Manchester City have been aiming for one specific goal for the last 15 years, as the club’s owner, Sheikh Mansour, has made winning the UEFA Champions League a top priority. They are once again one win away from gold, but this time they must overcome a different test.
The 2022-23 Champions League Final will feature Manchester City vs Inter after the English side defeated Real Madrid 4-0. With two goals from Bernardo Silva in the first half, Pep Guardiola’s men stunned the current European winners.
After Eder Militao’s own goal and a late goal from Julian Alvarez, City advanced to the final in Istanbul by a 5-1 score on aggregate. The score does not really reflect the lopsidedness of their triumph against the 14-time tournament champions, who were no match for Pep Guardiola’s mesmerizing squad.
Watch: What did Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne say to each other?
Despite the result, for Pep Guardiola, compromising on quality was not an option. As a result, the Spaniard lost his cool when Kevin De Bruyne promptly gave up possession of the ball shortly after the restart of play.
A heated dispute ensued between the two as the game proceeded around the Belgian midfielder. When De Bruyne received criticism, instead of taking it in stride, he exploded at his boss, flinging his arms in the air in a fit of rage, and then continued to play.
Guardiola returned to the City bench, gazing at the ground after what seemed to be a very loud and unpleasant confrontation. Video from the stands reveals that the 52-year-old manager yelled at his star player to ‘pass the ball’. When the midfielder lost the ball, he yelled ‘shut up’ twice at his boss before turning around and throwing it.