Daily Times

MANCHESTER: Even a thunderstorm could not dent Manchester City’s rousing victory parade on Monday as the players and manager Pep Guardiola celebrated completing the long-awaited treble after winning the Champions League trophy over the weekend. City players soaked their already drenched fans with champagne during the delayed open-top bus parade that marked the club’s most successful season — when they followed their victorious runs in the FA Cup and Premier League with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan that secured them their first European Cup title. The blue side of Manchester were all euphoric as the team and fans also celebrated becoming only the second English club to win the treble, equalling the 1999 milestone of their fierce rivals Manchester United. “What a parade, what an afternoon, it had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise is not Manchester. We don’t want sunshine,” said Premier League manager of the year Guardiola in front of thousands of fans.

Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, who scored twice against United to claim the FA Cup title nine days ago, each showed off one of the trophies they won. “Basically for the past 24 hours, I’ve had the best day and night. To be fair, I don’t think I’ve slept,” said Grealish before Kalvin Phillips poured some alcohol into his mouth. As the players left the stage, the celebrations seemed far from over for the City fans who were ready to party on long into the night.