Pep Guardiola insists Man City reign will ‘not be complete’ until they win Champions League title despite glittering major trophy haul

Pep Guardiola feels his tenure at Manchester City will ‘not be complete’ if he does not help the club win an elusive Champions League title.

Despite collecting nine major trophies in charge at the Etihad Stadium, including four Premier League titles, it appears the coach is not fully satisfied.

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Guardiola won Europe’s elite competition twice in charge of Barcelona, but is yet to bring it home to City since his appointment in 2016.

He didn’t manage to steer Bayern Munich to European glory either during his three years in the German giants’ dugout, with runners-up spot with City in 2021 his best finish since departing Barca.

While he has led Man City to their most decorated period of domestic success in the club’s history, the Champions League title – widely considered the trophy their Abu Dhabi owners really want – continues to elude him.

But Guardiola, who extended his contract to the end of the 2024/25 season last month, insists he is determined to keep on trying.

“It’s not the only one but I admit it’s the trophy we want, and of course my period here will not be complete if we don’t win it,” said the 51-year-old ahead of the return to club action after the World Cup in Qatar.

“That’s not the only reason I extended the contract, absolutely not, but I will do everything in the time we have together, and we are going to try – but I’d say the same as we tried before.

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“It’s the trophy we don’t have and we’ll try to do it.”

Last season’s semi-finalists, City will resume their latest quest to win the Champions League when they face RB Leipzig in the last 16 in February.

Guardiola is pleased to have committed his future to the club and will have spent close to a decade at the helm when his new deal concludes.

He said: “First of all, I want to say thank you for the confidence they have in me. It will be difficult to repay the confidence they have shown me in these many years. It was difficult for me to reject them.

“We will continue to try to do our best. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to this club for having me here.”

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