Pep Guardiola: Players will be remembered for the rest of their lives

CHAMPIONS: Manchester City's Erling Haaland with the Champions League trophy. Pic: PA

"It was written in the stars. It belongs to us,” said Pep Guardiola in the early hours of Sunday morning as Manchester City’s Champions League - and treble - celebrations roared into full swing at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

Perhaps. Or, perhaps, as cynics, and Manchester United supporters, would doubtless respond, it was also written in thousands of pages of legal documents that brought City to this point in the wake of mountains of allegations brought against them over alleged financial fair play irregularities.

After all, it took a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a two-year UEFA ban that would have excluded City from even playing in this competition in 2020.

And there are still 115 charges hanging over City from a Premier League inquiry that will, doubtless, still take many years to conclude.

For those looking to find fault in the Abu Dhabi “project,” the billions of dollars of petro cash that has fuelled City’s rise to the top of world football, there is still plenty to go at - for critics, this will always be the “asterisk” treble.

But for the hundreds of thousands of City loyalists, for whom sports washing and human rights is irrelevant when compared to football silverware, this was the culmination of a project of pure fantasy football.

Yes, the nervy win over Inter Milan, courtesy of Rodri’s superb second half strike, probably did not belong in the top 25 performances that Guardiola and City have served up in this season alone. In terms of its significance, however, this was earth-shattering, a potentially epoch-changing moment that may, in years to come, prove to be the moment that football saw a seismic and permanent shift towards the Middle East investment funds currently following into the sport.

Forget this performance and a victory only guaranteed by two spectacular late saves from Ederson that preserved his clean sheet and the first treble in English football since United in 1999. The real statement games in this European season had come in the previous two rounds when City simply swept aside, arguably, the two pre-eminent powers of European football in Bayern Munich and Real Madrid with almost contemptuous ease.

Relegated Southampton, lest we forget, are the only team to have beaten City in a cup competition this season, when their Carabao Cup win denied Guardiola the quadruple.

And, if it is possible to ignore the sub-plot behind City’s extraordinary 11 years since their first Premier League title, then Guardiola and his players deserve the credit for a season of dominance that not even United, 24 years ago, could claim to have enjoyed.

"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," said Guardiola.

"People say I have to win trebles every season. I am a good manager, but no. I like this competition for the fact we won it, it is part of history and players will be remembered for the rest of their lives.

"But now give credit for the five Premier Leagues won in six years. It is important now that people don't forget what we have done. Maybe they can create a museum so the fans can look at the trophies."

In truth, the museum should be founded in honour of Guardiola alone, for he, more than any other individual, is the inspiration behind the creation of this juggernaut of a team.

Erling Haaland, all 52 goals of him, and Kevin De Bruyne were non-factors in this latest win, after all, with the Belgian playmaker forced off after half an hour with a hamstring injury.

But even sub-par, City still had enough in the tank to succeed, thanks to a crisp shot from Rodri, starting his 52nd game of the season for City, out of the 60 they have played. In all Guardiola’s illustrious coaching career, only one player - Lionel Messi - has started more games in a single season, with the Argentinian hitting 57 in 2011-12.

"Emotional. A dream come true,” said Rodri. “The last years we were so close and it wasn’t easy. Finals are like this. You can't expect to play well as always. Emotions and nerves are there. But we competed like animals. We want more. More ambition. It's a dream. This moment will never happen again. We hope next year but we deserve to celebrate.” 

Indeed, like the true champions they are, thoughts were already turning to next season and the defence of three trophies.

And that was the sobering thought for City’s rivals as the second treble of Guardiola’s career sinks in. Yes, there will be upheaval, with veteran midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva seemingly heading for new clubs, but money will clearly be no object.

There is also the prospect of what Haaland, still only 22, can become, after ending the season with one goal in his last eight games - the worst run of his career.

"We have a good relationship and I look forward to next season to develop even more,” said Haaland of working with Guardiola. “To be getting trained by him every single day, the best coach in the world, is a good place to be."

That is the reality of City as they enter a big summer of personnel decisions: as long as Guardiola is at the helm, the sight of sky blue ribbons tied to trophy handles is going to become an ever-normal way of life in England, and beyond.

MAN CITY (3-2-4-1): Ederson 7; Akanji 6, Dias 6, Ake 6; Stones 9 (Walker 82), Rodri 8; Silva 7, De Bruyne 6 (Foden 35, 7), Gundogan 5, Grealish 6, Haaland 6. 

Subs not used: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Perrone, Palmer, Lewis.

INTER MILAN (3-5-2): Onana 6; Darmian 6 (D’Ambrosio 84), Acerbi 6, Bastoni 6 (Gosens 76, 6); Dumfries 7 (Bellanova 76, 6), Barella 7, Brozovic 5, Calhanoglu 6 (Mkhitaryan 84), Dimarco 8; Martinez 6, Dzeko 5 (Lukaku 56, 6). 

Subs not used: Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, De Vrij, Correa, Asllani, Skriniar.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) 7.