Champions League final: Manchester City's Pep Guardiola the 'best coach I've seen in my lifetime' says Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand says that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has «transcended the game» and doesn't need the Champions League trophy to be considered a great. The former Manchester United defender was speaking in his role as a pundit on BT Sport in the build-up to Saturday evening's Champions League final between Guardiola's City and Inter Milan. Ad When asked whether Guardiola needs a third Champions League title to cement his place in the history of the game, Ferdinand rejected the notion.

Champions League'Is mum or dad better?' — Guardiola can't say which Man City vintage is best, praises United 99 team13 HOURS AGO He said: «What Pep’s doing, the style of football and how he’s transcended the game and changes the game as and when it suits him. You can’t do anything but respect greatness like that. He doesn’t even need this [Champions League] trophy but it will shut up a lot of people who are chatting a lot of rubbish about how he needs this to be considered great.» For Ferdinand, it's clear that Guardiola has already taken the top spot in the history of the game.

He explained: «I don’t think he needs this. I genuinely think he is the best coach of a football team that I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. Who puts something on the pitch, lays it out and coached them to play a certain way and the whole pyramid of football tried to do it? Centre-backs standing on the corner [of the box] to receive the ball, that’s unheard of.