Michael Jordan pays tribute to Pep Guardiola at Man City manager's farewell

Basketball icon Michael Jordan honored Pep Guardiola during a farewell event for the departing Manchester City manager, which featured an open-top bus parade as well as a celebratory after-party that included a contract announcement from one of the club's premier players.

Following the parade on Monday through Manchester's streets, a capacity crowd of 19,000 gathered at the Co-op Live Arena, adjacent to City's Etihad Stadium, where a video message from Jordan to Guardiola was displayed on the big screen.

"Hey, Pep, this is Michael Jordan," stated the six-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion. "I just want to congratulate you on an unbelievable career. Enjoy your retirement."

"Good luck on the links," he added, referring to Guardiola's golfing passion, "and keep them straight. Congratulations."

Guardiola exits after an unprecedented decade in charge of Manchester City, during which he secured a remarkable 17 major trophies.

Attendees included former City captain Vincent Kompany, now the head coach at Bayern Munich, and Noel Gallagher from the Britpop band Oasis. This event celebrated not only the men’s team’s domestic cup double but also the club's successes in the Women's Super League and the FA Youth Cup.

In a segment dedicated to the women’s team, record goal-scorer Khadija "Bunny" Shaw announced from the stage that she had signed a new four-year contract with City, quelling rumors of a transfer to Chelsea. Shaw has been with City for five years already.

Additionally, superstar forward Erling Haaland expressed his commitment to ensuring that the team's success continues even after Guardiola, along with veteran players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, depart.

"It has been an up-and-down season," Haaland remarked, "but we are going to try to keep pushing and try to fight to win the biggest trophies we can. It has been a pleasure to play with Bernardo and John, and of course for Pep. It has been an amazing journey, but we need to keep pushing and fighting even without them."

Guardiola was invited to address the attendees following the presentation of all 20 trophies accumulated during his tenure, which were brought to the stage by players, coaches, and club affiliates, including Gallagher.

Other former players present included Fernandinho and Jack Grealish, a key member of the 2023 treble-winning squad who has spent the past year on loan at Everton.

"Thank you so much for coming here tonight to say bye," Guardiola expressed. "I've felt the connection that this club has fostered from the very first moment. Thank you so much. I don’t have enough gratitude. I will carry that with me for the rest of my life."

During City’s final match under his leadership on Sunday, Guardiola poignantly reflected on the bonds formed with players, staff, fans, and the city itself. One particularly touching moment arose when he described the pride of having his 95-year-old father, Valentin, present at the game at the Etihad.

"Imagine as a dad, at 95, to feel how these people love his son," Guardiola articulated. "That has been paramount for me, to provide my dad with this kind of experience."

The theme of generational love continued as his daughter, Maria, shared a heartfelt tribute about him on social media.

"Years from now, people will talk about football and try to explain what this era felt like. They’ll discuss your teams and the emotions they evoked. Because beyond the trophies, you provided us with memories that allowed us to escape reality," she wrote in an Instagram post.

"It has been a privilege to watch and support you for almost 25 years. Thank you for always bringing us close to everything, for including us in it. The greatest privilege has been journeying beside you. For the world, these were historic football moments; for us, they were family memories. I don’t think any of us realized, while living it, that we were part of football history. And that endures long after the final whistle."