Manchester City fans bid farewell to Pep Guardiola during Bank Holiday Monday's parade
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Pep Guardiola stood swaying and singing. Wonderwall was blaring out at the Etihad, thousands of fans were waiting to wave him off for one final time and the man himself was taking it all in, scanning the thousands of adoring faces knowing that this really was the end.
It's been an emotional few days for Guardiola. Manchester City will never forget him and he'll never forget Manchester City. The send-off he received at the Etihad was special, the scenes on Monday were spine-tingling.
Thousands of Blues gathered in the Northern Quarter to bid farewell to the manager who has changed the club, the city and the sport. Guardiola is more than just a manager and while the parade also honoured City's FA Cup and Carabao Cup wins, the Women's Super League champions and the FA Youth Cup winners, it was Guardiola who was the star attraction.
Supporters were halfway up traffic lights, scaling lampposts, on top of bus shelters, just to catch a glimpse of their hero. Guardiola knew what was coming but it wouldn't have made the sight of fans young and old lining the two-mile route to the Etihad any less special.
The city centre departure was a blaze of music, madness and memories. There were flares and flags, beers and tears, songs and serenades. Fans had started gathering three hours early, they were made to wait a little longer than expected for the star attractions but it was worth the wait. Ticker tape rained down, a smell of burning wafted across the streets as blue flares were waved. Fans stood tightly bunched in 30-degree temperatures, a warm mass of blue that simply had to be there.
Guardiola kept himself together, boarding with staff and the academy players while the senior squad celebrated with the trophy on a different bus. Rodri danced, Erling Haaland laughed and joked, Nico O'Reilly took in the adulations and Rico Lewis fired a streamer cannon into the crowd. The squad may have fallen short in the Premier League title race but they still had a season to remember.
As for Guardiola, it's been a decade no-one could have dreamt of. Walking alongside the bus for his final farewell was a 60-minute journey soundtracked by a medley of City songs. From 'We've got Guardiola' to 'Blue Moon' to 'City, City, City'.
He stood waving, blowing kisses and sipping on a beer - boy, has he earned it. At one stage he gestured to a few young fans who had climbed on top of a bus shelter to get down, fearing a possible structural collapse. He signed shirts and flags that were thrown up to him and laughed and joked with the staff.
Since confirming his departure Guardiola has cut a relaxed figure, a man at peace with his decision. As we walked alongside him, swerving bollards and barriers, cones and cars, the 55-year-old was all smiles. Down below was chaos and colour, but Pep was calm, composed and content, cherishing the final moments as a Blue.
As the Etihad came into view the crowds swelled as those who had waited at the stadium were given their chance to say goodbye. Wonderwall was the song of choice, Guardiola joining in.
'I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now . . . Maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me. And after all, you're my Wonderwall.'