'This f****** trophy is so hard to win' - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola delighted after Champions League final win

Pep Guardiola is the master of Europe once again, 12 years since he could last lay claim to that title, after guiding his Manchester City team to the Champions League title in a tense 1-0 win over Inter at Istanbul's Ataturk Stadium. Guardiola, already twice a European champion as manager of Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, has had a long wait for this third title. Ad After defeating Manchester United for the second time at Wembley in 2011, Guardiola reached four consecutive semi-finals with Barcelona and Bayern Munich before a last 16 exit in his first season at City in 2017.

Three straight quarter-final exits followed before the 2021 defeat to Chelsea in the final. Last season saw yet another semi-final defeat, this time to old nemesis Real Madrid, before this season's title was finally won. Champions LeagueFerdinand: Guardiola the 'best coach I've seen in my lifetime'4 HOURS AGO Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Guardiola was in no mood to disguise the pleasure that the victory had brought him.

He said: «I am tired, calm. Satisfied. This f****** trophy is so hard to win.

This competition is a coin (toss). It was written in the stars. It belongs to us.” Speaking about the match itself, Guardiola was typically gracious of a vanquished foe, saying: „They are really, really good.

They bring you up, they find the striker, they run. We had a free man in Stones but we were anxious, and we couldn’t find him. “I think we are defending better in the box, we are not making mistakes as much, we are more solid.

We had momentum. We maybe were not at our best level. After the World Cup the team made a step forward.» Still plainly in ecstasy, Guardiola continued: «We're going to celebrate in the hotel with family and friends.