Manuel Pellegrini on Manchester City farewell: "I am very proud"

The career of Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City is over -- and he is full of pride.

The Chilean manager was in charge of his last match with City in the 1-1 draw against Swansea City on Sunday. The result was good enough to qualify the Citizens for the Champions League next season, and finished a victorious career for Pellegrini in a successful way.

The "Charming Man" spoke after the match about his feelings, and he was certainly emotional. Here's a few words from the departing manager:

“It is a very special day. It is not easy to finish a cycle at this club where I work for three years very happy, where I always felt the support of the fans.

“I am very proud to manage this squad. Of course it’s a difficult day.

“It’s very important to finish with a squad in the Champions League.

“I am very proud of these players. They won three titles with me. Also we were the most scoring team of the three seasons, the team that had the most points, I think these players deserve a lot of praise.

“It’s been a good season because we won the Capital One and after that we reach the semi-final stage of the Champions League, the first time for the club.

“Maybe we did not play in the way we like but against Real Madrid it was an own goal. We finish qualifying the team for next season [in the Champions League] and at the moment we had to prioritise we could not continue in the FA Cup.

“I think it’s a good season and a good cycle of three seasons here, winning three titles.”

Source: Manchester Evening News