PEP’S PERFECTION Sheikh sees Guardiola genius crowned
IT WAS so special even Sheikh Mansour bothered to show up to witness it.
Okay, so he had waited until his Manchester City were nailed-on to win the biggest club prize of all.
And 1,800 miles in a private plane from Abu Dhabi is no great hardship, either.
Not when the end result is a moment in time like this, thanks to one swing of Rodri’s cultured right boot.
An historic, game-changing triumph that catapulted City from European wannabes into footballing folklore and confirmed Pep Guardiola’s coaching genius.
It takes something special to persuade Mansour to leave his own kingdom for a football match.
Prior to landing in Istanbul last night he had attended just one game since buying the club back in 2008.
But he didn’t want to miss the climax of an endless dream.
The coronation of a footballing king and his wonderful team.
City have risen to become the dominant force in the English game under Mansour’s stewardship, winning seven Premier League titles in the past 12 years and five of the last six.
But the bankroller had come to see the final piece slotted into the most expensive jigsaw ever built.
Mansour has ploughed more than £2billion of his personal fortune into transforming a club from mediocre failures into the dominant force.
They’ve won the last three top-flight titles and 16 major trophies under the state ownership, quite a body of work.
But winning the European Cup remained the chapter even Mansour’s billions hadn’t helped City manage to write.
Challenging the status quo of the continent has been the ultimate goal all along.
To join the top table the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United have all eaten at for decades.
European Cups are what have – and will continue to – define all of those elite giants named above.
But City have earned the right to finally lift the trophy and heal all those scars suffered on the long road to get here.
Having taken charge in 2016, Guardiola got to scratch the sevenyear itch which had reduced him to a mere mortal when it came to succeeding in Europe.
Yes, there is an elephant in the room – and who knows how big it will become?
There is the pending domestic investigation into allegations of financial rule breaches, while City saw a European ban for breaking FFP rules overturned in 2020.
So this was also a victory for a petro-state and some will never be able to accept it.
But on the pitch this season, Guardiola’s side have looked like a million dollars.
City have lost just one of their last 27 games in all competitions, went through the Champions League unbeaten and have a fabled three trophies to show for a truly astonishing campaign.
Guardiola is now a footballing immortal.
He admits he will be a “Mancunian for life” and whatever happens in the future, his place in the city’s fabric is now assured.
A statue will follow.
So step aside Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and the rest of the managerial greats.
There is only one “Special One”. He comes from Spain but he now belongs to the blue half of Manchester.