Ruben Amorim waved an emotional goodbye to Sporting Lisbon fans after his final home game as manager before taking over at Manchester United.
Amorim will take over at Old Trafford during the forthcoming international break, replacing Erik ten Hag and succeeding temporary manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
He will be tasked with turning around United’s disastrous start to the season, which has left them 13th in the Premier League table and without a European win in over a year.
But he still has a job to do at Sporting, with one game still before he leaves, away to Braga at the weekend, and his final home game a 4-1 hammering of Manchester City in Champions League.
And it was a night of celebration for the 39-year-old and the Sporting faithful, who paid respect to the departing manager both before and after the game.
Ruben Amorim said an emotional goodbye to Sporting Lisbon fans before and after their match against Manchester City.
Amorim was flung into the air by his teammates after the game, which was his last home match in charge.
Before the game, a massive tifo was flashed branding the word ‘obrigado’, which loosely translates to ‘thank you’.
Amorim receives an ovation in his final home game before joining Manchester United.
Before the game, there was a large tifo with the word ‘obrigado’ – which roughly translates to ‘thank you’ – with Amroim’s face on it.
Along with the Portuguese, he won two division trophies during his four years at the club, the first being the club’s first in 19 years.
An emotional Amroim then made his way out to receive a commemorative plaque for his accomplishments, appearing to fight back tears and waving to those present.
Fans screamed his name early in the game, before Phil Foden’s goal silenced the crowd just four minutes later.
After a lackluster first half, the hosts cranked on the style in the second period, with star striker Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick to seal the victory.
At the final whistle, City manager Pep Guardiola praised his future foe – the next Manchester derby is only 40 days away – before Amorim dashed out to celebrate with his team.
He led a lap of honour at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, with 50,000 people in attendance to express their gratitude. He stayed on the field much past full time.
To end the festivities, Amorim’s players grabbed him and threw him into the air, as is customary when a manager wins a title with his club.
He was eventually allowed down, giving a farewell wave before returning to the dressing rooms. He also got a guard of honor.
Amorim performed a lap of honor after the game in his penultimate outing before joining Manchester United.
He traveled around the Jose Alvalade Stadium with his players after the game to celebrate the triumph and his time in charge.
He laughed as Sporting teammates hurled him into the air, emblematic of a manager winning a trophy.
Amorim’s final game as manager of the club will be away to Braga this weekend before he joins Manchester United.
Amorim’s final game in charge of the club will be away to Braga this weekend before he joins Manchester United
He rejoiced alongside stat striker Viktor Gyokeres, who scored a hat-trick in the win over City.
Before the game, Amorim got a plaque commemorating his time as the club’s manager.