Online Reporter
IT was a day for long goodbyes in the Premier League as several players – and a certain legendary manager – said farewell after long, legendary tenures.
Bernardo Silva’s Manchester City career came to a close after nine years in the 58th minute of their clash with Aston Villa. Remarkably, the Portuguese star was given a guard of honour by BOTH sets of players as he departed the pitch. John Stones was also extended the same courtesy.
Both players emotionally embraced Pep Guardiola as they walked off the Etihad Stadium’s pitch for the final time.
The City boss is another man who will be leaving the blue-half of Manchester.
It was already a teary day for Silva as he was crying before he even started the game.
The embrace between Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot was a lot less warm. Cordial would probably best decribe it. But, the Anfield crowd and Salah’s team-mates all showered the Egyptian in love as the Premier League’s fourth all-time goalscorer ends an iconic run on Merseyside.
Silva played 460 games for the club and scored 76 goals in the process. Stones’ 10-year City career spanned 294 games with 19 goals. Quite surprisingly, not many fans had a problem with the unconventional tribute that took place judging by social media.
Guardiola, the man who has managed him for his whole tenure in Manchester, was in tears as his reliable troops left the pitch.
In a true end of an era sight, both men hugged each other as the stadium gave standing ovation.
Salah was also wiping away the tears as he watched his Reds career come to a close. City reportedly paid Monaco £43.5 million to secure Silva back in 2017 and that fee could rise to around £60m in add-ons.
Well, there must have been add-ons with all that he won! He leaves six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and a Champions League.
Of course, both Stones and Silva were part of City’s treble winning squad in 2023.
Salah had a difficult final season with Liverpool and he was not afraid to voice his displeasure at how the team was performing or the decisions that Slot was making throughout.
However, he leaves with two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one Champions League trophy to show for his efforts. He will go down as a club icon and he was given a guard of honour after the game.
Unsurprisingly, he had to fight back the tears as well. Guardiola, in quite classy fashion, took a bit of a backseat to his departing players during the game, but his mammoth departure came to the forefront once more following the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.
He embraced his players one by one on the Etihad pitch and the tears were flowing.
The staff are planning a full ceremony to say goodbye to their game-chaning Spaniard where surely the waterworks will only get worse.
Pep has completely changed City’s place in world football and it goes without saying he leave a huge void behind, one that Enzo Maresca is rumoured to be about to try and fill.
But those are big shoes to fill.
Everything that Stones won, Pep presided over. He led them to the treble and had 416 wins in 592 matches. That’s outragerous.
But they are not the only top names that will likely have played their last game for their current employers.West Ham suffered relegation to the Championship despite spanking Leeds 3-0 at home.
Unfortunately for them, Tottenham also won their final game, a 1-0 win over Everton, meaning the Hammers were powerless to stop the drop.
One has to think that Jarrod Bowen will have plenty of suitors in the Premier League and he was also fighting back his emotions at the end of the game.
Is it because he’d upset the Hammers have been relegated or that he thinks he’s played his last game? There’s a good chance it’s both. – Sun
