Guardiola says Champions League title needed to ‘complete’ City stint

Pep Guardiola has insisted his time as manager of Manchester City will “not be complete” if he fails to win the Champions League.

Guardiola has won nine major trophies, including four English Premier League titles, as City manager but he is yet to bring European club football’s most prestigious trophy to the Etihad Stadium.

The 51-year-old guided Barcelona to two Champions League titles when manager of the Spanish giants, having won the European Cup as a player with the club in 1992.

But the Spaniard’s best finish in the competition during six full seasons at City came when they were runners-up in 2021 after losing 1-0 in the final to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Guardiola, who last month extended his City contract until the end of the 2024/25 season, is determined to bring the club just their second major continental trophy after they won the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1970. 

It’s not the only one but I admit it’s the trophy we want, and of course my period here will not be complete if we don’t win it,” said Guardiola of the Champions League.

“That’s not the only reason I extended the contract, absolutely not, but I will do everything in the time we have together, and we are going to try — but I’d say the same as we tried before.

“It’s the trophy we don’t have and we’ll try to do it.”

City, semi-finalists last season, will resume their quest to win the Champions League against RB Leipzig in the last 16 in February.

Guardiola, who joined City after a spell at German giants Bayern Munich, had no doubts about committing his future to the club.

“First of all, I want to say thank you for the confidence they have in me,” he said. “It will be difficult to repay the confidence they have shown me in these many years. It was difficult for me to reject them.

“We will continue to try to do our best. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to this club for having me here.”