Jamie Carragher has qualified Manchester City's success by reminding people of Manchester United's spend amid suggestions Pep Guardiola's success is purely down to money.
The team from the Etihad underlined their quality as they eased past Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, putting on a masterclass to secure their spot in the final next month. City are chasing a first-ever European Cup, which could yet form part of a historic treble.
The Premier League can be wrapped up this weekend should they beat Chelsea at the Etihad whilst they're in the FA Cup final, where rivals United lie in wait. City's success has been built on the billions of their Abu Dhabi owners, which has made them regular contenders.
Carragher though has referenced the millions spent by other clubs to highlight how a mammoth spend is no guarantee of success. United themselves have spent a similar amount as City over the past decade, but have little to show for it and are currently miles behind their neighbours.
The pundit said in the Telegraph: "Every compliment for City's football is met with a steady bombardment of messages on social media regarding the 115 charges against them for alleged breaches of spending rules. People are demanding pundits like me caveat every positive comment with a negative reference to Financial Fair Play.
"Those demands have grown over the last 12 months. Arsenal fans feel the same as Liverpool's during their narrow title losses, and Manchester United's have become more vociferous as their treble looks like it will no longer be unique. Real Madrid's heavy defeat is likely to lead to a response from them on and off the pitch, with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe on their wanted list this summer. There is always going to be a reaction from rivals when one team is dominant.
"That does not alter the fact it is Guardiola's presence on top of the financial backing which makes City so good. They were nowhere near this level under Roberto Mancini or Manuel Pellegrini.
"If it was solely about the money, Manchester United would not be so far behind having paid more for players since Ferguson's retirement, and Paris Saint-Germain would be delivering similar standard performances."
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure United have spent huge sums on the likes of Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Maguire and Antony yet their Carabao Cup triumph earlier this season was their first piece of silverware since 2017.
City meanwhile, who too have invested heavily in the likes of Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Rodri and Ruben Dias over the same period, are set to claim a fifth league title in six years under Guardiola whilst they've regularly picked up domestic cups.
