Pep Guardiola insisted it was “written in the stars” during an expletive-ridden reaction to Manchester City securing the Champions League and treble.
Rodri’s goal was enough to clinch a 1-0 win in Istanbul over Inter Milan, which also represented the Spanish manager’s second European treble of his career, 14 years after his first with Barcelona.
And Guardiola could not hide his relief at edging out the Italians in the final, lauding his team’s “patience” after a tough start.
“Tired, calm, satisfied,” Guardiola told BT Sport. “This f***ing trophy, it's so difficult to win it.
“It's impossible. It could have gone differently, we knew it, they are really good. Antonio Conte will learn a lot what they do. It's quite similar, They bring you up, they find strikers, link well to feet, then after they run to the other side. The first half we were anxious.
“It's a question to be patient. Last time we were 1-0 down in Porto, this time, 0-0, you have to be lucky. Ederson's save, they missed it. This competition is a coin. It was written in the stars. We did it.”
Guardiola also bemoaned the length of the season with many players now due to play international matches.
“Right now I have no energy to think of the next season, we need a break, the season is too long,” Guardiola added. “Most go to the national team to play games, Uefa, Fifa, think about it, come on.
“The Premier League finished two to three weeks ago. These guys will have two to three weeks off and then start again, it’s too much. Next season we’ll start from zero.”
