There are a few special things in Pep Guardiola's last two press conferences at Man City, especially the way he does not want to turn everything around him.
Before the Premier League's closing match, many reporters were present to ask questions about Guardiola's farewell decision. Why is this time? When was the decision made? What are his next plans? And Guardiola started with the sentence: "Aston Villa, come on, everyone!", making the whole auditorium laugh.
He almost did not delve into the reasons or timing of making the decision, nor did he say much about what would come next. Instead, Guardiola emphasized "happiness and luck" when leading Man City for a decade. He affirmed that he did not stay just for titles or records, although that is also part of it, but because of his love for this city from the first day he set foot there.
For Guardiola, the debates about whether he is the greatest coach in Premier League history are "not really important", although that topic has dominated football forums for many weeks and will certainly continue in the future.
Even, people rarely mention the 20 titles he won with Man City. When asked what moment made him most proud, Guardiola only replied briefly: "That question should be for fans. Hopefully they like watching us play".
The joy that The Citizens brought under Pep was not necessarily fully expressed in his final match. Antoine Semenyo's goal from a set-piece in City's lackluster defeat brought irony, almost completely opposite to the characteristic football that Guardiola built.
He stood silently on the coaching bench when the opening goal appeared, seemingly not very satisfied with that chaotic play. Guardiola's teams have never been built on fixed situations, and clearly they do not want to change at this time. After the match, he humorously said: "A good match for Aston Villa to relieve stress after the Europa League".
From the squad with nine changes compared to the draw against Bournemouth, it can be seen that Guardiola does not put too much emphasis on the 270th victory in the Premier League. Erling Haaland, Marc Guehi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nico O'Reilly are all absent even though they are not injured.
What he wants most is to share the moment of farewell with the people who made his special time at Man City - the closest assistants, the players who witnessed and contributed to the outstanding development of the team under Guardiola's reign.
The match between two strategists famous for tactical thinking and perfectionism seems to no longer have much meaning. The final result was not too important, although Guardiola was still angry with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden during the half-time break.
Former Man City players Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson and Fernandinho were also present to pay tribute to their old teacher. Tears appeared at many times on the farewell day. Bernardo Silva was moved right from the moment he led the team out of the tunnel for the last time, and the emotions rose even higher when the two teams lined up to greet him off the field.
This reaction also made Guardiola choked up. He used his familiar white t-shirt to wipe away tears when hugging his student with the most appearances under his time - 460 matches.
I don't usually cry" - Guardiola shared after the match. "But when I saw Bernardo cry, I couldn't hold back either." In the stands, many fans also shed tears.
John Stones also could not hide his emotions on the farewell day, amidst an atmosphere filled with gratitude from fans. It is very rare for Guardiola to be more comfortable receiving praise for himself than talking about football. This is just City's second home defeat this season, a record equal to champion Arsenal.
Then the final press conference arrived - longer, more emotional than the previous press conference. Perhaps because the pressure and atmosphere of the match day made emotions more uncontrollable. But it is likely that it is also the peak of a 10-year journey.
This time, Guardiola no longer tried to hide his emotions as before. He frankly admitted that he was ready to leave, that the belongings in Manchester had been moved away a long time ago, and the appearance of his 95-year-old father in the stands made him emotional all day.
The "burden of memories", as he describes, will be put away to be viewed at another time, possibly when he is resting on the beach - the biggest priority after nearly 20 years of non-stop work.
What remains forever, of course, is the legacy of a coach who has brought in more than half of the major titles in Man City's history, along with a winning rate of up to 70.8% - a number that is probably very difficult to overthrow. Guardiola's average score per game even surpasses Sir Alex Ferguson.
Despite leading fewer matches than many contemporaries, Guardiola still ranks fourth in the list of coaches with the most wins in Premier League history with 269 wins.
Man City fans will certainly not forget him easily either. Banners appearing throughout the Etihad stadium encapsulated all emotions: "10 glorious years, 20 titles. Thank you Pep".
