Basketball legend Michael Jordan paid tribute to Josep Guardiola as the departing Manchester City manager was given a final send-off during an after-party that featured an open-top bus parade and an on-stage signing announcement by one of the club’s top players.
After parading through Manchester on Monday, a packed 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.
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“Hey, Pep, this is Michael Jordan,” the six-time National Basketball Association 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.”
Guardiola is stepping down after a record-breaking 10 years in charge of City, during which 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.
Superstar forward Erling Haaland also spoke on stage, expressing his determination to ensure City’s success does not end with the departure of Guardiola and long-time mainstays Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
“It’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs,” Haaland said.
“It was an honor 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.
“It was a privilege.”
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 carry this gratitude with me for the rest of my life.”
In his final match in charge of City on Sunday, Guardiola spoke movingly about the players, staff, fans and the bond he has built with City. One of the most touching moments was when he said he was proud that his 95-year-old father Valentin came to the Etihad game.
“I want you to imagine yourself in the shoes of a 95-year-old father and feel how much these people love their son,” Guardiola said. “It was the best thing for me to give my dad something like this.”
The intergenerational love continued as his daughter Maria shared a heartfelt post about him on social media.
“Years from now, people will talk about football and try to describe what this era felt like. They’ll talk about your team and how they made people feel, because beyond the trophy, you gave us memories that were an escape from real life,” she said in an Instagram post.
“It has been an honor to watch over and support you for almost 25 years. Thank you for always bringing us closer to everything and including us in it all. The greatest honor has been living it all next to you.
“For the world these were historic moments in football, but for us they were family memories. And I don’t think any of us realized in our lifetimes that we were in football history.
“And that continues long after the final whistle.”
