
When Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was faced with the question of whether his side were contenders for this year’s Champions League title, he fired back: “Apparently we are not.”
The Catalan coach has a rich history in Europe’s premier club competition. A champion with Barcelona during his playing career in 1992, Guardiola led his boyhood club to two Champions League titles in the space of his first three years as a senior manager. It took Guardiola another 12 years and five semifinal defeats before wrapping his hands around the big-eared trophy with Manchester City in 2023.