The Fenix restaurant and bar in the Manchester Goods Yard describes itself as a “space to relax and a place to indulge” and there was no shortage of either as Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland led the revelry during Manchester City’s title celebrations.
City’s relentless march to a record fourth consecutive Premier League crown had required laser focus but on Sunday night Pep Guardiola’s players were under orders to let their hair down and it was clear they were not going to pass up the opportunity to party hard.
It was 5am by the time Grealish was pictured looking worse for wear being helped out of the popular nightspot by a couple of burly minders. He was by no means the only one who celebrated long into the early hours as City’s stars were joined by their wives and girlfriends and club staff.
Team-mate Kevin De Bruyne was spotted slumped in the back of a taxi at the end of the evening and a bleary-eyed Rodri, City’s metronome, for once looked unsteady on his feet by the time he finally called it a night.
Whereas Grealish pitched up in a striking £2,000 outfit by Gucci – the fashion label for which he is a brand ambassador – Haaland opted for more low-key attire with the Norway striker dressed in a casual City T-shirt and shorts.
Haaland, who won the Premier League’s golden boot for the second successive campaign after following up last season’s 36-goal tally with 27 this time around, was joined at the bash by girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen, who looked full of smiles on the dancefloor.
Guardiola was accompanied by wife Cristina Serra to the celebrations. De Bruyne’s wife Michele Lacroix wowed in a sleek black dress while Phil Foden’s girlfriend, Rebecca Cooke, who is expecting their third child together, was also present.
Grealish later shared a video from inside the venue as City players and party-goers sang and danced to the 1989 Human League hit, Don’t You Want Me.
City had hired out the modern Greek and Mediterranean restaurant and bar and it was clear it was a night where no expense was spared.
Ederson, dressed in a black T-shirt emblazoned with his name and images of himself in green, was pictured leaving the party clutching a £1,280 bottle of Tignanello Antinori red. Midfielder Matheus Nunes exited clutching two golden bottles of £700 Ace of Spades champagne.
With City’s players not expected to report back until Wednesday when attention will turn to the FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley and the prospect of a double Double, Guardiola has afforded his squad some time to relax and enjoy themselves after another marathon campaign.
The celebrations had begun almost as soon as referee John Brooks had sounded the final whistle on City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham.
Guardiola’s players were forced to make a hasty exit as thousands of City fans stormed the pitch, ignoring pleas from the club to keep off the grass, but they were soon back in the dressing room where the beer and champagne was cracked open.
Kitman Brandon Ashton did his usual routine of sliding across the dressing room floor in his pants and the players danced and sang to the tune of “Campeones, campeones, ole, ole, ole!”.
On the pitch where Premier League chair Alison Brittain would hand over the trophy to City captain Kyle Walker, there were some amusing scenes. Phil Foden’s five-year-old son Ronnie wasted no time getting into the party spirit as he tried to open a bottle of champagne before finally accepting defeat. Although the youngster actually looked less flummoxed than Grealish did trying to figure out how to work a confetti cannon, only for it to explode suddenly and momentarily shock the bemused England midfielder.
Many of the squad did not leave the stadium until gone 7pm as they celebrated with friends and family. Grealish posted a video of him singing Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten with friends and also celebrated with his younger sister Hollie.
They were moments City’s players and staff were determined to savour. Come Wednesday, though, the focus will shift back to football and the hunt for another trophy.
Source Agencies
