Tucked away from the celebrations inside a stadium named after a king stood a throng of Manchester City dignitaries late last Friday night, a few of whom might be deserving of crowns when this era finally ends.
Among them were chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, nonchalantly leaning outside the dressing room congratulating the squad for their latest exploits out in Saudi Arabia, becoming world champions to go with the rest of the titles. Inside, the players sang Queen as Pep Guardiola made sure they all took pictures alongside the year’s five trophies.