HERO!!! Manchester City Rename Etihad Stand After Pep Guardiola
Manchester City will honour Pep Guardiola by renaming the expanded North Stand at the Etihad Stadium as ‘The Pep Guardiola Stand’.
The newly-developed stand will officially open for the first time during Guardiola’s final game in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The club confirmed the decision in an official statement released earlier today, May 22, with owner Sheikh Mansour praising Guardiola’s impact across a decade in Manchester.
“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,” Sheikh Mansour said.
“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.”
A statue of Guardiola will also be built outside the stand, which sits at the end of Joe Mercer Way and forms part of City’s wider Etihad redevelopment project.
The development includes a new fan zone called Medlock Square, a 401-room hotel, club museum, retail outlets, office space, restaurants and bars.
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak described the tribute as a permanent reminder of Guardiola’s influence on the club and English football.
“The Pep Guardiola Stand, and the statue that will sit outside it, rightly ensure that Pep’s legacy will remain forever woven into the fabric of this football club, the city of Manchester and English football,” he said.
“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’s history, and the unique football genius at its heart.”
The North Stand expansion, which began in late 2023, adds more than 7,000 seats and increases the Etihad Stadium’s capacity to over 61,000.
Chief executive officer Ferran Soriano said Sunday’s occasion would allow supporters to celebrate Guardiola’s achievements one final time as manager.
“It is wholly appropriate that the occasion of Pep’s final game as Manchester City Manager will also be the afternoon that the wonderful new Pep Guardiola Stand of the Etihad Stadium will hold 7,000 more City fans for the very first time,” Soriano said.
“Sunday will be an opportunity for everyone to celebrate his achievements. Sheikh Mansour’s permanent marking of Pep’s incredible legacy will give City fans the opportunity to acknowledge Pep’s legend every single time they visit our stadium.”
