Pep Guardiola admitted he was “so tired” and shed tears following his final game as Manchester City manager.
The Spaniard bowed out after 10 glorious years at the Etihad Stadium following Sunday’s Premier League defeat against Aston Villa.
Villa did their best to spoil a celebration of Guardiola’s extraordinary achievements – which include the winning of 20 trophies – as they came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory.
But there was no doubting the occasion belonged to Guardiola and two other stalwarts of his reign in Bernardo Silva and John Stones, who made their final appearances.
Guardiola now intends to take a long break from the game but left no doubt the club had made a big mark on him.
He said: “I am so tired. Seriously, I am so tired. I did everything. We did it.
“The memories I have of Barcelona and Bayern Munich are unbeatable but the luggage of memories I have from here from 10 years is more than any other.
“Without the trophies I would have been sacked but it is not looking at the trophies in the cabinet at home that makes me happy.
“It is the memories and connections I had since day one with the city, the backroom staff and the players.”
Guardiola spoke on the pitch after the game and admitted he struggled to keep his emotions in check.
He said: “I don’t cry, but when I saw Bernardo cry I cried. I said don’t cry but it happened.
“It was such a special moment. The emotions were so high. I will never forget.”
Despite the emotional send-off, Guardiola had no doubt he was making the right decision.
He said: “It is the right time. I will not miss it for a while, that’s for sure.
“I feel deeply that the decision is the right decision for this club and the players. I thank the club for respecting it, they understood.”
In terms of the game, City led 1-0 at the interval after Antoine Semenyo’s 11th goal since his January move from Bournemouth but Ollie Watkins replied twice for Europa League winners Villa in the second half.
Villa manager Unai Emery, who presented Guardiola with a lion-related gift “for everything he’s given in football”, paid tribute to his opposite number.
He said: “It’s a huge honour for me to compete with Pep Guardiola. He is the best.”
Emery hailed his team on a day when they could have been forgiven for playing at half-speed following their European triumph in midweek.
He said: “The performance was outstanding and the reaction was a summary of the season. We started poor and then reacted.
“We are here four years and this is the best season we have done here together.”
Emery made eight changes for the game and Watkins revealed he might not have played had others not been feeling worse for wear.
The England striker said: “A few boys dropped out because we had a heavy couple of nights. I ended up playing.
“Everything happens for a reason. I got the two goals and we ended on a high.”
