” the retirement of David Silva ” Von Guardiola, ” sad but honoured as a director “
Manchester City will play the 2023 Coupang Play Series against Atletico Madrid at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 30th.
Manchester City has surpassed England and reached the top of Europe with steady and active investment. It has established itself as a big club in name and reality, including nine English Premier League (EPL), seven FA Cups, and one UEFA Champions League (UCL). In particular, last season, he commanded European football by achieving a treble to win the league, FA Cup, and UCL.
Manchester City’s opponent Atletico is a strong team representing Spain’s La Liga along with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. He has won 11 league titles, 10 Copa del Rey titles, and three UEFA Europa League titles. Atletico, who visited Korea before Manchester City, also played a friendly match against the team K League on the 27th.
Manchester City’s official press conference was held at 5:15 p.m. on the 29th, a day before the match. Head coach Pep Guardiola and Matteo Kovacic attended as a representative of the team.
Guardiola said, “I’m happy to be on the tour,” adding, “I’ll train in good condition, and I’ll work hard on what we have to do in tomorrow’s game.” “I’m happy to face a strong team tomorrow and I’ll do my best,” he added.
Manchester City sent Ilkay Gündogan, the team’s mainstay last season, to FC Barcelona. Guardiola said, “It was so good to be together and showed good skills inside and outside the pitch,” adding, “It was so great that I thought there was no player to replace him.” He also said, “I was a player who was satisfied only when I played every day,” adding, “It must have been hard to play the Champions League until the end, but you did well and I learned a lot.”
Silva, a former pupil, took off his soccer shoes by announcing his retirement. Silva has won four league titles, two FA Cups and five league cups in 10 seasons with Manchester City. He was preparing for the season at Real Sociedad, but decided to retire after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.
“I’m sad to leave like this,” Guardiola said. “He was the best player for Manchester City and Spain.” Regarding Silva, he said, “He is the main player who led us to success,” adding, “This achievement was possible because his personality, skills, and abilities were combined and he was a top player.” He then thanked, “I hope only good things will be with you in the future, and I was happy to be with a great player as a coach.”
