Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to the special mentality of Manchester United's treble winners ahead of the Champions League final in Istanbul this evening.
City are on the verge of replicating the achievement of United's 1999 side. The Blues clinched the Premier League last month as they capitalised on Arsenal's dip in form to retain their title.
Last weekend, Guardiola's men made it two trophies when they beat Erik ten Hag's side in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Should they beat Inter Milan, City will secure the treble.
There has been plenty of debate over whether this season's City side is better than United's 1999 side. In an interview with Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport, Guardiola praised Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements that season.
ALSO READ: Meet the City fans taking over Europe for the Champions League final
"In my opinion what I remember, because I was a little boy, was how good they were," Guardiola explained. "This is my first feeling. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Roy Keane, three or four strikers, [Andy] Cole, [Dwight] Yorke, [Teddy] Sheringham, Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer].
"I remember how good they were, otherwise you cannot achieve it. Apart from the quality they had, you have to be a special mentality, special characters of the team, the manager, the history of Old Trafford.
"These kinds of things always help to do these kinds of things. I don’t know how many years English football is in this world, but for only one team to do it, that means how difficult it is to do it."
READ NEXT:
