After Pep Guardiola managed Manchester City to UCL glory yesterday and completed a treble in the process, many already saying that the Spaniard has surpassed legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manchester City’s 1-0 UCL final victory over Inter Milan yesterday secured the club their first-ever UCL title. Rodri secured the win with a thunderbolt shot from a loose ball. Inter had many good chances but failed to convert them.
It was also manager Pep Guardiola’s third UCL title after last winning it in 2011 with Barcelona. He is the first manager to win the treble with two different teams and also the first manager to actually win two trebles.
The UCL win also completed a historic treble for the club, becoming only the second English team to do so. The first one to do so is actually their fierce city rivals Manchester United. The treble win now means that City is in an exclusive list of clubs that have won the highly coveted treble win in football history.
Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was previously the only treble-winning manager in England and now with Pep becoming the second, many are questioning whether Pep has surpassed the former Red Devils manager.
First treble with Barcelona
Pep first won the treble with Barcelona in 2009. It was also his first season as a manager which makes the feat even more impressive.
He led Barcelona to win La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the UCL. Barcelona went on to complete a historic sextuple that year, winning all six possible trophies. Including stars like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, and Carles Puyol among others, this team is widely regarded as one of the best in history.
That year, Barca beat Manchester United in the UCL final. It was the first time both Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola faced each other. It also resulted in a 2-0 victory.
Pep later won another UCL with Barcelona in 2011 but failed to win another treble. Again, he had beat Ferguson’s United in the UCL final 3-1. Barcelona however won another treble in 2015 under manager Luis Enrique.
Second treble with Manchester City
From 2011, Pep didn’t win another UCL. He came close with Manchester City in 2021, losing the final to Chelsea 1-0. But two years later, he won his third UCL title with City.
City has been on an absolute steamroll this season. They won both the Premier League and the FA Cup, in dominant fashion.
Pep Guardiola is the first coach ever to win the European treble on multiple occasions 🏆✨
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 10, 2023
Barcelona 2008-09 🏆🏆🏆🔵🔴
Manchester City 2022-23 🏆🏆🏆🔵✨
Pep’s making history. pic.twitter.com/hgnTxSkuLv
Pep Guardiola’s men have also been in incredible form. They have beaten big teams like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and many others like they were nothing. They had one of the best defensive systems in place and had high possession and attacking stats.
City also boasts one of the best football teams in the world right now. They have Erling Haaland in front, with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez. They have the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Foden, and Gundogan in midfield. In the back, with Ederson in goal, they have Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Walker, Stones, and Laporte.
It seems Pep Guardiola has created another monster squad that could go down as one of the best in history.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola head-to-head
Pep and Sir Alex have faced each other just two times, which were UCL finals. Guardiola won both with Barcelona, winning the first in 2009 at Rome 2-0 and the second in Wembley in 2011.
Both times, Manchester United was left humiliated. Pep’s Barca, one of the best teams ever, dominated the Premier League giants both times. Ferguson was even famously seen clenching his fists in anger at such humiliation.
The recent Premier League win also means that Pep equals Sir Alex’s record of winning three consecutive Premier League titles. Winning five in six years, Pep is surpassing Ferguson even in the Premier League. However, Ferguson has 13 titles which will take some time to beat.
Guardiola currently boasts 36 trophies which are only bested by Ferguson’s record of 49 trophies. While Ferguson won the majority of them at United, Pep did it in three teams, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
The question of who is the better manager will keep on raging. Who do you consider as the better manager? Let us know in the comments down below!
