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The Spaniard is set to bid farewell to the Etihad Stadium after a decade in charge, during which he guided Manchester City to 20 major trophies.

Departing Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has disclosed the touching message he received from Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

Earlier on Friday, Guardiola officially confirmed that his remarkable tenure as City’s manager will end this summer, bringing to a close a ten-year spell filled with success and silverware.

Speaking ahead of his final match at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday against Aston Villa, Guardiola revealed that one of football’s most iconic figures, Sir Alex Ferguson, had reached out to him personally.

Guardiola stated, “I know I have enjoyed incredible success as a manager, and it feels good to be recognised. One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received came yesterday when Sir Alex Ferguson sent me a message. That made me truly happy.”

The two footballing greats, Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson, were famously pictured together before the 2009 UEFA Champions League final.

When asked what Ferguson had said, Guardiola explained, “He congratulated me on my career path and everything we have achieved. It means a great deal to me.”

Although Ferguson and Guardiola never faced each other in a Manchester derby, the two managers met twice in Champions League finals. Guardiola’s Barcelona defeated Ferguson’s Manchester United on both occasions — first in Rome in 2009 and then again at Wembley two years later.

Guardiola also drew parallels between Ferguson and his mentor at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff. While he expressed regret that Cruyff did not live long enough to witness his accomplishments with City, he said he was “happy” that Ferguson had seen them.

“This isn’t about being humble, but he is the greatest manager in this country,” Guardiola continued.

“I’m really delighted. I miss Johan Cruyff deeply, but I’m glad that Sir Alex, the greatest, was able to witness what we’ve done.”

Guardiola then joked, “I’m quite sure Sir Alex won’t call us the noisy neighbours anymore. We are the neighbours, and I’m so happy he was there to see it.”

It was later revealed that Ferguson had left Guardiola a voicemail — though the Spaniard admitted he struggled a bit to understand it.

“Well, with his Scottish accent, I had some trouble,” Guardiola laughed. “It was a voicemail. I’ll definitely call him back.”