Prince William greeted Manchester City players before and after their 1-0 FA Cup final win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, then made sure Pep Guardiola heard the joke first. “Another one, hey!” the prince said to the City manager after the final whistle, before adding: “Congratulations Pep, well done.”
The exchange was a fitting frame for another Wembley afternoon that ended with City in the spotlight and Guardiola collecting more silverware. The 55-year-old Spaniard has now won the FA Cup three times as Manchester City manager, along with five Carabao Cup titles and six Premier League crowns. This latest triumph was his 20th piece of silverware as City boss, a number that underlined how far the club has gone under his watch. William, who serves as President and Patron of the Football Association, also told John Stones, “Another one, well done,” as the defender stepped away from the trophy celebrations.
Stones and Bernardo Silva lifted the cup together after the final, a detail that carried extra weight because both are due to leave Manchester City when their contracts expire at the end of June. Stones was an unused substitute after an injury-hit campaign, while Silva started the match as captain. For both men, it may have been their last FA Cup appearance for the club, even if the season still has two league matches left to play.
That made the ceremony feel like both a celebration and a pause button. City were beaten by Crystal Palace at Wembley 12 months earlier, and this time they left with the trophy after a second-half strike from Antoine Semenyo settled the final 1-0. The result also kept Guardiola’s side moving in a tight league race: they are two points behind Arsenal and return to league action against Bournemouth on Tuesday before finishing the campaign at home to Aston Villa.
Guardiola’s future remains a talking point despite his contract running for another 12 months, and the briefness of his post-match interview did little to calm that noise. When TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods asked him about rumours of a summer exit, Guardiola answered, “What rumours?” before cutting the interview short. That was the only part of the conversation that sounded like uncertainty. On the pitch and on the podium, the message was much simpler: City had another trophy, Guardiola had another line on a remarkable record, and the players who may soon move on got one more Wembley moment to share.
