With jubilation as Manchester City clinched the 2022/23 Champions League title, Coach Pep Guardiola issued a warning to Real Madrid, stating that the 13-time Champions League gap between the two teams would soon be bridged.
In the early hours of this morning (June 11th), Manchester City officially became the champions of the 2022/23 Champions League season after defeating Inter Milan 1-0 with a goal from Rodri. This is the first-ever elephant-eared trophy in the history of The Citizens, a significant accolade that opens a new chapter for the club after 15 years of investment by owner Sheikh Mansour.
In a moment of excitement, the 52-year-old Spanish strategist sent a challenge to Real Madrid, the team with a record 14 Champions League titles, the most in the history of the competition: "Beware, Real Madrid! We are only 13 trophies apart. If you take it lightly, we will catch up. Manchester City is forging its own path!"
Real Madrid is renowned as the "King of the Champions League" with 14 triumphs in this competition. Los Blancos first won the European Cup (also known as the C1 Cup or precursor to the Champions League) in 1956, and most recently claimed their 14th title in 2022. Thus, it took Real 66 years to secure those 14 Champions League trophies.
As for Coach Guardiola, he became the first manager to achieve the "treble" twice. Notably, he accomplished this feat with two different teams. The first time Pep achieved the treble was in the 2008/09 season when he led Barcelona to win La Liga, the Spanish Cup, and the Champions League. And most recently, he secured the historic treble with Manchester City. The sky-blue half of Manchester became champions of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the 2022/23 season.
