Ilkay Gundogan, the captain of Manchester City, stated that the club should now be regarded as one of the sport’s heavyweight clubs after winning the Champions League to complete a rare triple. At the same time, Jack Grealish, who was overcome with emotion, described manager Pep Guardiola as a “genius.”
After Rodri’s powerful second-half goal against Inter Milan in the final won a 1-0 win and City’s first Champions League trophy on Saturday, players were seen crying after the match. City had already claimed the Premier League and FA Cup titles the previous month.
“Unbelievable. It is hard to find the right words for everything. We created history today,” Gundogan said in an interview with BT Sport. The fact that we were able to win the Champions League places us at the absolute pinnacle of the sport, and this squad is deserving of the greatest honor possible.
“We were quite aware that everyone was discussing the treble. The pressure was there, but this squad is equipped to deal with it in the most effective manner that they possibly can.
Grealish, who joined City from Aston Villa in 2021 for a British record 100 million pounds ($126 million), has been one of City’s top performances this season and was overtaken with emotion after the game was ended. Grealish moved to City from Aston Villa.
“This is what you work hard for throughout your whole life. “I can hardly contain my joy,” Grealish said. “Today I was terrible, but it doesn’t matter to me.
“I have just said to (Guardiola), ‘I want to thank you because you’ve made this happen for me.'” You showed a lot of trust in me by purchasing me for a significant amount of money. Even when I was playing craps the previous year, he remained there with me, and this year, he’s provided me the platform to do so… He’s simply a genius.”
After leading City’s attack with 52 goals this season, striker Erling Haaland has already set his eyes on achieving even greater success in the next campaign. He has warned City’s opponents that a triple would not sate his thirst for silverware.
Haaland responded by saying, “Even in my wildest dreams, I would never think of this.” “After a couple of days, when this emotion of winning this trophy has had some time to settle in, I know that I will want to compete in this tournament again for sure.
“It is imperative that we protect the progress that we have made over the season. That is the way that it operates. Within a month, we will have forgotten everything, and we will need to begin again.”
After being forced off with a hamstring injury in the first half, City’s primary playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was consoled by his teammate Haaland and the rest of his teammates as they helped City get the job done without him.
“It’s what I’ve been fighting for for many, many years,” De Bruyne said to the media. “It’s what I’ve been fighting for for many, many years.” “It’s unbelievable that we were able to do it along with City.
“This is the very first time that anything like this has ever happened at the club. That is one of the ways in which we will forever be connected to the club. It’s definitely one of a kind.”