Manchester City win the Champions League to complete the treble

Manchester City complete a historic treble with victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final. Rodri the match winner as City win the Champions League for the first time and become the sixth English side to win European football's biggest prize. Pep Guardiola underlines his status as one of the greatest managers of all time after sealing a second treble. Good evening and welcome to Sky Sports News on a famous night for Manchester City. 15 years after Sheikh Mansour bought the club, City finally lift the European Cup and they've become just the second team in English football history to win the treble following the footsteps of Manchester United in 1999. Delight then for the fans in Manchester as Rodri scored the goal that sealed a first Champions League trophy for Manchester City. And over to Milan at the San Siro the mood less than joyous. Inter fans devastated they couldn't ruin Manchester City's treble. But after near misses and absurd exits Manchester City are finally European champions and treble winners. It was Rodri who scored the only goal in a one-nil win over Inter Milan. We'll be speaking to our chief reporter Carver Solicol very shortly indeed but before we do so, for Manchester City player Keith Curd has been watching it all agonising 90 minutes but in terms of how this match was won you said it might come down to a mistake but it came down to a clinical finish from one of their most dependable players. Yeah I think he's had a fantastic season as have all the players at City. I think everybody will say now it wasn't the final that they expected. I think credit will go to Inter Milan because I think they made it very very difficult. City will be slightly disappointed, Pep will be slightly disappointed because of the standards that he sets about some of the passes that went astray that made the game more difficult for them but City showed a resolve today that's finding another way to win. You've got to say Edison has won in the cup with the two fantastic saves. Well I mean we should talk about that shouldn't we because in terms of taking chances, Rodri took his when he was given that opportunity. It opened up for him, he curled it around the two Inter men in his way but there were some great chances after that for Inter Milan weren't there? Again and it's not just City, I think any team are fragile or can be frail where the ball's coming in the box and there's a willingness and the opposition's getting numbers into the box and that was shown today. Every time the ball was going into wide areas I'm saying you've got to stop the cross, you've got to stop the cross because it's a goal scoring opportunity. Edison today came out, made two great saves, took the pressure off when was needed again and I didn't think he started the game the best. Well I was going to say he was jittery, I mean he made a little bit of a kind of you know uncertain start shall we say and you know I remember he booted the ball into the gods and it was you know he was playing passes that perhaps weren't as secure as he normally is expected to make but in terms of keeping cool heads, who were the other players that you looked to who did actually deliver that and once City settled down they were the ones who led on the pitch? I've got to say Gündoğan again he's a player that can go slightly unnoticed but he does he makes good decisions, Silva. Apart from scoring volleys in cup finals but yeah I know what you mean, he runs the game but in his own quiet understated way. I was glad when Kyle Walker came on at the end he gives me that assurance and I think he gives other players that assurance with his recovery runs and his dynamic pace again but no again I think there's a team ethic, there's a togetherness not only of the team of the football club which I think is vitally important, everybody is on the same page. Well you mentioned Edison there, you mentioned Rodri, we should also mention two players that went off the field of play before the 90 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne crucially in that first half, how much might that have rocked City and Inter at one point felt like they were in the game and maybe could have made even more of a contest because of that? And I think it happened just as Kevin went off I think that gave Inter a lift thinking well one of the pieces of jigsaw from the City team is now missing but again Phil Foden he's not a bad replacement is he so when he came back in but again Kevin De Bruyne missing gave them a lift then City needed to readjust and I think as it happens Phil Foden could have scored, could have made the difference. Had a great chance didn't he, threw on goal Andre Inanna with a comfortable save away to his left and also just a word for John Stones because you know he's had this incredible you know a different season where he's transitioned into this sort of hybrid position in between the sort of a centre-back and a midfielder, how do you feel that this what will this mean to him especially given that context? Excellent I think he's probably the one that the last five six minutes of the game I want John Stones on the pitch because you know his bravery, his personality, his determination, his aerial ability, his physicality in the box you want the John Stones in the team you don't want him studying the dugout watching the last couple of minutes you know because he would go and put his head on it. But again first off and this is just a personal opinion I think he played a little bit too far forward because then on the transitions too quickly Inter were able to get 3v3, 4v3 at times and you're saying well John you're going to be a defensive midfield player not an attacking midfield player. Stay right there Keith we'll come back to you in a moment let's go live now to Istanbul and to the Esoteric Olympic Stadium and join our chief reporter Kaveh Solokov. Kaveh what about what this result means, the magnitude of this win, this triumph and to finally lift that trophy that they've so craved? Yes I mean if you're a Manchester City supporter it does not get better than this. Manchester City have become only the second English team to win the treble they have emulated what their great rivals Manchester United did back in 1999 and you have to keep in mind that when Manchester United won the treble 24 years ago Manchester City were actually in the third tier a couple of days after United won the treble they played in the Division One I think it was called in those days which was basically the third level playoff against Gillingham and they were 2-0 down with a few minutes left so it's been an incredible journey for some of these Manchester City supporters who've been there for the whole time back to when City used to play at Main Road back to when Manchester City were almost a joke people used to refer to Main Road as the theatre of a comedy. I used to remember that phrase being used on the radio when I used to listen to radio commentaries from Main Road but look an incredible achievement a perfect season as far as City supporters are concerned they won the league Arsenal pushed them a lot of the way but in the end they won the title pretty comfortably FA Cup final as well they didn't really have to be at their best to beat Manchester United and this evening I think it was a little bit harder than a lot of people thought it was going to be because I thought Inter Milan played very very well indeed but you never got the feeling that Inter were going to win this game because Manchester City just looked so dangerous going forward and yet again you see the strength and depth they've got on the bench with players like Phil Foden coming in and you have to say that over the 90 minutes it was fully deserved and over the course of the season the treble fully deserved. Let's talk about that word because it's been the one the T word that Manchester City fans have been hoping for for such a long time and for Pep Guardiola the second time he's achieved it after doing it with Barcelona in 2009 what's the significance of this for Pep? Well look everybody knows already that he's the best coach in the world I mean what he does with players the way he innovates the way he improves already brilliant players is quite remarkable and the funny thing about the technical area at this stadium behind me it was so big that Pep Guardiola at times almost seemed like he was taking part in the game both him and Simone Inzaghi were involved from the very first second to the last second he was animated he was arguing with his players he was urging the Manchester City supporters to turn up the volume and back their supporters more but I don't think Pep Guardiola's reputation rested on what happened here tonight even if City had lost I'm pretty sure that they would have gone and won the European Cup at some point under Pep Guardiola because they are just such a great side such a great squad and in Pep Guardiola of course they have one of the greatest managers of all time and how much relief will there be amongst the people who own Manchester City because this is the reason they brought in Pep Guardiola they finally got the pot they won yes I mean I think it was very significant that Sheikh Mansour the Manchester City owner was here to side for only the second time since he bought the club in 2008 I think he watched them back in 2010 when they beat Liverpool 3-0 in a Premier League game he had not watched Manchester City in the flesh since then except I think for a couple of friendlies in the UAE but he was here this evening I'm sure he'll be very delighted and you have to keep in mind as well looking back all those years when he did buy Manchester City I think he only spent about 200 million pounds and at the moment they're so what he has done is remarkable of course lots of managers before Pep Guardiola have won the title at City as well I'm thinking of Roberto Mancini I'm thinking of Manuel Pellegrini as well but Pep Guardiola has really taken them to another level and now they joined that select group of English clubs who have lifted the European Cup I'm thinking of course of Liverpool I'm thinking of Manchester United I'm thinking of Chelsea I'm thinking of Aston Villa I'm thinking of Nottingham Forest who did it twice under Brian Clough and let's not forget Celtic as well because they were the first British side to lift the European Cup as well so dream come true for City supporters dream come true for the players Pep Guardiola his coaching staff and of course the people who run and own Manchester City and in some ways especially as far as personnel's been concerned Kabe it's been a season of transition for City letting the likes of Zenchenko and Gabriel Jesus go and then of course Raul Cancelo but clearly one of the key moves was bringing in Erling Haaland 52 goals in all competitions this season not on the score sheet tonight but I mean you talk about taking City to another level this is a man who's done exactly that isn't he it is I mean the impact he's had on English football has been incredible and he didn't score tonight as you mentioned this is his longest ever goal drought in the Champions League this is the first time he's gone three full games without scoring a goal and I think his goal scoring record at the end of this season has been pretty poor by his standards I think he's only scored once in the past eight games but 52 goals in 53 games I mean he has done exactly what Pep Guardiola wanted from him his impact has been incredible I know there were a few doubts at the beginning of this season people were scratching their heads and wondering whether he could fit into Manchester City's style of play whether he was Pep Guardiola's kind of player well he silenced all those critics because he's had an incredible season and he didn't score tonight but he was still a real handful for Inter's defence the way he stretches their three centre-backs creating space for some of City's other players to do what they're good at I've just got to say a word as well about Inter Milan because a lot of people didn't expect them to do very much at all this evening but I thought they played very very well indeed and I think the key moment for them I think it was in the 88th minute right at the end of the game where they had that golden chance that fell to Romello Lukaku he had a free header just a couple of yards out all he had to do was place that header either side of Edison but unfortunately he headed it down straight at Edison if that had gone in if that had gone in there's a very very good chance that the game would have ended 1-1 and we would be playing extra time at the moment so I know City are going to dominate all the headlines rightly so an incredible achievement to win the treble but let's not forget Inter Milan as well because I thought they played exceptionally well this evening and what about in terms of the the state of play in Europe as a whole in the last five Champions League finals three of them have been won by English sides Liverpool in 2019 Chelsea in 2021 and Manchester City this time around we've also had three runners-up who have been English as well Tottenham in 2019 City in 21 and Liverpool last season when they lost to Real Madrid in Paris is there any at all any discussion of the fact that being the Premier League is the strongest league of the world but also the English sides are now regularly consistently you know the very top teams in this competition as well yeah we're going almost back to the sort of 80s when late 70s and 80s when English clubs used to dominate the European Cup as it was called in those days yes of course you speak to anybody in football and they will tell you that when it comes to the world leagues the Premier League is by far the strongest the most watched the most popular the richest league as well and quite a lot of the other big clubs in Europe are scratching their heads wondering what they can do to compete with these big Premier League clubs a lot of people of course watch the kind of football that Manchester City play they admire it they admire what Pep Guardiola has done but at the same time they look at it and think we just can't compete with this we cannot spend the same kind of money that clubs like Manchester City Manchester United Chelsea have been spending but I think it would be a mistake to characterize Manchester City's achievements under Pep Guardiola as being just down to money yes of course a lot of money has been spent at Manchester City I think since Sheikh Masoud bought the club their net spend has been more than any other club in the world but in the past few years they have been bringing that down other clubs like Manchester United have been spending more money than them but European clubs you know the aristocrats of European football clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus even PSG financially at the moment cannot compete with not just Manchester City but lots of other clubs in the Premier League as well and that is one of the reasons why people were going around trying to set up a European Super League because they want to figure out a way to compete with the power of the Premier League I think a lot of people will be hoping look we had phases in the past where for instance Serie A was the strongest league in the world then we had La Liga dominating with Real Madrid and the great Barcelona sides and now it's the turn of the Premier League at the moment it looks like it's going to last forever but who knows what's going to happen in the future. Carvey that cheer that you would have heard behind you is for the trophy lift Manchester City and the squad are there on the podium and they have lifted that trophy and the man with the cup in his hands is the Manchester City club captain Ilkay Gundogan but perhaps you know not wanting to to put any kind of downer on this but obviously his future is very much in question isn't it and and it doesn't seem certain that he will be at the club beyond the summer? I don't think it's certain as far as Manchester City are concerned as far as Pep Guardiola are concerned they want him to stay but the problem they've got is that he's going to be out of contract and lots of other clubs want him as well he's been linked with Arsenal he's been linked with Barcelona I've been reading reports that PSG would like to sign him as well but look let's not take anything away from this glorious moment in his career he's behind me in that stadium as you said lifting the European Cup I think if something can be organized between his representatives and Manchester City it would if he was to sign a new contract at Manchester City and prolong his stay at the club that would be the end of a perfect season for Ilkay Gundogan I think and also for Pep Guardiola because he's made no secret of the fact that he wants Gundogan to stay and just finally as we as we see pictures now of the entire city backroom staff everyone who works for the team with the team with those players they're gathered around the trophy I mean it seems that they've created something so very special here Carvey it is a bit of a dynasty isn't it when you think of five Premier Leagues in six seasons now this domestic and European travel which hadn't been done for 24 years but how how do City follow this and how do they match this level of intensity and success and attainment when it comes to next season and the seasons that follow well look I think the great sides lift the European Cup more than once there's no reason why this should be the end of a cycle at Manchester City Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he wants to stay at City for a long time you know clubs like Inter for instance have won the European Cup three times Liverpool have won it six times you know Nottingham Forest won it twice I'm sure Manchester City going forward are going to try and win the European Cup again and again and again and there's no reason why they won't if they keep the same nucleus of the squad they have in place which I think they're going to if Pep Guardiola stays which he's definitely going to stay the owners are not going to go anywhere the chief executive the director of football are all people who work in perfect harmony with Pep Guardiola so unfortunately for City's rivals their competition I think this dynasty in European football is just beginning because you don't really have to have a very vivid imagination to imagine City lifting this trophy again and again and again Carvey Solikol our chief reporter live in Istanbul at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium thank you very much indeed for the moment well let's get some further reflections from the former Manchester City player Keith Curl who's still in the studio just just soaking up this this moment watching all of those celebrations listening to what Carvey had to say what in your mind is the significance of this moment of this triumph finally that European Cup for Manchester City that they've wanted for so again I think it's part of part of the club's journey part of Pep and the club's journey two things that stood out to me after the game final whistle's gone all the players and the staff they're on and they're celebrating the the camera's cut to Pep and he's talking tactics with one of his coaches he's just won the Champions League and he's talking tactics about the game then when the when the players have lifted the cup and they're enjoying the celebrations Pep takes a step aside and claps the players he appreciates the work that they've done for him but as well as it's that that acknowledgement from the manager to the players and being prepared to say well done chaps you've done what I needed you to do that not only game in game out throughout the season to win the treble and he's prepared to stand there and applaud them it's not always been the case that Pep Guardia has made the soundest decisions in these kind of matches before we know about the the defeat to Chelsea two years ago those semi-final defeats as well particularly the likes of Leon the Covid season Monaco before as well but what do you think he's got right this season when it's come to making those key decisions both tactically and in terms of managing this squad? I think trust which is probably a misunderstood word or overused word in football trust and honesty and I think he's got that in abundance with the players it with his relationship with the players and with the football club again yeah yeah he's a coach players make mistakes but coaches take the responsibility of players making mistakes now if you go into a game and he has a game plan and it doesn't work um does that is that a failure no his game plan on that day didn't work he's an excellent manager he's an excellent man manager he's a coach and a manager that you that you think every player would love to play for he's had those challenges though this season so for example João Cancelo and obviously clearly a fallout between player and coach or coaching staff or you know that it was clear he needed to move on but then equally there was there was talk towards the end of the season about potentially relationship with Kevin De Bruyne because he wasn't starting as many games not getting as many as many minutes how difficult is that to to be able to manage that across a squad of such talent and so many players who all could walk into any other team I've done it in a few interviews that I've had prior to uh not only to this game to a few games how he manages egos players egos it's one of those sign for me sign for the football club park your ego and leave it in the car park when you come in this is how we work this is how I work as a manager this is your expectations are and I think those are laid out before a player even puts pen to paper and when you think of what Manchester City have been sort of building and and the momentum over the last few years you know reaching that Champions League final two seasons ago now getting over the line and this domestic treble how excited are you about what more could come because as Carver was saying this doesn't need to be the end oh it could just be the beginning I don't I don't think it will be the end I think again I think there will be a journey for this football club for these players and the management staff to go on that will see more and more consistent success are you expecting there to be many changes I mean Carver was saying there about keeping the nucleus of the squad there has been some transition this season of course they let the likes of Sinchenko and Gabriel Jesus go to Arsenal and also make good use of those players that's very much then obviously Juan Cancelo moving but Harlan comes in do you expect there to be more of those fluctuations or do you think it is going to be a little bit of a quieter summer for City ahead? I think it will be quieter because you win the treble your foundations your fundamentals of what you're looking for are in place yeah there will be some players that haven't had the starts that they think their career will merit or warrant at this particular time but again I think it would probably be their choice I'm right so if you're playing and you're playing for a club that's just won the games there's an incident you need to be playing if you don't see your way getting into the team there's one else yeah you go and play football. Keith if you don't mind we'd like to you to stay with us for a little while longer as we continue to reflect on this on this domestic and European treble that's been completed now by Manchester City but in the meantime let's just give our audience a few more details on what happens next for Manchester City so the squad will travel back to Manchester on Sunday afternoon they'll be flying on a unique club liveried Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner they will then celebrate this historic achievement with an open top bus parade through Manchester City Centre on Monday the 12th of June so that's just in a couple of days time and we have already heard from the Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan as part of this statement that Manchester City have released he said this this is a really proud moment for everyone at this football club we work so hard every single day we have wanted to win this trophy for so long the Champions League is a beautiful competition we're all incredibly happy to have won this team deserves the highest recognition and winning the Champions League elevates us to the very top of the game and to win the treble is something amazing it is the ultimate achievement for any club team and we have done it it reflects the quality we have in our squad but it also shows how dedicated we are I want to thank the Manchester City fans for their support this season I can honestly say that we could not have done this without them they have been amazing and they deserve this moment okay so Manchester City are European champions finally and treble winners these are the scenes in Manchester at the fan zone we'll have more reaction throughout the night stay with us