Pep Guardiola compared Manchester City’s Triple victory to Lionel Messi finally relishing Argentina’s World Cup victory.
- All-time great claimed global crown in Qatar
- City dominated club scene in 2022-23
- Demanding coach will want even more
WHAT HAPPENED? When they defeated Inter in the Champions League final in 2022–23, the Premier League champions—who also won the FA Cup this season—completed an unprecedented collection of titles. For the first time since 2011, Guardiola is in possession of the most coveted award in European football, and he has already exceeded all expectations in Manchester. Guardiola acknowledges that there is a sense of having finished football at the Etihad Stadium, which is similar to the relief experienced by Messi in Qatar when he imitated the efforts of fellow all-time greats Pele and Diego Maradona before him.
WHAT THEY SAID: City boss Guardiola, who enjoyed considerable success while working with Messi at Barcelona, has told Argentine news outlet Ole: “I think the job is done. I don’t want to compare myself, much less with Leo, but there is an image of him in the World Cup that you say ‘that’s it, that’s it’.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Guardiola, like Messi, faced plenty of uncomfortable questions as elusive honours continued to fall agonisingly out of reach, with the Catalan coach admitting that he has suffered in pursuit of continental glory. He added: “Yes, but in previous Champions Leagues, where for example we lost against Chelsea or Real Madrid last year in the semi-finals, or even this year, you always suffer. Look, today we are very happy but we could have tied at the end. Inter could have tied with us and we could have lost. And now we would not be doing this interview and everyone would not be so happy. In the end, sport at this high level is about details.”
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WHAT NEXT? Guardiola is renowned for the relentless demands that he places on his players, so City will be expected to go again in 2023-24 as bids for UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup glory are added to their packed schedule.
