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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game's great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles -- including a record four in a row -- and the club's first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful ‌managers in English ‌football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League ‌Cup ⁠and FA Cup ⁠titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday's league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: "We've got . . . Guardiola!" to the tune of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over".

Guardiola's legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, ⁠they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between ‌2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep ‌pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United's 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the ‌league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER

The 55-year-old is credited with changing ‌the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola's entertaining, ‌restless presence. Usually dressed in his favored knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he ⁠points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration ⁠flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City's players have praised his impact and marveled at his relentless quest for excellence.

"He changed the way I see football," City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday's FA Cup win.

"That winning mentality is nothing like I've ever seen," defender John Stones added.

For all the tactics, Guardiola's greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

If Sunday indeed ends his tenure, his influence will not fade.

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Swiatek's Wimbledon Title Defense Ended by Philippines' Eala

Philippines' Alexandra Eala (R) is congratulated by Poland's Iga Swiatek for winning their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
Philippines' Alexandra Eala (R) is congratulated by Poland's Iga Swiatek for winning their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
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Swiatek's Wimbledon Title Defense Ended by Philippines' Eala

Philippines' Alexandra Eala (R) is congratulated by Poland's Iga Swiatek for winning their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
Philippines' Alexandra Eala (R) is congratulated by Poland's Iga Swiatek for winning their women's singles third round tennis match on the sixth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek was dumped out of Wimbledon in the third round on Saturday as an inspired Alexandra Eala created more history for the Philippines with a straight-sets victory on Centre Court.

Eala edged a dramatic 84-minute first set before powering to a 7-6 (11/9), 6-2 victory over a stunned Swiatek on Centre Court to reach the last 16.

"It's difficult to describe. I'm in the second week of a Slam and it's incredible for me," AFP quoted Eala as saying.

It is six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek's earliest exit from a major tournament since another third-round defeat, by Yulia Putintseva, also at Wimbledon two years ago.

The 21-year-old Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event in the Open era by defeating Maya Joint on Thursday.

But the 29th seed was not overawed by taking on six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, notching her second win in three meetings with the Polish third seed.

"I'm really emotional and maybe for someone like Iga who has won so many Slams, or someone like Serena or Venus (Williams), this achievement might seem small," Eala added.

"But for someone who grew up in the Philippines... I trained with my mother and my grandfather every day after school with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks... so for her this is everything."

The left-hander, who had only won one match at a Slam before this week, will next face former runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Monday.

Eala will be bidding to become the first player from the Philippines to reach a singles Grand Slam quarter-final since Felicisimo Ampon at the 1953 French Open.

She had enjoyed raucous support from her Filipino fans on the outside courts at the All England Club in the first two rounds, but again impressed in a far less partisan atmosphere on Centre Court against Swiatek.

The 25-year-old Swiatek failed to bounce back from a disappointing last-16 defeat at the French Open, where she is a four-time winner.

She made 44 unforced errors as she struggled to regroup after missing two set points in a first-set tie-break.

Eala stretched into a 5-3 lead but failed to serve out the opener, seeing one set point come and go.

Both players saw multiple chances slip from their grasp in a high-quality breaker, before Eala finally forged in front on her fourth set point when Swiatek sent a backhand sailing long.

The world number 32 took full control of the tie by racing into a 4-0 lead against her shell-shocked opponent in the second set.

Swiatek scrapped hard to get one of the breaks back, but then slipped 5-2 behind after serving two double-faults in another sloppy service game.

Eala got over the line in a dramatic final game, saving four break points before clinching the biggest victory of her career on her third match point.

She fell to the turf in celebration after finishing the contest with a forehand winner, sobbing tears of joy as Swiatek made a hasty departure.

Sports

Serena Williams Pulls Out of Wimbledon Doubles with Knee Injury

US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
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Serena Williams Pulls Out of Wimbledon Doubles with Knee Injury

US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
US player Serena Williams waves as he leaves the court after being defeated by Australia's Maya Joint during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Serena Williams' Wimbledon comeback is over after the American legend pulled out of the doubles due to a knee injury on Saturday.

Williams and her sister Venus were due to play in the first round on Saturday, but Serena announced just hours before the match that her knee had not healed enough to play, AFP reported.

"I'm heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles," the 44-year-old said on Instagram.

Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, suffered the injury during her defeat against Australia's Maya Joint in the first round of the Wimbledon singles on Tuesday.

That was her first singles match since the 2022 US Open after four years in retirement.

The sisters, who won the Wimbledon doubles six times, were scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio after being given a wild card entry into the event.

But no court was specified by tournament organizers in the order of play, raising the possibility that seven-time Wimbledon singles winner Serena could withdraw.

To the disappointment of her legion of fans, Serena did just that, revealing the fluid on her injured knee made it impossible to continue her sensational return to Wimbledon.

"Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me," she said.

"I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn't ready to compete.
"The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match...yikes!"

Serena made an astonishing return to tennis at Queen's Club last month, where she played in the doubles with Canadian Victoria Mboko.

But an injury to Mboko curtailed Williams' run in the Wimbledon warm-up event after the pair won their first match.

Serena then crashed out in the first round of the Berlin doubles with Karolina Muchova before accepting Wimbledon's offer of a wild card into the singles last week.

Serena had been motivated by a desire to play in front of her two young daughters Olympia and Adira, but they saw their mother feature in just one match at Wimbledon.

Serena competed gamely in her three-set defeat against Joint -- a player 24 years younger than the American -- on a packed Centre Court.

She did not fulfil her scheduled post-match press conference and her agent later said that was due to the knee injury, setting off speculation she would have to quit the doubles.

Williams posted footage of her limping in a heavy bandage, as well as some syringes full of fluid, as she confirmed her withdrawal.

"The good news is my knee shouldn't swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn't able to get it ready for doubles," she said.

"I'm especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here."

Now questions will be asked about her ability to recover in time for the US Open later this year, while it is far from certain how much longer Serena's comeback tour will last.

Hinting she is not finished yet, Williams said: "Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful. All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you..."

Sports

Egypt's Coach Waved Palestinian Flag after Winning World Cup Game

Egypt players react during a penalty shootout against Australia for the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Egypt players react during a penalty shootout against Australia for the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Egypt's Coach Waved Palestinian Flag after Winning World Cup Game

Egypt players react during a penalty shootout against Australia for the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Egypt players react during a penalty shootout against Australia for the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch after his team's victory over Australia in the World Cup, saying he was dedicating it to both Egyptians and Palestinians.

“My heart and soul are with them,” he said in an emotional post-game interview, The AP news reported.

Egypt won its debut in the elimination round of the World Cup by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 Friday.

The victory comes in Egypt’s fourth World Cup.

A video of Hassan on social media shows him walking around the pitch holding the flag as people chanted “free free Palestine." The video went viral.

Earlier this year Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title. The act caused backlash from Israel's defense minister, who criticized Barcelona’s teenage star and said his action “incites hate.”

Hassan is not known to be religious or connected to any political group. In the 1980s and 1990s he was adored by the youth, a street footballer who played in the slums.

On Friday he said he was dedicating the game to the “good and noble” Egyptian and Palestinian people.

It wasn’t immediately clear if FIFA would seek to take any action, and it didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously sought to restrict what it sees as political statements on the pitch.