Pep Guardiola is on the brink of completing the trophy set with Manchester City, and it looks likely that they will win their first Champions League title tomorrow night. Despite Guardiola’s five domestic titles in six seasons, the Champions League has remained out of reach. In 2016/17, City produced magic in a first leg 5-3 win against Monaco but went out to them on away goals. The next year they made it to the quarter-finals, but were humbled by Liverpool who would go on to win it in 2019. Then, two years later, City suffered a heartbreaking loss to fourth-placed Chelsea in the final.
However, this year everything has seemed to go City’s way. At the Bernabeu, where last year it all came crashing down, Kevin de Bruyne secured an equaliser that sent Carlo Ancelotti apoplectic. They didn’t even need the 4-0 second-leg win against the holders to assert what we all knew: they are the best in Europe. Inter Milan may be peaking at the perfect moment with 11 wins from 12, but City have the advantage of playing at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, where the atmosphere will be wild.
If City do win the Champions League, it will represent something less pure: the pinnacle of the Abu Dhabi PR plan. With unlimited spending power and a networked range of companies, it is possible to funnel funds from anywhere you fancy in your Emirate or Kingdom. This creates a landscape where only state-owned clubs can compete, slugging it out as others go after sponsorship deals in the open market.
Tomorrow night, City have the chance to match the 1999 Manchester United team and win the Treble. It would be a remarkable achievement for a club that was preparing for a third-tier play-off final against Gillingham 24 years ago. If they do lift the Champions League trophy, it will be a momentous occasion for Manchester City fans who have waited for this moment for so long. It will also be a reminder of the power of state-owned clubs and their ability to dominate the football landscape.