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It’s the only glaring omission on his brilliant Manchester City CV.
Pep Guardiola may publicly state that he is not obsessed with winning the Champions League again, but privately he is desperate to turn it into a hat-trick of European titles as a manager.
That, more than anything, was the deciding factor in Guardiola agreeing to sign a contract extension with City that will keep him at the club until at least 2023.
Despite his record success at City, which includes two Premier League titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup, Guardiola’s failure in the Champions League still stands out.
Three consecutive quarter-final outings for City have called Guardiola’s European pedigree into question, despite leading Barcelona to the Champions League in 2009 and 2011.
Both triumphs were inspired by the impressive majesty of Lionel Messi, with Guardiola unable to escape the uncomfortable truth that he has not been able to conquer Europe without the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
(Image: Manchester City FC via Getty Ima)
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Now that Guardiola has committed to two more years, City will do their best to reunite him with Messi, hoping that possibly the greatest player of all time can open the door to the only title that has eluded them so far.
Messi would arguably be the last piece in Guardiola’s puzzle to lead City to European glory, with everything else in place for the 49-year-old to achieve success.
The entire City structure has been built to accommodate Guardiola, and the Catalan knows that there is no other club in the world where he can work with such freedom, without measure or commitment.
He already had a close relationship with CEO Ferran Soriano and sports director Txiki Begiristain from their time working together at Barça, and has a close alliance with President Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
As a City insider put it about the culture within the club, “everyone is a slave to Pep,” and that reverence allowed Guardiola to build a support network that is tailored to his demands and has allowed him to set a new standard in English football.
(Image: Getty Images)
Guardiola is grateful to be able to work unhindered and said his decision to sign a new contract was also largely due to the loyalty the club has shown him, through good times and bad.
“I saw many times in bad times how people here support me,” Guardiola said. “Of course, Ferran and Txiki, but especially Khaldoon, our president, was the main reason I decided to continue.
“We had long talks this week together, we put both sides to continue or not and, in the end, we decided that the best thing for everyone is to continue, because we still have the feeling that there is an unfinished business and there is still something to do – continue what that we have done in recent years.
“I would say that, at this point, the reason I signed the contract is for our president. Especially because of the conversations we had.
(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
“He convinced me that we still have to move on, try to do it, continue what we have done in these incredible last four years together.
“Trying to do it, knowing how hard it will be in the Premier League and in Europe and the desire to, if possible, take a step forward, and for this club to maintain the level that we have achieved in recent seasons.”
“Of course, all managers depend on the results, obviously me too, and we have to win to continue.”
Guardiola has raised the bar to an unprecedented level in English football, with back-to-back title wins achieved with 100 and 98 points, with last season’s champion Liverpool responding with 99 points, having finished runner-up against City on previous year with 97.
Now, following his new contract, Guardiola must transfer that national success to the European stage and deliver the only trophy that he and City are so desperate to get their hands on.
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