Look: Man City receives hero's welcome in Manchester after Champions League glory

Real Madrid is the only club to have successfully defended the Champions League title

By AP

Published: Mon 12 Jun 2023, 11:03 PM

Thousands of people hit the streets despite poor weather to give a red-carpet welcome to Manchester City's treble winners on Monday.

Manchester was blue on Monday as the City players embarked on a bus parade to celebrate the historic Champions League win the fans.

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Almost immediately after leading City to its first Champions League title on Saturday, Pep Guardiola spoke of the need to build on that success.

Real Madrid’s record haul of 14 European Cups is safe for some time yet – but there is every reason to believe City will go on to win the competition again and again.

This was, after all, its second final in three seasons.

The 1-0 win against Inter Milan in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium had been coming. And the wealth of club's owners, combined with Guardiola’s apparent insatiable drive for perfection, means City has the potential to become even stronger in the coming years.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is pictured smoking a cigar. — Reuters

Guardiola is a huge fan of Michael Jordan. And just as one title wasn’t enough for the Chicago Bulls icon, who went on to win six NBA championships, Guardiola knows City’s legacy in Europe depends on repeated success.

Madrid is a serial winner, having lifted four Champions League titles between 2014 and 2018, and winning again in 2022. That is the benchmark for City.

“There are teams that win the Champions League and after one or two seasons disappear,” Guardiola said. “This is what you have to avoid. Knowing me, this is not going to happen.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of City’s treble of trophies this season, including the Premier League title and FA Cup, is that it came in a year of transition in which a new striker in Erling Haaland was added, along with a change of system as Guardiola adopted a three-man defense.

Manchester City's players on the bus as the parade is escorted through Manchester by police officers. — Reuters

There is the potential for further evolution in midfield with captain Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva possible departures.

Left back Joao Cancelo was loaned to Bayern Munich midway through the campaign and could leave permanently in the summer.

Guardiola was a big admirer of England international Jude Bellingham, but Real Madrid has won the race for the highly rated midfielder.

The three trophies are displayed on the bus as fans cheer on the parade. — Reuters

An alternative may be sought, particularly if Gundogan or Silva go. In Phil Foden, City has a high-class option ready for more involvement than he managed during this season.

Guardiola is not the type of coach to stand still and City’s owners have consistently provided with the funds to improve his team with the world’s best players.

Jack Grealish became English soccer’s first 100 million pound ($139 million) signing after City was beaten by Chelsea in the Champions League final of 2021.

Last year, Haaland, who was coveted by almost every top club in Europe, was added to a team that had just won back-to-back league titles.

Having finally made the breakthrough in the Champions League, Guardiola will not want to risk taking a backward step.

There was a 12-year gap between Guardiola’s last European Cup win with Barcelona in 2011 and his latest. He has triumphed in this competition on three occasions and knows how difficult it is to win.

Only Madrid has successfully defended the trophy since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992, winning it in three successive seasons from 2016-18.

That is a measure of the standard required to dominate the European game. And while City may have bold ambitions, the competition could hardly be more intense.