A last chance. A last handshake, a last hug, a last thanks. Hundreds who have come into regular contact with Pep Guardiola have attempted to have their moment during these final, somewhat fraught, few days as their messiah bows out.
The man who changed Manchester City forever. The mind who changed English football forever.
For a gaggle of supporters congregated at the gates of the training ground exceptionally early on Sunday morning, a chance of a last – or maybe first – photograph either side of a car window.
They waited at security of the northern entrance of the City Football Academy for the man whose apartment was already packed up to roll in. Guardiola only had beds left at home, all clothes and furniture loaded into removal vans and the place resembling a shell with a thousand memories, so perhaps it was little wonder that he arrived at work by mid-morning.
By 10am, the throng outside had dissipated but the Etihad Stadium’s footprint remained busy, just as it did all day and into bank holiday Monday. This has been a 48 hours where fans have lingered and lingered, not wanting to stray too far from scenes of Guardiola’s mastery. Staff the same.
The era is over, marked by the grandest of goodbyes.
This has been a 48 hours where fans have lingered and lingered, not wanting to stray too far from scenes of Guardiola’s mastery
City took over the trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester’s centre on Monday for a jamboree principally for Guardiola
Erling Haaland promised a better league campaign next season, saying: ‘The feeling is we could’ve done more but I think there is more to come’
Phil Foden kisses Bernardo Silva on the head, with the outgoing Portuguese captain having played his last game for the club against Villa on Sunday
City took over the trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester’s centre on Monday for a jamboree principally for Guardiola, scores drinking at popular haunts Northern Monk or Tariff and Dale in the hours before the goodbye parade that incorporated the WSL success secured by the women’s team – their first since 2016 – and an FA Youth Cup trophy too.
As more flocked to the area, with City’s squad convening at the Star & Garter, a pub renowned for its monthly disco nights in homage to The Smiths and temporarily renamed the Silva & Stones, Guardiola’s eldest daughter was posting the sort of emotional message online that read very much like a retirement letter. ‘Football was never just a sport,’ Maria wrote. ‘The happiest and saddest tears came from football. We blinked and it’s been 10 years.’
Retirement from club football, certainly. The plan is to have no more of that, although you wonder what happens when a sabbatical becomes something more permanent and Guardiola starts itching. If England come knocking? Then that is a different conversation entirely.
City’s four buses trundled along Great Ancoats Street, turning left on Pollard Street past sunbathers wearing not a huge amount on the patch of grass next to New Islington tram stop. They’d been there all day and must have wondered what the fuss was about. Supporters ran alongside as the outgoing Bernardo Silva and John Stones sat taking it all in, both men falling to pieces during Sunday’s defeat by Aston Villa.
This was a moment for City, a moment for their passing legends, and never clearer than seeing Vincent Kompany and Jack Grealish stride on stage with silverware as every one of the 20 trophies won across the last decade was brought out, resembling a who’s who of Guardiola lore, among them: Txiki Begiristain, Ederson, Pep’s kids, Noel Gallagher, Fernandinho.
Guardiola, appearing overawed by the occasion and somebody of few words on stage – especially when Michael Jordan and Tommy Fleetwood left congratulatory messages – had sung Wonderwall as he arrived at the stadium for one last dance. Nineteen thousand were waiting for him inside the Co-op Live Arena for an after-party that will live long in the memory – and not necessarily for one blue moon suspended from the ceiling slowly deflating.
City want to regain the Premier League title and Guardiola believes they are best suited to doing that without him
Parades under Guardiola have become so regular as to lose some magic but this one in front of thousands of emotional wrecks will have hit differently in the blazing temperatures
Man City Women were also celebrating their first league win in a decade – and their Golden Boot winner Bunny Shaw also announced her four-year contract extension on stage
This was a moment for City, a moment for their passing legends, and never clearer than seeing Vincent Kompany and Jack Grealish stride on stage with silverware
Parades under Guardiola have become so regular as to lose some magic but this one in front of thousands of emotional wrecks will have hit differently in the blazing temperatures. Even Guardiola, the true great tanning man, was seen towelling his follically challenged top on an afternoon when the vino evidently did flow.
Even though the departure has been heavily signposted – Guardiola cementing that this was it after the March international break and publicly talking like a man drinking it in ever since – this has still crept up on fans, which likely heightened an outpouring for a man who is the only one who can lay claim to rivalling Sir Alex Ferguson in the modern era. Of course, everybody here would nudge him in front of the Scot, who left the Catalan a voicemail to congratulate his longevity last week.
Up until last week, those following this football club believed that the 55-year-old would be here to stay, that he couldn’t bear to part with them. In a way, he looks like he cannot, although there has come an admission that they needed to move on from him. City want to regain the Premier League title and Guardiola believes they are best suited to doing that without him. Whether that is true remains to be seen.
‘He deserves his rest,’ Jeremy Doku said. ‘Let’s see next season, we want to win everything.’
Erling Haaland promised a better league campaign too, adding: ‘The feeling is we could’ve done more but I think there is more to come.’
‘We have to bottle this feeling up and use it next year,’ Marc Guehi offered.
Thoughts around that will focus internally over the coming days, when City attempt to wrap up a package for Enzo Maresca to succeed his former boss.
Tough gig. But it is with Guardiola’s blessing, the man of unparalleled magnetism who bowed out in a wave of pomp and celebration. No tears left to cry.
