Michael Jordan Pays Tribute to Pep Guardiola as He Leaves Manchester City

Basketball legend Michael Jordan sent a tribute to Pep Guardiola as the Spanish coach officially bid farewell to Manchester City. The event featured an open-top bus parade followed by a party, where one of the club's top players announced a new contract on stage.

After the parade through Manchester's streets on Monday, a crowd of 19,000 inside the Co-op Live arena near the Etihad Stadium watched a video of Michael Jordan delivering a message to Guardiola on the big screen.

“Hey, Pep, I'm Michael Jordan,” said the six-time NBA champion. “I just want to congratulate you on an extraordinary career. Enjoy your retirement.

“Good luck on the golf course,” Jordan added, alluding to Guardiola's love for golf, “and keep the ball straight. Congratulations.”

Guardiola leaves Manchester City after a decade packed with records, securing 17 major trophies.

Former City captain Vincent Kompany, now Bayern Munich manager, and Noel Gallagher of the Britpop band Oasis attended the event in person. The ceremony celebrated the men's team domestic double, as well as the FA Youth Cup and Women's Super League titles.

In a segment dedicated to the women's team, record scorer Khadija “Bunny” Shaw announced on stage that she had signed a new four-year deal with City, ending speculation linking her to Chelsea. Shaw has been at City for five years.

Star striker Erling Haaland also took the stage and affirmed his determination to maintain City's success after Guardiola and veteran core players Bernardo Silva and John Stones leave. “It's been a season of ups and downs,” Haaland said, “but we'll try to keep pushing and fighting to win the biggest trophies possible. It's been an honor to play with Bernardo and John, and of course with Pep. It's been a wonderful journey, but we need to keep pushing and fighting even without them.”

Guardiola was invited to speak after all 20 trophies won under his tenure were brought on stage by players, coaches, and club figures, including Gallagher.

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

“Thank you so much for coming here tonight to say goodbye,” Guardiola said. “I felt the connection this club has from the very first minute. Thank you so much. I don't have enough gratitude. I'll carry that for the rest of my life.”

In his final match under his guidance on Sunday, Guardiola was emotional about his bond with the players, staff, fans, and the city. One of the most touching moments came when he spoke about his pride in having his 95-year-old father, Valentin, attend the match at the Etihad. “Imagine being a father, at 95 years old, feeling how these people love your son,” Guardiola said. “That's the greatest thing for me, to give this to my father.”

Generational love continued as his daughter, Maria, posted a heartfelt message about her father on social media. She wrote: “Years from now, people will talk about football and try to explain what this era was like, they will talk about my father's teams, how they made people feel. Because beyond the trophies, Dad gave us memories to escape reality. What a privilege to witness and support him for nearly 25 years. Thank you for always bringing us close to everything, for including us in it all. The greatest privilege is to live it all by your side. To the world, these are historic football moments, to us, they are family memories, and I don't think any of us realized while living it that we were inside football history. And that will last long after the final whistle.”