of two competitions, it is time to announce it.

"It's been too long, that's my fault. The reason is simple: Four years. That is very tiring.

"The new coach will give things that I'm not able to give anymore. Four years of speaking to the media every three days, it gets to you. I have to recover and the only way I can do that is by distancing myself. Otherwise, we would have ended up damaging each other.

"Perhaps we wouldn't have suffered, but I believe we would. We've done too much together to risk it going wrong. I know I'm leaving the best club in the world, but it's time to go."

President Sandro Rosell commented: "Thank-you Pep for all the happiness you have brought us and for bringing a model of football that can never be questioned."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.