Pep Guardiola and Juanma Lillo FaceTime Manchester City great in wholesome ‘catch-up’

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and his assistant Juanma Lillo caught up with former club captain Fernandinho in a wholesome exchange revealed on social media.

Fernandinho confirmed his departure from Manchester City during a press conference in April 2022, in an emotional exchange with the media that also left Etihad boss Pep Guardiola shocked and surprised during a subsequent address with reporters.

The Catalan coach responded to the news at the time, “Oh, I didn’t know! You gave me the news! I didn’t hear it! We will see what happens. I don’t know what will happen. He is so important. I’ll ask him.”

The exit from Manchester City was more than amicable, and the legendary Brazilian icon has remained in close connection with those at the Etihad Stadium – who also in turn honoured his achievements in Sky Blues with a renamed training pitch at the City Football Academy.

Such is the strong between all those concerned that this week Fernandinho also revealed that he had held a conversation with those working at the Etihad Stadium, specifically Pep Guardiola himself and assistant coach Juanma Lillo.

The former City and Brazil star revealed the wholesome moment the trio caught up over a FaceTime call this week on his official Instagram page, alongside the caption, “Catch up on old times with great friends!”

Fernandinho is widely regarded as being one of the greatest ever midfielders to both grace Manchester City’s modern day squad, but also the Premier League, having registered a staggering total of 383 appearances during his spell in the north-west of England.

Since joining the current Premier League champions in the summer of 2013 from Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, Fernandinho went on to also score a commendable total of 26 goals and provide a further 33 appearances in his aforementioned appearance tally.

The now 38-year-old won the Premier League title on five occasions with Manchester City, captaining the side to the league crown in the 2021/22 season, and also winning six League Cup trophies alongside a Community Shield and FA Cup in the process.