Ilkay Gündoğan has posted a touching tribute to Pep Guardiola on Instagram, calling his former boss an “incredible human” and declaring that “City will never be the same” without him - which is one way to process a goodbye, we suppose.
Meanwhile, Tottenham captain Cristian Romero has decided to skip the club's most important game of the season against Everton to instead attend a league playoff between Belgrano and River Plate in Argentina. The trip was sanctioned by Spurs' medical team and backed by manager Roberto De Zerbi, but if you're a Tottenham fan wondering whether your captain should be sipping mate in Buenos Aires while you sweat through 90 minutes, you're not alone.
Leicester City, fresh off finishing bottom of the WSL table, travel to The Valley to face Charlton Athletic, runners-up in WSL2, in a first-ever playoff game kicking off at 12:30. The WSL is expanding to 14 teams next season as part of a grand 10-year plan to grow the women's game - baby steps, but at least they're moving.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been voted Player of the Season, needing just one assist tomorrow to break the Premier League's all-time record. Along with 20 assists and eight goals, he's been the heartbeat of United's revival under Michael Carrick, steering them to third place and Champions League qualification. Not bad for a guy who also has to deal with being United's captain.
England have confirmed that Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri will travel to Florida with Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad as part of the Three Lions' training group, alongside Alex Scott, Josh King, and Rio Ngumoha. Jason Steele will serve as “training goalkeeper” for the tournament - a job that sounds both vital and deeply thankless.
Over in La Liga, the relegation battle is a glorious mess. Girona (18th, 40 points) face Elche (17th, 42) in a head-to-head decider: Girona must win to survive; Elche need only a draw. Mallorca (19th, 39) need a miracle, requiring a win over already-relegated Real Oviedo plus a constellation of other results. Levante (15th, 42) are the safest of the unsafe teams - they only go down if they lose to Betis, Girona beat Elche, Osasuna take at least a point, and Mallorca win. That's a four-part catastrophe waiting for a very specific alignment of stars. Osasuna (16th, 42) control their own fate: a point at Getafe keeps them up. All matches kick off at 8pm UK time.
In a reminder that the real world still exists, Congo's World Cup squad has been ordered to isolate for 21 days before entering the US. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, told ESPN that the squad must maintain a “bubble” in Belgium or risk not being able to travel to Houston on June 11. “We cannot be any clearer,” Giuliani said, which is the kind of statement that usually precedes even more confusion.
Pep Guardiola, signing off tomorrow against Aston Villa, admitted one regret: the way he handled Joe Hart's departure in 2016. Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said he should have given the England goalkeeper a proper chance to prove himself rather than shipping him to Torino on loan. “I regret it from that time,” Guardiola said, adding that he hasn't always been “fair enough” in the moment. Managers make mistakes, but it's nice when they admit it - even if it's seven years too late for Joe Hart.
The Women's Champions League final pits Barcelona against Lyon for the fourth time in seven years. Lyon won the first two (4-1 in 2019, 3-1 in 2022); Barcelona finally broke through with a 2-0 win in 2024. Lyon have eight titles, including five in a row between 2016 and 2020, but haven't won since 2022. The coaching subplot is delicious: Lyon's Jonatan Giráldez was part of Barcelona's rise, coaching them to their first UWCL title and then managing them to two more. His former assistant Pere Romeu now leads Barcelona, making this a master-apprentice showdown.
And then there's Spygate - the best story of the season, if you've been living under a rock. Southampton were found to have spied on Middlesbrough training sessions before their playoff semi-final, leading to expulsion from the playoffs and Middlesbrough's reinstatement. The EFL's independent commission called it a “contrived and determined” plan. Manager Tonda Eckert accepted responsibility. And so Boro face Hull in the playoff final while Southampton stew in a very public humiliation. Spygate isn't just a scandal - it's a full Championship documentary narrated by a man who's had six espressos and misplaced his clipboard.