By Robert Wheeler
- Man City win the Champions League
- Guardiola’s side complete the treble
- Rodri scores the winning goal
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – Manchester City are treble winners after they defeated Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time.
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This Manchester City side will go down in history as one of the greatest teams ever. They have finally won the Champions League which they can add to the Premier League title and FA Cup win this season. They can celebrate winning the treble on an open-top bus parade in their city.
The match will not go down as a classic and Pep Guardiola‘s side did not blow Inter Milan away in the way fans were expecting. However, Rodri‘s goal in the 68th minute was enough to see off the Italian side.
Completing the treble was last done by a British team in 1999. It will now be debated whether that Manchester United side of 24 years ago is as good as the current City team. Guardiola was pleased to now have won three trophies just like Sir Alex Ferguson did with the Red Devils. On the BBC, he said,:
“It is an honour for me to be alongside Sir Alex Ferguson. I got a message from him this morning and it is an honour.”
Of course, City have the financial backing to put together such a great team but Guardiola deserves a lot of credit for making them what they are. The way he has transformed John Stones into a midfielder is genius and shows the Spanish coach’s innovation. Guardiola’s only fault is that he can overthink, which has been why they have not won the Champions League before. Thankfully he has learnt his lesson from the 2021 final where he bizarrely left Ilkay Gundogan out of the starting lineup.
Although he did not get on the scoresheet today, Erling Haaland finished the season with 52 goals in 53 games. If he keeps this up, he will be regarded as the best player in the world. Lionel Messi has decided to go to MLS and Cristiano Ronaldo is now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia. European football needs a new talisman and Haaland is filling their boots comfortably.
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport:
“Immortal, statues galore, They have earned it. The scary thing for the rest of Europe is the relentless appetite. This feeling, if you could bottle it, you become addicted to it. It would not surprise me if they are here next year.”
City already has statues of Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva outside the Etihad Stadium but there is definitely room for more legends to stand alongside them.
It just goes to show how good Guardiola’s side is that someone so synonymous with the red half of Manchester is paying so much tribute to City. Now they have won the Champions League for the first time, City could go on to dominate the competition just like they have down with the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
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