Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, welcomed Guardiola, along with club CEO Ferran Soriano and other executives from City Football Group.
The first stop at Expo for the group was the UAE Pavilion, learning more about the traditions and culture of the host nation, before swiftly moving to the UK Pavilion, where Guardiola and Soriano took part in a Q&A session with invited guests.
At the conclusion of the session, Guardiola and Soriano headed over to see the City Football Schools training sessions at Expo’s Sports Fitness and Wellbeing Hub and meet with some of the young players.
Guardiola, who has won 10 major trophies during his five full seasons in charge at City, said: “It’s incredible and has been a wonderful experience to witness the energy of grassroots football here at Expo 2020 Dubai and to see how the club connects with people around the world. The enthusiasm for the game demonstrated by the next generation of aspiring players is marvellous.
“I was really happy to see the kids playing, and hopefully some of them will have the opportunity to train in Manchester in the future.”
Soriano added: “Manchester City is very proud to be working closely with Expo Dubai 2020, helping to deliver this exceptional event to the world. We were so impressed by the pavilions we visited and also happy to see the excitement of the kids playing football at the sport and training facilities. I encourage everybody that can travel to the UAE to visit the Expo. It is a one in a lifetime opportunity.”
Expo 2020 is an Official Exhibition Partner of Manchester City. Both the club and the event have worked closely together, with Manchester City players wearing Expo 2020 Dubai branding on their training kit for the 2021/22 season. Fans can even purchase the Special Edition Expo 2020 Dubai x MCFC Esports team jersey, available for a limited time at Expo’s Official Store in the Mobility Pavilion.
