Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City’s Champions League victory was “written in the stars”.
The club conquered the continent for the first time, adding an elusive European crown to go along with the raft of domestic honours they have lifted over the last 15 years.
City were far from at their best in Istanbul but Rodri’s second-half strike, the goal City have been chasing for 15 years, was enough to overcome the challenge of Inter Milan.
Guardiola now equals Zinedine Zidane and Bob Paisley on three Champions League/European Cup victories and moves behind Carlo Ancelotti’s all-time record of four.
It is the crowning glory for the former Barcelona manager, who had attracted almost constant criticism for his record in the competition after his departure from the Camp Nou in 2012.
City’s remarkable run after the World Cup has ended in one of the most unique achievements possible, with Manchester United the only other English team to have won a treble.
"Tired. Calm. Satisfied,” he told BT Sport.
“It’s so difficult to win it.
"They are really good. Be patient, I said at half-time. You have to be lucky. Ederson or they miss it, they could draw. This competition is a coin.
"It was written in the stars. It belongs to us.”
