Pep Guardiola might not bring up his half-century. Recent Champions League history suggests he will, given that Manchester City and Real Madrid contrive to face each other every year, at some stage or another. For Guardiola, the former Barcelona ball boy turned manager, in a career that incorporated the captaincy as well, it is a 49th meeting with the arch-enemies.
He played against them 21 times, has managed against them on 27 occasions. Guardiola against Real has felt one of the defining battles of the 21st century. His Barcelona probably rank as the finest side of the millennium; and yet, since he became a coach, he has won three Champions Leagues and Real have won six. That could seem a crushing defeat for his footballing idealism, or merely explain why Guardiola always calls Real “the kings of Europe”.
