Pep Guardiola talked of the need to build on that achievement almost immediately after helping Manchester City win its first Champions League championship.
Real Madrid’s record collection of 14 European Cups seems secure for some time to come, but there are many reasons to think that City will continue to triumph in the tournament.
After all, this was its second championship game in three years.
It was expected that Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium would host Saturday night’s 1-0 victory against Inter Milan. Furthermore, given the riches of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi and Guardiola’s seemingly unquenchable need for excellence, City has the potential to become even more powerful over the next several years.
Michael Jordan is a hero to Guardiola. Guardiola is aware that City’s reputation in Europe rests on continued success, just as one victory wasn’t enough for the legendary Chicago Bulls player, who went on to win six NBA titles.
Madrid has won the Champions League four times between 2014 and 2018, and they will win it one more in 2022. That serves as City’s standard.
Teams who win the Champions League can vanish after one or two seasons, according to Guardiola.
You must stay away from this, I said. I can assure you that this won’t happen.
The fact that City won three trophies this season—the Premier League championship, the FA Cup, and Erling Haaland—came amid a year of change—including the addition of a new striker and a switch to Guardiola’s three-man defense—may be its most stunning feature.
With the likely exits of captain Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, the midfield might undergo more development.
Left rear Midway through the season, Joao Cancelo was sent a loan to Bayern Munich; he may depart there permanently in the coming summer.
Jude Bellingham, an England international, had the attention of Guardiola, but Real Madrid ultimately won the battle to sign him.
One may look for an option, especially if Silva or Gundogan go. City has a premier option in Phil Foden who is prepared for more action than he did this season.
Guardiola is not the sort of manager to remain steadfast, and City’s Abu Dhabi sponsors have regularly given him the money he needs to bolster his squad with the greatest players in the world.
After City was defeated by Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final, Jack Grealish became English soccer’s first 100 million pound (USD 139 million) acquisition.
Haaland, who was sought after by almost every elite club in Europe, joined a group that had just won back-to-back league championships the previous year.
After finally breaking through in the Champions League, Guardiola won’t want to take the chance of going backward. He’ll probably say it to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was there to see City’s pinnacle achievement.
Between Guardiola’s 2011 European Cup victory with Barcelona and his most recent triumph, there was a 12-year gap. He has won this tournament three times and is aware of how difficult it is.
Since the Champions League was renamed in 1992, only Madrid has successfully defended the title, winning it in three straight years from 2016 to 2018.
That is an indication of the calibre needed to rule the European game. Even though City may have ambitious goals, the competition is at an all-time high.
The following list of national teams includes those that might prevent Guardiola’s Man City from repeating as champions in the next season:
SPAIN
Bellingham has already been signed by Madrid in a deal of up to $139 million. A world-class striker is required as a result of Karim Benzema’s decision to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, and Harry Kane of Tottenham has already been mentioned.
Along with Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, Vinicius Junior is one of soccer’s rising talents and a member of the Spanish giant’s newest crop of future “Galacticos.”
After winning the league championship this season, Barcelona is back on top in Spain and will want to build on that success. While it was unsuccessful in re-signing Lionel Messi, it has been connected to transfers for Silva and Gundogan of City.
ENGLAND
Following their qualification for the Champions League, Arsenal, who fiercely competed with City for the Premier League championship, will allegedly look to reinforce by bringing in Declan Rice, a midfielder from West Ham.
Under manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United has advanced by winning the League Cup and making the Champions League. If the club can be purchased soon, it may have a busy summer in the transfer market, with a top striker being the primary priority.
Newcastle is the last English team to participate in the premier European league, and its Saudi owners will undoubtedly want to add more famous players.
The Premier League, which has levied more than 100 allegations of financial impropriety against the club, is another possible concern that City may have to deal with. City is accused of giving false information about its finances during a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018, and the penalties may include losing points or perhaps being kicked out of the top tier of English football. After a UEFA-appointed panel discovered “serious breaches” of financial regulations from 2012–16, City has previously had a two-year suspension from European tournaments reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020. City contests the accusations.
FRANCE
Qatari-backed Following Messi’s departure, Paris Saint-Germain plans to change course in order to achieve the same breakthrough in Europe as City has.
Neymar from Brazil may potentially go since the French champs want to concentrate on up-and-coming talent.
It will be interesting to watch whether a change in approach affects PSG’s fortunes after going the superstar way in the Champions League without success.
GERMANY
Bayern Munich won the German Bundesliga for the 11th consecutive season, although it required a thrilling 89th-minute victory on the last day of the campaign.
Bayern was easily defeated by City in the Champions League quarterfinals, but it has the resources and recruiting know-how to guarantee that it will always be a major power in Europe.
ITALY
On Saturday night, Inter came close to causing one of the greatest surprises in the Champions League Final but fell short versus City. It has a coach in Simone Inzaghi who challenged Guardiola and pushed him to his physical and mental limits.
Inter may very easily succeed again on that basis.
However, Italy’s league champion Napoli was the outstanding club last year and for a while seemed to be a strong candidate to win the Champions League. It will be interesting to watch how it does without inspiring coach Luciano Spalletti, and some of its key players, such Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, and Kim Min-jae, may be sought after by rivals.
