Guardiola: There is so much love for Kevin
Guardiola: There is so much love for Kevin
Pep Guardiola says the love and respect the City fans showed for Kevin De Bruyne will mean more to him than anything else.
Our Belgian maestro played his final game at the Etihad as the Blues beat Bournemouth 3-1.
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By the final whistle, few had left the stadium instead staying on to pay homage to one of the Club's greatest players of all time.
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'The important thing is the emotion for him, his family and our fans,' said Pep.
'The vibe we got and everybody saw how much everyone is connected. City and his family. How much love there is.
'Titles are nice to achieve but when you live in a place after a decade with this much love, respect and gratitude there is nothing better than that.
'It is a sad day and he will be missed, there is no doubt about that. He made the contribution to achieve the victory that is massively important.
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'Still we need the last step. It's been really, really nice.'
The boss says Kevin will be impossible to replace, and he joins a list of elite talent that has left the Club in recent years – though all remain in the hearts and minds of our supporters.
'Like Sergio, some players are unique. Sergio scored the most important goal in our history, and it was so nice to see him, Vinny, Leroy, Raheem, Riyad, Joe Hart, Pablo [send messages].
'Everyone was there. 10 years. It's a lot of games, titles and moments. Today we saw how much love was there. That is so nice.
'It's not about goals or assists. It's the connection and year by year to provide for this Club that people love.
'When Kevin arrived here I am pretty sure he was not a Man City fan, but I am sure now he is, and he will be forever because of the connection between all the people and him.'
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