It was a history-making day for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as he guided the Premier League club to their first-ever UEFA Champions League glory. The Cityzens defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the final at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
Rodri scored the only goal of the match in the 68th minute. City won the treble as they were the Premier League and FA Cup champions in 2022-23 heading into the Champions League final.
The Spanish manager became the first coach to win the treble twice in his career. He previously did it with Barcelona in the 2008-09 season. Guardiola has won the treble with two different clubs, which makes his feat even more compelling.
The Spaniard also became the sixth manager to win the Champions League with two different clubs as a manager. Jose Mourinho (Porto and Inter Milan), Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich and Real Madrid), Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan and Real Madrid), Ernst Happel (Hamburg and Feyenoord), and Ottmar Hitzfield (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund) are the other five managers to do so.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacted to UEFA Champions League final win
While Manchester City have been phenomenal domestically since Pep Guardiola’s arrival, Champions League glory eluded the team. That, however, isn’t the case anymore.
The Spanish coach said he feels relaxed after leading the Sky Blue to their first-ever Champions League glory. Speaking to the media after the Inter Milan clash, the Manchester City boss said (via The Guardian):
“It was written in the stars that we’d win this season – and we did. I’m feeling tired, calm and satisfied. This fu*king trophy is so difficult to win. We knew it would be hard. They are really good. We were anxious in the first half but it was a question of being patient. I told them to be patient.”
Further speaking about the fine margins that helped City win the treble, Guardiola said:
“You have to be lucky, with Ederson at the end, and this competition is [a toss of] a coin. The momentum came from winning the Premier League and FA Cup and now we have this. It was not our best performance. I have no energy to think of next season and we need a break. We will start from zero and it’s our job. Winning the treble is so difficult.”
Manchester City became the first English team since Manchester United in 1998-99 to win the European treble. They have had an amazing set of players with a fixed core for the past few years. The team finally maximized their potential.
Paul Merson predicts the result of Man City vs Inter UEFA Champions League final! Click here