Michael Jordan pays tribute to Pep Guardiola in Man City manager's final sendoff

Basketball great Michael Jordan paid tribute to Pep Guardiola as the departing Manchester City manager was given a final sendoff during an open-top bus parade and after-party featuring an on-stage contract announcement by one of the club's top players on Monday.

After the parade through the streets of Manchester, a sell-out crowd of 19,000 inside the Co-op Live arena — near City's Etihad Stadium — witnessed a video message from Jordan to Guardiola on the big screen.

“Hey Pep, this is Michael Jordan," the six-time NBA champion said. "I just want to congratulate you on an unbelievable career. Enjoy your retirement.

“Good luck on the links,” Jordan added, in a nod to Guardiola's hobby of golf, "and keep them straight. Congratulations.”

Guardiola is leaving after a record-breaking decade in charge of City in which he won 17 major trophies.

Former City captain Vincent Kompany — the current Bayern Munich coach — and Noel Gallagher of Britpop band Oasis attended the event in person. It was arranged to celebrate the domestic cup double of the men's team as well as the club’s Women’s Super League and FA Youth Cup triumphs.

In the part of the show dedicated to the women’s team, record scorer Khadija “Bunny” Shaw announced on stage she signed a new four-year contract with City, ending speculation linking her with Chelsea.

Shaw has already been with City for five years.

Also speaking on the stage was Erling Haaland, who said he was determined to make sure City's success does not end with the departure of Guardiola and long-time stalwarts Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

“It has been an up-and-down season," Haaland said, "but we are going to try to keep pushing and try to fight to win the biggest trophies we can.

“It has been a pleasure to play with Bernardo and John, and of course for Pep. It has been an amazing journey but we need to keep pushing and fighting even without them."

Guardiola was invited to speak after all 20 trophies won during his tenure were carried onto the stage by players, coaches and figures connected to the club, including Gallagher.

Other former players in attendance were Fernandinho and Jack Grealish, a member of the 2023 treble-winning team who has spent the past year on loan at Everton.

“Thank you so much for coming here tonight to say bye," Guardiola said. "I’ve felt the connection that this club (has) from the first minute.

“Thank you so much, I don’t have enough gratitude. I will have (that with me) for the rest of my life.”

Guardiola's final game in charge was a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.

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Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates on an open top bus during a parade to celebrate the achievements of the Manchester City men's and women's teams this season in Manchester, Monday, May 25, 2026.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, center, bows to the crowd during a stage event following a parade to celebrate the achievements of the Manchester City men's and women's teams this season in Manchester, England, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola raises his hat to the crowd during a stage event following a parade to celebrate the achievements of the Manchester City men's and women's teams this season in Manchester, England, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, left, and singer Noel Gallagher, right, during a stage event following a parade to celebrate the achievements of the Manchester City men's and women's teams this season in Manchester, England, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, center, on an open top bus during a parade to celebrate the achievements of the Manchester City men's and women's teams this season in Manchester, England, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

Trump said in a social media post that negotiations are “proceeding nicely” but tied any eventual agreement to expanded participation in the 2020 accords.

The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add friction to the negotiations.

Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should “immediately” sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.

He wrote that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”

Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan’s position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump’s latest proposal.

The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump's list.

“The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda,” he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.

Still, Khan said, “the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries.”

It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.

The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump’s first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstan.

They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

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