Billions of dollars have been spent and many tears shed on Manchester City’s journey to the summit of European soccer.
The mission was completed in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday as the Abu Dhabi-backed club won the Champions League title for the first time and perhaps heralded the start of a new era of dominance in the competition.
“It was written in the stars. It belongs to us,” said Pep Guardiola after the 1-0 win against Inter Milan, as tears flowed again from the manager, his players and a sea of blue-shirted fans.
On this occasion, the emotion was pure ecstasy after so many disappointments on this stage.
The victory, courtesy of Rodri’s 68th minute goal, has been 15 years in the making since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan transformed City into one of the richest teams in the world overnight.
This was the final frontier for Guardiola’s team, which also completed a rare treble of trophies after winning the Premier League title and FA Cup this season.
AP
