Rodri recalls moment he had to calm Pep Guardiola down after Man City Champions League final

Rodri had to tell Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to enjoy the moment on the pitch in Istanbul after firing the team to Champions League glory.

Rodri's winner earned City their first-ever Champions League title and secured the treble for the Blues to end a historic season, which has been improved upon with the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Rodri capped a fine season of his own with the winner in Istanbul, and has been reflecting on his incredible 2023 in an interview with AS.

Recalling the moment City were crowned Champions of Europe, Rodri remembered how Guardiola was trying to talk tactics on the pitch at full time, picking out moments that hadn't gone quite right for the team - with Rodri having to tell his manager to take in the victory and enjoy it.

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Rodri said: "When you achieve something like that your heart opens, you say what you feel. Pep grabbed me with the emotion of the moment. He told me: 'We finally got it.' I remember that we lifted the Champions League and he was still explaining concepts of the game to me, why we had done this well and not that, why we had not found the third man when the ball was released.

"I told him: 'Mister, let's enjoy it, let's enjoy! Let's celebrate it! There will be time for that next year!' Up to that level he is a coach who cares. We deserved the Champions League."

The Spaniard spoke highly of his 'reciprocal' relationship with Guardiola, saying the manager makes the team better, and Rodri is integral to that continuous improvement.

"Pep recently spoke to me about the