Pep Guardiola: “We are going to Istanbul to fulfill a dream”

That's what makes a club a big club. Here I learned that too much emotion is not for us. We're going to Istanbul to make a dream come true and we're going to try to play a good game”, the Catalan coach of the New Yorkers, who has not yet been well affected by the loss of Londonbluve in 2021.

We had the opportunity two years ago, we didn't make it. This year, we arrived there and will try our best. We will approach this game as always at Premier League. As a coach, I reached ten semifinals of the Champions League and played in three finals, winning two with Barcelona. I'm in my fourth final as a coach. The Champions League has given me more than I could ever imagine. If my life were to end today, I would have won a player for the club I love very much [Barcellona] and two as coach”, the former Barca midfielder and coach of the others since 2016 recalled.

Many clubs have destroyed projects and ideas because they failed to win the Champions League. Others became big clubs because they succeeded. Even if I don't think so, I realize that everything we've done all these years, which was wonderful, will make sense to others only if we win. If we do not win, things will seem to have less meaning - it will be a bit unfair, but we must accept it. We also have to admit that, if we want to take a final step and be a big club, we have to win in Europe. We must win the Champions League! We cannot avoid it”, Pep said.

But the most important thing is always being there. I repeat: two years ago we were there, two years later we're back. We'll try again and the most important thing is to be back here in a few years. That's what makes a club... a big club: year after year it reaches the final stage of the Champions League and probably wins the title”, he claimed.