2016-17 Barclays Premier League - Manchester City unveil Pep Guardiola Sunday July 03,2016

The blue half of Manchester on Sunday July 03,2016 celebrated the unveiling of their prized possession, the hugely successful Pep Guardiola as Manchester City's new manager at a fan event.

Pep Guardiola takes to the stage with Kelechi Iheanacho and members of City's Women's and Youth teams

Pep Guardiola poses with the Manchester City 2016-17 home kit behind him at the club's academy base

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss soon captured the attention of everyone in attendance at Etihad Stadium, with as many as 7000 fans cheering for the Spaniard.

"That is why I am here. I proved myself in Barcelona and after I proved myself in Germany I wanted to prove myself in England," he said.

"I cannot do that alone. I need the players, the staff. We need our fans. Without that, it is impossible," he added.

The 45-year-old joined City after three years at Bayern, where he won a hat-trick of Bundesliga titles but failed to reach a Champions League final. But he won the continental title — which has now become a sort of obsession for the heavy spending club — twice as Barca manager.

Pep Guardiola will see his new team take on former club Bayern in a pre-season friendly on July 20 in Munich, before participating in the 2016 International Champions Cup — which will have neighbours United and Borussia Dortmund.

They will play another league rivals – Arsenal – in a friendly on August 7 at Gothenburg, Sweden, before the start of 2016-17 campaign. In their first match of the new season, City host Sunderland on August 13.