Pep Guardiola has joked that the reason he's the king of Europe once again is because of Romelu Lukaku's remarkable miss in the Champions League final.
Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Italian giants Inter Milan from Chelsea, squandered a golden opportunity to equalise against Guardiola's Manchester City in the dying embers of their cagey final clash earlier this month. In the 88th minute, with City leading 1-0 thanks to a thunderbolt from Rodri, the ball kindly fell to Lukaku inside the six-yard box.
The former Manchester United striker looked certain to score and draw Inter level, yet he headed the ball straight at the foot of grateful City goalkeeper Ederson before it bounced out for a corner. It was ultimately Lukaku and his team-mates' best chance of the game, leaving Guardiola hugely relieved on the touchline.
It appears that his sense of relief hasn't dissipated in the 10 days since City clinched their first ever Champions League title - Guardiola's third as a manager - in Istanbul. "I am European champion because a player failed three metres from the goalie," the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is quoted as saying by Marca.
His jibe came when asked about ex-club Barca and how they can build on their own success last season, having won their first LaLiga crown since 2019. "They have won the league and the club knows what they have to do," Guardiola replied. "Xavi and [Barcelona director] Mateu Alemany know much better than me what they have to do. I don't know."
It won't be the last time that Lukaku, 30, is reminded of his Istanbul nightmare, having also failed to do better with a series of other opportunities to score. Fortunately, the Belgium international is still wanted by Inter on a permanent basis, with Chelsea open to selling him just two years after forking out £97.5million for his services in what was a club-record deal at the time.
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Speaking after the stinging final defeat, which ended Inter's hopes of becoming European champions for the first time since 2010, club president Steven Zhang declared of Lukaku: "He showed great attachment to Inter. He loves Inter, that's very clear. He's an amazing guy. But the guy has a contract with Chelsea, so we have to wait to talk to them to understand."
The 30-year-old himself also seems keen to remain at San Siro, telling HLN in May: "I think I did well at Chelsea last season. But I knew then that if it didn't work out at Chelsea, I would still have Inter available. When I re-signed, I knew I belong here. I also have this feeling regarding [former club] Anderlecht. I take this club seriously."
