Pep Guardiola's Quirky Request To Manchester City Fans Post-Etihard Departure

Last Updated:May 25, 2026, 17:32 IST

Pep Guardiola bids emotional farewell to Manchester City after a decade of trophies, requests fans worldwide to hug him as Enzo Maresca prepares to succeed him.

Manchester City’s departing head coach, Pep Guardiola, has said that it was a tremendous honour to lead the team for a decade, adding that if any fan of the club spots him anywhere in the world, they should come up and hug him.

A 2-1 loss to Aston Villa did little to dampen the mood among Manchester City fans, who turned out in large numbers to pay tribute to Guardiola after his trophy-laden decade at the Etihad Stadium, where he won 20 titles.

Guardiola still had a year remaining on his contract with Manchester City, but, much like Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, he chose to step down before its expiry. Guardiola said that it had been an honour to be part of the Cityzens for the past decade.

“It has been a tremendous honour to be your manager, to be here for 10 years. The amount of trophies, incredible emotions. Please. I would love not just to remember the trophies, hopefully we provided through the unbelievable players, some emotions that the people who come here feel, maybe we are going to have fun," Guardiola said.

Addressing the supporters, Guardiola added that he would need their hugs in the years ahead and requested fans not to ignore him if they crossed paths with him on the streets around the world.

“In the next years, if you find me all around the world and you find me in the streets, here, in Europe, the States: if you are a Man City fan, come to me and hug me! I will need it," Guardiola said.

One of his former assistants and ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is all set to take over and fill the enormous shoes left by Guardiola, according to reports.

“When the club tells me which one it is, of course, I will call him. I will tell him the same as I said (before), ‘be yourself’. The club will support you unconditionally. That is the biggest compliment, or the biggest luck that all the managers here will have," Guardiola said.

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