Slovan Bratislava star ‘asked to visit’ Manchester City as Pep Guardiola reacts with delight at request

Manchester City would be ‘delighted’ to welcome Slovan Bratislava’s club captain and former Etihad Stadium winger, Vladimir Weiss to the club, says Pep Guardiola.

The two parties were reunited after a long spell away from one another in Manchester City’s first meeting with Slovakian opposition on Tuesday night, and the club’s first-ever visit to the country in any competition.

The UEFA Champions League match-up also meant that Manchester City as an organisation would meet up with their Academy graduate and FA Youth Cup-winning star from 2008, Vladimir Weiss.

Scoring in the second leg of the 2008 FA Youth Cup final against Chelsea for Manchester City, in a 3–1 (4–2 on aggregate) win, Weiss would go on to make his first team debut for the club in May 2009, in a 1–0 win against Bolton Wanderers.

Following three successive loan spells away from the City of Manchester Stadium, Weiss’ relationship with Manchester City would end in 2012 when he joined Pescara on a permanent deal, before being reunited this week with his former club.

Speaking after City’s 0-4 win over Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia, manager Pep Guardiola was quizzed on the lengthy conversation he had with Vladimir Weiss after the match – a player that the Etihad Stadium club certainly know well.

“We spoke and I lived two years in Qatar as well, and how was his experience there. And today was his last game, I know it, and it was nice to chat with him,” Pep Guardiola said.

“He asked to come to visit us in Manchester, and we would be delighted to get him! He was part of the club and so on, and I asked him what’s next, and he said, ‘Maybe manager in the future, we will see!’ It was a good night for him.”

Vladimir Weiss admitted before the contest that Manchester City continues to hold a prominent place in his heart following the opportunities they granted him in his first steps within the senior professional game.

“I always watch Manchester City; they’re my first club and play the best football in the world. To watch Man City is a pleasure. I’m following the club and it’s a club that’s always going to stay in my heart,” Weiss said.

His father, Vladimir Weiss Snr, also admitted that the meeting with Manchester City in Bratislava was a dream come true for all involved as he told reporters prior to the match, “We dreamt of one day the best team in the world, or one of the best, coming [here].

“Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coming here was a dream of mine and my son, because he was at Manchester City’s Academy and the first-team.”