Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has gifted £10,000 to the first-team staff of the City Football Academy.
The 53-year-old has personally spent over £500,000 to pay bonuses to Manchester City’s first-team staff working at the City Football Academy, rewarding the staff following the Sky Blues’ recent successes during the past 2023/24 season.
Manchester City became the first English team to win the Premier League four times in a row in May. The team also won both the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup last season and also reached the final of the Emirates FA Cup at Wembley.
May’s Premier League title win, which came with a 3-1 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium, was Guardiola’s 17th major trophy in east Manchester and his sixth Premier League title in seven years.
Manchester City won the cup against Arsenal for the second year in a row and also celebrated the start of the new 2024/25 season with a title: The club won the FA Community Shield after a thrilling penalty shootout against Manchester United.
Guardiola’s side also became the first team since Manchester United in 1999 to win the treble by winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup last year.
The Catalan, whose contract with Manchester City expires at the end of the season, has now personally given a financial reward to the staff at the first-team building following last season’s success, reports Paul Hirst.
The journalist reveals that around 60 to 70 people working in the first-team building, including chefs, receptionists, physiotherapists, kit managers, baristas and security staff, received a £10,000 bonus from Guardiola.
The cash gift recently went to every member of staff working in the first-team building at the club’s training ground. According to BBC Sport, it cost the Catalans over £500,000.
Guardiola has been at the Etihad Stadium since 2016 and has consistently praised the work of Manchester City’s support staff, who are responsible for the Blues’ continued title success.
The £10,000 bonus is not the first gift that staff at Manchester City’s first-team building have received, with Sergio Aguero famously spending around £60,000 to have engraved luxury watches fitted as a parting gift in 2021.
