Prince William was also on hand as Manchester City players and managers collected another FA Cup winners’ medal, joking about how familiar a sight it was. Josep Guardiola has now been at the club alongside John Stones throughout the Catalan’s 10 years as manager, winning three trophies along with five Carabao Cups and six Premier League titles. Prince William, who is chairman and patron of the FA, greeted the players before and after the 1-0 win over Chelsea. After the match, he poked fun at his highly successful manager, while also praising defender Stones as he prepares to leave the Etihad Stadium.
“One more thing, hey!” the royal added with a smile. “Congratulations, Pep, well done.” He then turned to Stones and told the England centre-back: “Well done, another one.” Stones and teammate Bernardo Silva lifted the trophy together, with both players set to move on this summer. Silva started the match as captain, while his colleague was an unused substitute as he prepares to bring an end to an injury-hit season.
Stones and Silva, both 31, are the only players on City’s record to have won every trophy under Guardiola. They joined in 2016 and 2017 respectively, but will leave when their contracts expire at the end of June.
Guardiola himself has another 12 months left on his contract, but his future is also in question and this could be his last appearance at Wembley. When TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods asked the 55-year-old about rumors regarding his future, the City manager asked: “What rumors are there?” The interview ended immediately after that.
Victory in the FA Cup gave Guardiola his 20th trophy as City manager. If the team can close the two-point gap with league leaders Arsenal with two games left, there is still a chance they can add their 21st goal this season.
His team lost to Crystal Palace at Wembley 12 months ago, but there was no mistake on Saturday. Antoine Semenyo’s second-half goal was all they needed to fend off Chelsea’s challenge and add the FA Cup win to their Carabao Cup success since March.
City return to league action on Tuesday against Bournemouth. The season ends with a home game against Aston Villa, but Arsenal need to drop points against either Burnley or Crystal Palace to deny the Gunners the title.
