“He didn’t complain” – Pep Guardiola reveals details of Manchester City visit by Arsenal legend | OneFootball

Arsenal’s legendary former manager Arsene Wenger made a visit to Manchester City’s training base in recent weeks on behalf of FIFA, Pep Guardiola has detailed.

The visit from the Premier League icon came off the back of Manchester City’s outstanding success at FIFA’s ‘The Best’ awards, with Etihad Stadium boss Pep Guardiola named as Coach of the Year following his five-trophy haul with the club across 2023.

Players in Pep Guardiola’s squad were also recognised for their fantastic form across the calendar year, with John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, and Erling Haaland all included in the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World XI.

Ederson was the only player within the Manchester City squad to receive an individual accolade, with the Brazilian international receiving the prize for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of 2023.

Now, speaking to the media during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola glowed when discussing the ‘pleasure’ of welcoming Arsenal and Premier League legend Arsene Wenger to the club’s City Football Academy training hub for the handing out of prizes to those who could not be in attendance at the ceremony in mid-January.

“It was absolutely a pleasure,” Pep Guardiola said. “What can I say for Arsene? He’s like Sir Alex Ferguson, a legend from this in what he introduced in English football was, in that time, amazing and I think the legacy is still continuing in Arsenal.”

The Manchester City boss continued while detailing the nature of the visit, “He came from representing FIFA to give some awards to the players that they could not get in the gala, and after we are like gentlemens, we invited him to lunch.

“He didn’t pay, good wine, and yeah, it was nice. Always it’s nice to share moments when we are not in competition, not in rivalry, to share these thoughts. (Food from Tast Catala?) No, no it was here. (Enjoyed it?) You have to ask him, but I think he didn’t complain. But I don’t know.”

Manchester City and Arsenal will go head-to-head at the end of the month in the Premier League, with the two sides standing alongside Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a three-way battle for the top-flight title this season.