Former Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola has agreed to take over as head coach of the German powerhouse Bayern Munich at the conclusion of the season, according to The New York Times. This brings to an end months of wild guess and speculations about the final destination of the man who guided Barcelona into unprecedented success in world club history.

The world’s most sought-after soccer coach, he stock piled trophies as the coach of Spain’s Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, overseeing its evolution into one of the world’s elite teams.

Guardiola will replace Jupp Heynckes, who plans to retire. Guardiola’s contract will run through the summer of 2016. The appointment will end a yearlong sabbatical for Guardiola and present him with a weighty new challenge.

“Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in the world, and we are certain that he can give a lot of luster not only to Bayern but also to German football,” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chairman of Bayern Munich, told the club’s Web site.

Fans and pundits will be intrigued to see whether Guardiola can carry the team up one more step, to the pinnacle of world club soccer.

Guardiola stepped down from the position after the 2011-12 season, in which rival Real Madrid reclaimed the league title, and moved with his wife and young children to New York, far from the epicenter of international soccer. Under his successor, Tito Vilanova, Barcelona has continued to thrive, going unbeaten in 19 league games.

Even though Bayern Munich was long among his rumored destinations, his decision to coach there comes as a small surprise. He was always coy about his intentions, but he seemed to hint this week about a desire to coach in England, where teams like Chelsea and Manchester City were said to be interested.

“As a player, I couldn’t realize my dream to play there,” Guardiola said in an interview to mark the English Football Association’s 150th anniversary celebrations. “But I hope in the future, I have a challenge to be a coach or a manager there.”

But that dream — and the dreams of other clubs hoping to employ him — will have to wait.