Pep Guardiola remembers Manchester City’s classy COVID-19 gesture for club staff in emotional interview

Pep Guardiola has fondly looked back on the ups and downs from his nine-year, trophy-laden era at Manchester City in an interview last week.

The 54-year-old has won a plethora of silverware since he took over from Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2016, making wholesale changes to an ageing squad in his first two summers at the Etihad Stadium.

A historic 100-point Premier League winning campaign followed before City defied all odds to secure the first-ever domestic treble in addition to the FA Community Shield in the 2018-19 season.

“I need two books to write the best memories. There have been many, it’s been an incredible experience. I have a thousand million good memories in this period in Manchester City. It will not be forgotten, it has been so nice,” Guardiola said in an interview with TNT Sports.

“And the bad moments are absolutely part of life, and the people say, ‘What happened that season?’ What happened that season is what happened in the past, and when you compare it, it’s normal.

“One friend of mine told me, ‘Pep, you cannot win all the competitions that you are playing in for one reason – because it’s impossible.’ What happened that season sometimes happens in life. You have to just improve.”

Having spent nearly a decade in Manchester, Guardiola has also undergone personal loss during his reign as City boss, losing his mother to COVID-19 during the global pandemic – which marked another test for the Spaniard and for Manchester City as a club.

“But if you put the balance, what happened in nine years, not just the titles – how this club in the Covid times behaved with all the workers and all the community – they didn’t fire one person, they didn’t reduce the salary of one person in this club in that Covid time,” Guardiola added.

“And that happened in many, many parts and clubs. That I don’t forget. I define what that means about the club. That’s why I could write many, many things, not just about the titles, the relationships with the people here, it will always be in my heart forever. It’s been delicious, I would say, my part here.”