Basketball great Michael Jordan paid tribute to Pep Guardiola Resigns as Manchester City manager Monday’s open-top bus parade and afterparty included a final send-off with an on-stage signing announcement by one of the club’s top players.
After parading through the streets of Manchester, a sold-out crowd of 19,000 at the Co-op Live Arena near City’s Etihad Stadium witnessed a video message from Jordan to Guardiola on the big screen.
“Hi, Pep, this is Michael Jordan,” the six-time NBA champion said. “I just want to congratulate you on a great career and enjoy your retirement.
“Good luck on the links,” Jordan added, with a nod to Guardiola’s golf hobby, “and keep going straight. Congratulations.”
Manager Guardiola leaves the team Responsible for a record-breaking 10 years During his time at City, he won 17 major trophies.
Former City captain Vincent Kompany (current Bayern Munich manager) and Noel Gallagher from Britpop band Oasis attended the event in person. The event was designed to celebrate the men’s team’s double domestic cup win and the club’s Women’s Super League and FA Youth Cup wins.
In a segment dedicated to the women’s team, record scorer Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw announced on stage that she had signed a new four-year contract with City, putting an end to speculation linking her to Chelsea.
Shaw has already been with City for five years.
Manager Erling Haaland also spoke on stage, expressing his determination to ensure that City’s success does not end with the departure of Guardiola and long-time figures Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
“It’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs,” Haaland said.
“It was great to play with Bernardo and John and of course Pep. It’s been a great journey, but even without them we need to keep pushing and fighting.”
Guardiola was invited to speak after all 20 trophies won during his tenure were brought to the stage by players, coaches and club officials, including Gallagher.
Other former players in attendance included Fernandinho and Jack Grealish, a member of the 2023 treble-winning side who has been on loan at Everton for the past year.
“Thank you very much for coming here tonight to say goodbye,” Guardiola said. “I felt connected to this club from the first moment.
“Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough. I will cherish that for the rest of my life.”
Guardiola’s last match They lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Sunday.
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