Why the 2025 FA Cup Final May Be the Last Hurrah for Manchester City’s Superstar

As Manchester City prepared to face Crystal Palace in the 2025 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, an unusual sense of finality permeated the air. For a club that has dominated English football for the better part of a decade, treating cup finals as merely another fixture in their relentless pursuit of excellence, this particular occasion carried a different weight—a sense of impending closure.

Pep Guardiola’s heartfelt tributes to his players in recent months underscored this sentiment. Statements about Bernardo Silva, Ederson, and Kevin De Bruyne felt less like hyperbole and more like eulogies for an era rapidly approaching its conclusion. The confirmation of De Bruyne’s summer departure crystallized what many observers suspected: the final represented the last hurrah for a generation of players who have rewritten the record books of English football.

A Team for the Ages

Before exploring the uncertain future that awaits Manchester City, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the magnitude of what this group has accomplished. In an age of heightened competition and financial parity among elite clubs, City’s dominance has been extraordinary:

• Four consecutive Premier League titles (2021–2024)
• A 100-point season that redefined excellence
• A domestic treble (Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup)
• The coveted Champions League, FA Cup, and Premier League treble
• Sustained excellence over multiple seasons with different tactical approaches

These achievements were not the product of a single superstar or tactical innovation but rather the confluence of extraordinary talents functioning in perfect harmony. Ederson’s revolutionary distribution transformed how goalkeepers are evaluated. De Bruyne’s combination of physical prowess and technical brilliance set new standards for midfield play. Bernardo Silva’s tactical intelligence and versatility provided the glue that held together various iterations of Guardiola’s system.

What made this team truly special was not just the trophies but the manner in which they were won. At their best, City produced football of mesmerizing quality—possession with purpose, positional fluidity, and tactical innovation that forced every serious competitor to reconsider their approach to the game.

Signs of Change

The first clear indication that City’s golden generation might be approaching its conclusion came not with a player departure but with their uncharacteristic mid-season slump. Between October and March, they won just 11 of 31 matches across all competitions—a stunning deviation from their usual standards. While they stabilized somewhat afterward, occasional performances like the goalless draw at Southampton sparked renewed calls for a squad overhaul.

Now, the departures are becoming official. De Bruyne’s exit has been confirmed, with his farewell set for the final home game of the season. Strong indications suggest Ederson will follow him out the door this summer. Bernardo Silva has been linked with a romantic return to Benfica, while questions remain about the futures of John Stones and Jack Grealish.

Even Kyle Walker, so fundamental to City’s success before his form deteriorated dramatically this season, has already departed on loan to AC Milan—a move precipitated partly by his declining performances and partly by the harsh criticism he received from sections of the fanbase.

The upcoming transition extends beyond the playing squad. Txiki Begiristain, the architect of City’s recruitment strategy since 2012, will hand over directorial duties to Hugo Viana after the Club World Cup. While this handover has been carefully managed, with Viana already working alongside Begiristain since March, any change in leadership brings uncertainty.

The Challenge of Replacement

City have successfully navigated key departures before. When legendary figures like Vincent Kompany, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero moved on, the club found innovative solutions:

• Ruben Dias stepped into Kompany’s leadership void
• Ilkay Gundogan evolved to provide Silva’s metronomic control
• Erling Haaland’s prolific scoring compensated for Aguero’s absence

However, the current transition feels more substantial—not just because of the number of potential departures but because the pipeline of ready replacements appears less certain than in previous years.

Some recent signings have already failed to make the grade, with Kalvin Phillips loaned out after barely featuring. Matheus Nunes has found playing time only by reinventing himself as an emergency full-back. Julian Alvarez showed tremendous promise but has already moved on without a clear successor in place.

The current crop of emerging talents—Jeremy Doku and Savinho on the wings, for instance—show flashes of brilliance but remain unproven at the highest level. At 22 and 21 respectively, they represent the future, but whether they can become the kind of transformative figures that their predecessors were remains an open question.

Building the Next Great Team

City’s approach to this summer’s transfer market will be crucial. Reports indicate interest in several high-profile targets: Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White offers creativity and Premier League experience; Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz represents one of Europe’s most coveted young talents; and AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders has shown the technical and positional attributes that typically thrive in Guardiola’s system.

Securing even one of these players would signal serious intent, but a more comprehensive refresh may be necessary given the scale of the potential exodus. The club will need to balance immediate needs with long-term planning, all while maintaining the competitive edge that has made them perennial contenders across all competitions.

One significant advantage remains: Pep Guardiola himself. The Catalan manager’s decision to extend his contract for two more years provides stability that would otherwise be absent. His presence alone makes City an attractive destination for elite players, and his tactical adaptability has repeatedly enabled the team to evolve without compromising its principles.

The Legacy of City’s Golden Generation

When the history of English football in the 2020s is written, this Manchester City team will feature prominently—mentioned in the same breath as Ferguson’s Class of ’92, Wenger’s Invincibles, and Mourinho’s first Chelsea dynasty. What distinguishes them, perhaps, is the sustainability of their excellence, maintaining an almost incomprehensible standard year after year.

Individual legacies have been secured. De Bruyne will be remembered as one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever midfielders, a player whose combination of vision, technique, and physical prowess made him virtually unstoppable at his peak. Ederson revolutionized goalkeeping, making the position an offensive weapon rather than merely a defensive safeguard. Bernardo Silva’s intelligence and versatility embodied Guardiola’s philosophy better than perhaps any other player.

Collectively, they’ve established Manchester City as a model club—not just successful but innovative, playing football that has advanced the tactical understanding of the game itself. Under Guardiola’s guidance, they’ve proven that dominance and aesthetic beauty need not be mutually exclusive.

One Final Glory?

Which brings us back to the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. For De Bruyne and potentially several of his long-time teammates, it represented an opportunity to add one final chapter to their City stories, to conclude with another trophy lifted into the Wembley sky.

Beyond the immediate stakes of the match itself—which included securing European qualification after a disappointing Premier League campaign—there was a poignancy to this occasion that transcended the usual significance of an FA Cup final. It was a chance for fans to show appreciation for players who have delivered countless moments of joy, and for those players to demonstrate once more why they’ve been considered among the best in the world.

The team’s recent form suggested they had steadied after their turbulent mid-season run, though the drab draw at Southampton offered a reminder of their vulnerability. Crystal Palace provided stern opposition, having shown throughout the season that they could trouble the established elite with their counter-attacking prowess.

Ultimately, the final felt like a watershed moment—the end of one chapter and the prelude to another. The question isn’t whether City can remain competitive; with their resources and infrastructure, that seems assured. Rather, it’s whether the next iteration of the team can achieve the same harmonious blend of individual brilliance, tactical sophistication, and collective spirit that has made the current group so special.

The Next Generation

While much of the focus has understandably been on potential departures, City’s future isn’t entirely uncertain. In Josko Gvardiol, they have a 23-year-old defender who has shown remarkable development throughout his first season in England. His versatility, technical ability, and physical attributes suggest he could become a cornerstone of City’s defense for years to come.

Phil Foden, at 25, has already been transitioning from promising talent to established star. His performances this season, particularly in De Bruyne’s injury absence, demonstrate that he’s ready to assume greater creative responsibility. Having grown up in City’s academy, he embodies the club’s identity in ways that even the most successful imports cannot.