Prince William’s Lighthearted Joke to Pep Guardiola Revealed As Man City Coach Lifts Historic 20th Club Trophy
Key keywords: Prince William, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, 20th club trophy, FA Cup Final 2024, Wembley Stadium, royal football joke, Man City trophy haul, Etihad Stadium trophy room
On May 25, 2024, Manchester City claimed a tense 2-1 victory over cross-town rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, securing their second major domestic trophy of the 2023/24 season just weeks after wrapping up their fourth consecutive Premier League title. The match marked a career-defining milestone for head coach Pep Guardiola, who lifted his 20th major trophy since taking charge of the club in 2016, cementing his status as the most successful manager in English top-flight history by win rate.
As President of the Football Association, Prince William was on hand to present the FA Cup trophy to Guardiola and City captain Kyle Walker during the post-match award ceremony. A previously unreported, casual joke exchanged between the prince and the coach has since gone viral after being decoded by lip-reading experts covering the event. Upon congratulating Guardiola on the historic win, Prince William laughed and said, “Pep, honestly, this is getting ridiculous now. How many more do you need before you decide you’ve won enough? Do you have a separate wing for all these trophies at the Etihad already, or are you planning an extension?” Footage shows Guardiola laughed loudly at the comment, responding that he had no plans to slow down, and that the club would happily build more storage space for trophies as long as the squad kept delivering wins.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace later confirmed the exchange, noting that the prince, a lifelong Aston Villa fan and passionate football supporter, often shares casual, unscripted jokes with players and coaches during post-match ceremonies to celebrate their hard work. Guardiola’s 20-trophy haul at Manchester City includes seven Premier League titles, three FA Cups, four EFL Cups, two Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup. The 53-year-old coach has an average win rate of 76% across all competitions with City, and has already confirmed he will remain with the club until at least the end of his current contract in 2025, prompting fans to joke that the club may need to build an entire separate facility to house their growing trophy collection. The clip of the exchange between Prince William and Guardiola has amassed over 14 million views on social media in the 48 hours since the final, with football fans across the world sharing memes and reactions to the charming, lighthearted moment.
Featured Comments
@CityLifelong2012: That joke from Prince William was so spot on! I’ve lost count of how many trips we’ve made to Wembley to lift trophies under Pep, we really do need a whole new wing for all these awards. 20 trophies in 8 years is absolutely insane, what a legend he is.
@FootballAnalyst_Lou: Even as a United fan, I can’t help but respect how consistent Pep’s Man City has been over the years. It’s great to see these casual, funny moments between public figures and coaches instead of all the stiff, formal ceremony we usually get. William’s joke was perfect for the occasion.
@SoccerMemesHQ: Man City’s facilities team just got an urgent email about expanding the trophy room right after William made that joke. At the rate Pep is winning, the trophy wing is gonna be bigger than the entire youth academy at this point. He’s clearly not stopping anytime soon.
@RoyalSportsWatch: It’s so nice to see Prince William showing off his real personality as FA President. He’s a genuine football fan, so that off-the-cuff joke felt totally natural, not forced at all. It was the perfect cherry on top of a really thrilling FA Cup final.