In Pics: Manchester City Fans' Stunning Tifo For Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva And John Stones On Farewell Day
Etihad Stadium fell silent for a moment before the noise took over. Ten years ended with a tifo, tears, and a crowd that had been waiting all season to say goodbye properly.
- As seen in the image shared by Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City supporters unveiled a sweeping tifo display across the stands honouring Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones ahead of their final home game, with giant portraits of all three men visible from across the ground.
- Sunday's match against Aston Villa served as the farewell game for all three, with Guardiola publicly acknowledging the emotional weight of going out alongside Stones and Silva, calling it "so special" to share the moment with two players who "represent this club like true gentlemen."
- The day also marked the unveiling of the new Pep Guardiola Stand, with the newly expanded North Stand renamed in the manager's honour. After the final whistle, both Stones and Silva were set to walk out individually to a guard of honour and be interviewed on the pitch before their last farewell to the Etihad
There are days at football grounds that feel bigger than the result. Sunday at the Etihad Stadium was one of them. Before a ball had been kicked against Aston Villa, the stands told the whole story. A tifo stretched across the lower tier, three faces looking down over the pitch, and 55,000 people who understood exactly what they were watching the end of.
Pep Guardiola. Bernardo Silva. John Stones. Ten years, six Premier League titles, one treble, and a complete rewriting of what this club is capable of. All of it ending on the same afternoon.
What Supporters Put Together
The display, captured in photographs shared widely on social media including by Fabrizio Romano from inside the stadium, showed large-scale portraits of all three men arranged across the stands with tributes woven into the fabric of the tifo. Bernardo Silva was photographed in tears ahead of his last City game, the emotion visible even from the stands. Guardiola was described in multiple reports as feeling the occasion deeply, telling the media in the days prior that saying goodbye would not be easy.
The club itself had planned a full post-match presentation, encouraging supporters to stay in their seats after the final whistle for a ceremony in which Stones and Silva would walk out individually to a guard of honour, be interviewed on the pitch, and given the chance to address the Etihad one final time.
In the days leading up to the match, City also opened a pop-up pub in the heart of Manchester named The Stones and Silva, taking over a venue on Fairfield Street for four days from May 21 to 24, filled with memorabilia and themed décor celebrating the pair's careers at the club.Â
The End of Something That Cannot Be Replicated
Bernardo Silva joined from Monaco in 2017 and leaves having won 19 trophies, including the 2023 Champions League and six Premier League titles. He was handed the captaincy this season and lifted his first silverware as skipper when City won the Carabao Cup.Â
Emotional Bernardo Silva in farewell match against Aston Villa
Photo Credit: Instagram
John Stones was one of Guardiola's first signings when he arrived at the Etihad in 2016, and the pair's relationship was built across a decade of tactical reinvention, title races and European nights that changed the club's standing on the continent entirely.