Pep Guardiola shrugged off the idea that he could write an enormous chapter in the history of Manchester City by guiding the club to its first Champions League triumph.
The Blues boss helped spark a dynasty at Barcelona as a player by helping them to their first victory in competition, at Wembley in 1992 – and they have won it four times since, two of them under his control.
But Guardiola dismissed the question by stating that there are others at the club who deserve to reach the European climax more than he does.
Unsurprisingly, longtime servants David Silva – whose career from the City will end after this tournament – and Sergio Aguero stepped off his tongue soon enough, in terms of more deserving winners.
But the other two names he mentioned were a little more surprising.
He joined Nicolas Otamendi, also expecting to leave the Blues once this season ends, after six years of service – and perhaps this factor has prompted Guardiola to name him as a worthy recipient of a winner’s medal.
He mentioned how Otamendi, who has disappeared from the early XI but is a talented Argentine international and a respected figure in the squad, was a big voice in the dressing room before the 2-1 win in the Real Madrid was on Friday night.
The fourth player was Fernandinho, another who has played more than 300 games for the club.
Asked about making history, just as he did as a player, Guardiola said: ‘We will try, as every season. It’s not about me – David Silva deserves it more than anyone else, Sergio too.
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‘Or Nico, how he sat in the locker room for the match, supported his teammates and played the last five or ten minutes to help us.
‘And Fernandinho – who wants the same level … we’ll try.
“If you beat Madrid, you are normally in the final and lift the trophy, but we were in the last 16 and have a long way to go.”
City will travel to Portugal at the end of the week, but Guardiola says they will not hunt in their hotel rooms between games, with their own tournament spread over nine days, when they make the final.
He said they aim to enjoy their time in Lisbon, treat it like a world championship and aim to laugh their way to success.
“When you arrive at this stage and see the players’ desire to win and move on, it’s just to have fun,” he said. ‘I know they will be targeted, will be incredibly well prepared and will be ready to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
“We just can not stay nine or ten days in our rooms in Portugal, just wait for the moment. We should try to make walks, and have good dinners and lunch together – and of course training. Then after that we try to defeat them. “
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