That moment between Pep Guardiola and Harry Arter will be etched forever in the memories of anyone who witnessed it.
Manchester City ground out a tough 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Satdium on Monday night, but the game itself wasn’t the main focus of discussions after the final whistle blew.
Instead, it was the touching moment involving the Guardiola and Arter that was dominating all the post-match talk.
The City boss went straight for the Republic of Ireland international when the referee blew the whistle, shook his hand, pulled him in for a hug and whispered into his ear before sharing a joke and walking off with their arms around one another.
More than just a game https://t.co/4M5EC7L5Iq
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 13, 2017
The microphones didn’t pick up what Guardiola said, and the cameras certainly couldn’t catch what he whispered, but Bournemouth have revealed that the Spaniard wished Arter and his partner well ahead of the birth of their child.
It was a particularly powerful gesture from Guardiola as the couple lost their first child, Renee, in tragic circumstances in 2015. Arter has ’10-12-2015,’ the date of Renee’s birth, tattooed onto his forearm to mark her memory.
👏
From Pep to @HarryArter2, a touch of class…
"He gave me and my partner his best wishes ahead of the birth of our child."#afcb 🍒 pic.twitter.com/BEu0MaRbBK
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) February 13, 2017
