Pep Guardiola Steps Down as Manchester City Manager After Farewell Party at Co-Op Live

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City tenure ended after he announced last week he will step down as City manager following a decade in charge, with the farewell party held at Co-Op Live arena in Manchester.

“Basketball legend Michael Jordan led the cast of star names to pay tribute to Pep Guardiola at the Manchester City manager's farewell party”

BBC

The BBC said the event drew 19,000 supporters and featured a video message from basketball legend Michael Jordan, who told Guardiola: "I just wanted to congratulate you on an unbelievable career."

BBC

The BBC also reported that Guardiola’s final game in charge was Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa, a match in which the Spaniard broke down in tears.

At the after party, City women’s striker Khadija Shaw made a shock announcement that she has signed a new four-year contract to remain at the club, and the entourage then moved from Etihad Stadium to Co-Op Live.

The Guardian described the next-day celebration as a sell-out at Co-op Live next door to the Etihad, with the venue able to hold up to 23,500 and the departing Catalan followed by a ticker-tape show after Sunday’s final match against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

Jordan’s tribute was echoed by other star messages, with the BBC reporting that British golfer Tommy Fleetwood delivered a video message saying: "You deserve whatever you are about to do next."

The BBC also quoted veteran manager Neil Warnock saying: "The best manager I have ever seen."

Huron Daily Tribune

In the same farewell setting, Guardiola was described as being known for being fond of basketball and a keen golfer, and Jordan added: "Enjoy your retirement. Good luck on the links and keep them straight."

The Guardian’s account of the event included a live on-stage moment when City Women’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw announced she would not be leaving, as had been thought, and it said the WSL’s top-scorer was “hungry” for more.

The Huron Daily Tribune similarly described the sendoff as an open-top bus parade through the streets of Manchester followed by a sell-out crowd of 19,000 inside Co-op Live, near City’s Etihad Stadium, where Jordan’s video message played on the big screen.

Guardiola’s farewell was framed as the end of an era that included 20 trophies won during his tenure, with the BBC saying he led the club to 20 trophies during his decade in charge.

“Would any of this be here without Pep Guardiola”

Manchester Evening News

The BBC reported that Guardiola said goodbye for the final time in an interview with Oasis star Noel Gallagher, and it quoted him: "I feel tonight that really shows the connection this club has."

Erling Haaland spoke on stage about continuing the push after Guardiola’s departure, telling the BBC: "We need to keep pushing and fighting even without them."

The Guardian described the program as a parade of trophies and figures connected to each triumph, including Txiki Begiristain bringing on the 2017-18 Carabao Cup and Vincent Kompany appearing as captain of the same season’s first Premier League title under Guardiola.

The Huron Daily Tribune added that Guardiola was leaving after a record-breaking decade in charge in which he won 17 major trophies, and it said the event celebrated the domestic cup double of the men’s team as well as the club’s Women’s Super League and FA Youth Cup triumphs.