Guardiola's final day
This is it. Pep Guardiola takes charge of Manchester City for the last time today as Aston Villa visit the Etihad for the final Premier League match of the season (1) (2) (4). After 10 years and 20 trophies, the most successful manager in the club's history says goodbye. The score was not available at time of writing, but the result almost feels secondary to the occasion.
What Pep said about his successor
Guardiola has some straightforward advice for whoever replaces him: "Be yourself. Copy and paste doesn't work in this type of job. (The next manager) needs to be unique, natural, be himself. Everyone is different, it has to be that way" (3). Enzo Maresca is the favourite to take over, and reports suggest he is already working on transfers, specifically, trying to lure Marc Cucurella from Chelsea (5).
Ferguson's classy message
Sir Alex Ferguson reached out to Guardiola after the exit announcement. When asked about it, Guardiola said: "It means a lot to me" (6). The two legendary managers defined an era of Manchester football, and the respect between them has never been in question.
Belgian battle on the pitch
Among the football still to be played: Jeremy Doku faces international teammates Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana as City take on Villa (7). Three Belgian internationals, one farewell party.
Fan reactions
City fans are deep in their feelings and understandably so. The r/MCFC subreddit is filled with tributes, including one supporter who tried to put Guardiola's entire decade into words. There is also plenty of chatter about the future, with Fabrizio Romano linking Enzo Fernandez as a potential midfield target if the Elliot Anderson deal proves too expensive. Join the discussion here.
