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Manchester City have confirmed the expanded North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed the ‘The Pep Guardiola Stand’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The club will also commission a statue for the departing manager following his historic spell in Manchester.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes as a tribute to the Catalan\u2019s decade of dominance in English football, during which he transformed the club into a global powerhouse and secured a trophy haul that has redefined the Premier League era.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stand will officially open for the first time during Guardiola\u2019s final game in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The redevelopment project, which began in late 2023, has added more than 7,000 seats and increased the stadium\u2019s capacity to over 61,000. City also confirmed plans to commission a statue of Guardiola outside the newly-named stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Catalan will join club legends Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Ag\u00fcero in being permanently recognized around the Etihad campus.<\/p>\n
Speaking during his press conference, Guardiola admitted he was touched by the gesture from the club as he prepares to leave Manchester after a hugely successful decade in charge.<\/p>\n
“Khaldoon [Al Mubarak] called me this morning to say that the club took that decision,” Guardiola said. “I have no words. I like the feeling that my vibe or my energy will be there forever. So I like that feeling.”<\/p>\n
Club owner Sheikh Mansour also praised Guardiola\u2019s influence on and off the pitch, insisting his legacy stretches beyond the trophies won during his tenure.<\/p>\n
“I said a long time ago that Manchester City should have the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field. For ten years Pep has been the personification of that ambition,” Mansour explained on the club’s official website.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“He has made an indelible imprint on the DNA of the Club. One that is borne more from how he won than from the many trophies he lifted. He has the unending gratitude of myself and the entire City family, a family of which he will always be part.”<\/p>\n
The decision underlines Guardiola\u2019s impact on City and English football during one of the most successful periods in the club\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The renamed stand and statue are designed to ensure his influence remains part of the club\u2019s identity long after his departure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Al Mubarak described the tribute as recognition of Guardiola\u2019s lasting contribution to both the club and the city itself.<\/p>\n
“The Pep Guardiola Stand, and the statue that will sit outside it, rightly ensure that Pep\u2019s legacy will remain forever woven into the fabric of this football club, the city of Manchester and English football,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The unique relationship that he has with our fans has been earned through the honesty and passion of his ten seasons fighting to bring them success. The Pep Guardiola Stand is a fitting and permanent reminder of that relationship, the most successful period in our club\u2019s history, and the unique football genius at its heart.”<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s clash with Aston Villa will mark Guardiola\u2019s final match in charge and is expected to be an emotional occasion at the Etihad Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The opening of the renamed stand will allow supporters to celebrate the manager\u2019s achievements one final time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
City\u2019s focus will also shift towards a new era after Guardiola\u2019s departure, with the club aiming to build on the foundations created during his decade-long reign.<\/p>\n
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11\u2013July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).<\/p>\n
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Manchester City have confirmed the expanded North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed the ‘The Pep Guardiola Stand’.\u00a0 The club will also commission a statue for the departing manager following his historic spell in Manchester. The announcement comes as a tribute to the Catalan\u2019s decade of dominance in English […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}