Manchester City toasted their latest Premier League title success in a swanky nightclub with Erling Haaland and his girlfriend stealing the limelight.
Pep Guardiola’s side were confirmed as champions over the weekend - their third title in a row - as Arsenal were defeated by Nottingham Forest. That gave them the opportunity to lift the trophy in their final home game of the campaign against Chelsea.
Julian Alvarez’s strike against the Blues kicked off the party at the Etihad Stadium with the celebrations continuing long after the final whistle. Supporters stayed behind to watch their heroes hoist the trophy once more with the players partying on the pitch.
After the Etihad had emptied, attention then turned to a bash at private Manchester club MNKY HSE with the vast majority of the squad in attendance. Norwegian striker Haaland has been one of the headline-grabbers this season with 36 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, and was at the forefront once more of City’s party.
He was spotted arriving at the nightclub decked out in a set of sky blue silk pyjamas, with his initials on display on the pocket. His girlfriend Isabel Johansen followed suit with her own set as she joined in with the celebrations.
Haaland has thoroughly enjoyed his debut campaign with City. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "These are memories I will remember for the rest of my life.
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"We’ve been fighting so hard and honestly I don't know what to say - I didn’t plan anything to say! It’s special. I’m just gonna enjoy this day. This is such a special moment with the trophy and all the players and the whole club. Without the club and my teammates, it would not be possible. Amazing."
Haaland was joined by his dad Alfe-Inge and whilst he did not sport his own set of pyjamas, he still donned a sky blue shirt as he headed into the nightclub. The striker was not the only one to be joined by a significant other for the evening.
Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne arrived with wife Michele Lacroix after what has been another stunning domestic campaign. He hailed his teammates after another title success.
“I’ve been here eight years. This is my home,” he said. “I’ve done so many good things, they helped me through it. The amazing moments keep on coming. It’s a day to celebrate with fans and family. It’s amazing.
“There’s so much hard work. People expect us to win a lot. A lot of people sacrifice a lot, we’re very grateful. The team is hungry, that is it.”
Elsewhere, current City captain Ilkay Gundogan arrived at the club with his wife Sara Arfaoui. The German was fresh off the back of hoisting the trophy for the first time as skipper at the Etihad Stadium and did not let speculation surrounding his future taint his celebrations.
John Stones has enjoyed a very successful season in his new role, reimagined by manager Guardiola. He too brought along his partner Olivia Naylor to join in with the celebrations.
Speaking about the demands put upon him this season, the England international said: “Surreal. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would get five [titles]. I can’t put it into words.
“Every one that I’ve won has been special in a certain way. This one has been so enjoyable with how we played. The different positions and roles.”
His international teammate Phil Foden and his long-term girlfriend Rebecca Cooke posed for the cameras as they arrived at the nightclub. The Man City academy graduate now has an astounding five Premier League titles to his name at just the age of 22.
Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Riyad Mahrez and Manuel Akanji all arrived with their partners throughout the evening, while the likes of Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias were also present.
Laporte appeared to be overcome with emotion during the post-trophy lift. TV cameras pictured him in tears whilst sat on the pitch at the Etihad.
He has not played as much as he has in previous campaigns and his future at City looks uncertain. Former Leeds star Kalvin Phillips been in a similar boat, enduring a frustrating season following his £45m move from Elland Road. He was handed his first Premier League start for City against Chelsea.
He opened up on the difficulties he has faced throughout the campaign before the trophy was lifted. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "It was a great feeling when I came in this morning and the manager told me I was playing, I was just happy to be honest.
"I was happy because we won the league the night before and I knew that there might be a chance I could play, so I just went and relaxed and enjoyed every moment. It’s been unbelievably tough.
"It’s probably been one of the lowest moments in myself confidence-wise in my career, but with the guys around me like Kyle [Walker], they’ve kept me going, told me I’ll get my chance and it’ll come. Luckily today it did and I’ve got the guys around me to keep pushing me and working me as hard as possible."
Phillips appeared in excellent spirits ahead of toasting his side’s success as he gave a thumbs up to the camera. Whilst the party was dominated by City stars, there were also a few surprise attendees.
Tom Ogden and Joe Donovan from Manchester-based pop band The Blossoms also showed up to celebrate.
City’s party continued long into the night but attention will now turn to their fight to claim an historic treble. They take on fierce rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final before clashing with Italian giants Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
