Pep Guardiola has explained why he will "never beat" Carlo Ancelotti's Champions League record.
Guardiola got his hands on the trophy for the third time last season, guiding Manchester City to a historic treble win that was complete with a triumph over Inter Milan in Istanbul.
Rodri's winner in the second half secured City's first ever Champions League title and ended Guardiola's 12-year wait to become a European champion again.
A winner as a player in 1992, he led his beloved Barcelona to glory in 2009 and 2011 with wins over Manchester United.
Advert
Guardiola's tally therefore stands at three as a manager but he is still one behind Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful manager in the history of the competition.
The Italian legend has tasted victory on four occasions, with two apiece at AC Milan and Real Madrid - the latest of which came in 2022.
As a player though, Ancelotti has another two winners' medals in his collection - making it 6-4 between him and Guardiola overall.
Advert
But while Guardiola got the better of his rival with a thumping 5-1 semi-final aggregate win, avenging the outcome from the previous season - he doesn't envision surpassing the 64-year-old.
"I cannot beat him because I won one as a footballer player but he as a football player won three or four more," he told TNT Sports.
"You can never beat Ancelotti when it comes to Champions League trophies. I am younger than him so I have more time but honestly it is not a target."
Advert
City kick off the defence of the European campaign against Red Star Belgrade with a group stage game at the Etihad Stadium, while Real Madrid host Union Berlin.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan, Real Madrid
Josh Lawless