Manchester City bid an emotional farewell to Pep Guardiola with a star-studded tribute at the Co-op Live arena, drawing 23,500 fans a day after his final match in charge. The event followed a bus parade for the men's, women's and youth teams, with Noel Gallagher among the guests celebrating the Catalan's decade-long tenure.
The surprise of the evening came from City Women's striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw, who announced she would be staying with the club after signing a new four-year contract. The WSL's top scorer, with 21 goals in 22 games this season, declared she was "hungry" for more success, putting an end to speculation about her future.
Former players including Vincent Kompany and Txiki Begiristain carried trophies on stage, with Noel Gallagher bringing out the FIFA Club World Cup. All wore 'P for Pep' merchandise. Guardiola, dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt, took questions from players and watched video messages from Tommy Fleetwood, Neil Warnock and Michael Jordan.
Erling Haaland, Golden Boot winner with 27 goals, vowed to keep fighting for trophies, echoing the spirit of Guardiola's era. The evening closed with Gallagher conducting Guardiola's final interview, where the manager simply said: "Thank you so much."
