Pep Guardiola's face crumpled and tears began to trickle down his cheeks as the Etihad erupted in celebration at the final whistle.
That's what it takes for a manager to score three goals in six incredible minutes to secure the Premier League title at the end of an emotionally demanding, rollercoaster season.
On Sunday, it was all about the pure joy of football and Manchester City regaining their position as the best team in England.
Guardiola may take some time in the coming months, before the start of another season, to reflect on everything he has accomplished during his time in the Premier League. It is simply extraordinary.
'This was exceptional even by Man City's standards.'
Man City, according to Guardiola, are "legends" who "prove why they can never be termed dull."
'We feel like legends,' Guardiola said of his team's title victory.
An unprecedented reign
City has the joint fourth-highest point total in Premier League history with 93 points. Despite this, it is just City's third highest finish during Guardiola's rule.
Only two of the Spaniard's league campaigns have seen them lose less games than this season's three - the two defeats in 2017-18.
City had a goal differential of +73 in the 2021-22 season, scoring 99 goals while conceding only 26. It's the second-highest goal differential in competition history, after only their +79 from 2017-18.
Those 99 goals were scored without a designated number nine, though the scary signing of Erling Haaland appears to have rectified that problem for next season.
This is only the beginning of the story. During his tenure in England, Guardiola has set numerous records:
2017-2018
Most points (100), goals (106), and goal differential (+79) in a season
Largest margin of victory (19 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United)
Both the most wins (32) and the most consecutive wins (18) are shared by Liverpool (2019-20), with the first being matched by the City side of 2018-19.
2018-19 has the most away wins (16).
They share the most home victories (18) with their own 2011-12 team, Chelsea (2005-06), Manchester United (2010-11), and Liverpool (2019-20)
2020-21
The most straight victories (21) and away victories (12)
In a game, the longest run without falling behind (19)
Guardiola's team won 36 league games in a calendar year in 2021, surpassing Bob Paisley's Liverpool's 33 in 1982. In the same 12-month span, City also set a new record with 19 away victories.
Guardiola became the fastest manager to earn 500 points this season, doing so in just 213 games, 18 fewer than the previous best Jose Mourinho.
In only his 207th match as manager, City scored the 500th goal of Guardiola's reign, with Phil Foden scoring in a 7-0 triumph over Leeds. Guardiola is far ahead of Jurgen Klopp (234 games), Sir Alex Ferguson (265), Arsene Wenger (271) and Jose Mourinho (271 matches) (289).
Guardiola has a higher points-per-game record in the Premier League than any other notable manager.
He also holds the record for the highest victory % among English top-flight managers.
With this season's title, Guardiola passes Ferguson for second place in Premier League trophies won. It also moves him up the list of all-time English Premier League champions, with only six men ahead of him.
Managers with the most Premier League championships in England
13 Ferguson, Sir Alex (Man Utd)
6Aston Villa's George Ramsey and Bob Paisley (Liverpool)
5Huddersfield & Arsenal's Herbert Chapman, Southampton's Tom Watson, and Liverpool's Matt Busby (Man Utd)
Wolves' Stan Cullis, Liverpool's Bill Shankly, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger, and Manchester United's Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
After Ramsay, Paisley, and Ferguson, Guardiola is only the fourth coach in English Premier League history to win the league four times in five seasons.
City's recent victory adds to Guardiola's incredible record of winning the title in 10 of his 13 seasons as manager of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City.
This is more than any other manager since his debut season at Barcelona in 2008-09, with Massimiliano Allegri's six Serie A titles with AC Milan (1) and Juventus (2). (5).
Klopp vs. Guardiola
Many great athletes have been fueled to greatness in part by the competition given by a bright equal.
Alain Prost had Ayrton Senna, Mohammed Ali had Joe Frazier, Chris Evert had Martina Navratilova. Ferguson used to have Wenger in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp has Guardiola.
They arrived in England nine months apart (Klopp in October 2015, Guardiola in July 2016), but with a ready-made and robust rivalry nurtured in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Guardiola (left) and Klopp (right) met in the German Super Cup for the first time in 2013. Dortmund defeated Bayern 4-2 under Klopp.
Guardiola defeated Klopp five times in two seasons in Germany. Guardiola won two league titles and the DFB-Pokal in 2013-14 (beating Dortmund in the final), but Klopp avenged himself the following season by defeating Bayern in the semi-finals en route to cup victory after also winning the DFL-Supercup at their expense.
In terms of significant trophies won, there is no competition. Guardiola has nine Premier League titles to Klopp's four, however the latter holds the one major award that Guardiola has yet to win at City: the Champions League.
Guardiola has the advantage in Premier League games between the two, with four wins to Klopp's three and five draws (two of which came this season).
These figures will be used by some to minimize Guardiola's accomplishments. It's more difficult to criticize how he spent the money.
Guardiola's big-money transfer successes significantly outnumber his expensive disasters.
City has also sold effectively, obtaining high sums for marginal players and profiting on those players who did not live up to expectations, such as Leroy Sane and Ferran Torres.
Guardiola appears to be nurturing potential through City's academy, as evidenced by the excellent Phil Foden and the promise shown by Cole Palmer.
A trophy-laden, record-breaking history could very well foreshadow a similarly spectacular future.
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