adminPep Guardiola has admitted that his time in charge of Manchester City will not be complete if the Blues don’t win the Champions League.
The 51-year-old penned a two-year extension during the World Cup break that will take him to the end of the 2024/25 season, by which point he will have been in charge at the Etihad for nine seasons.
That will be a remarkable tenure for someone who lasted four years at Barcelona and three years at Bayern Munich, but Guardiola has again underlined how happy he is with the conditions at City.
The Champions League remains the holy grail for him, however. City were beaten finalists in 2020/21 and lost agonisingly in the semi-finals last season, conceding twice in the closing moments to Real Madrid.
They have once again cruised through to the last-16 in the knockout stages this season, with a tie against RB Leipzig in the New Year, and for the first time Guardiola has revealed how desperate he is to win the Champions League with the Blues.
“It’s not the only one, but I admit that’s the trophy that we want. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete my period here if we don’t win,” he said.
“It’s not the only reason I extend my contract. Absolutely not. I couldn’t live, what it means the last 11 months they don’t play the Champions League. Of course, I will do everything in this time we are together and we are going to try, but we try before.
“Of course, it’s the trophy we don’t have and we try to do it. I have the feeling this club, with the people who lead, sooner or later will get it. We tried in the past, the first season in the last-16 we are out. We tried with all our strength and power. Of course, we will try it.” — Manchester Evening News.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter