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- Club chairman underscores Pep Guardiola’s commitment and Erling Haaland’s mentality
Manchester City and City Football Group Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has spoken about the relief, happiness and pride that followed the club’s Champions League triumph over Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.
Here are some of the highlights from part one of an end-of-season interview published on the club’s website.
On winning the Treble
“Relief. Relief. It reminds me, winning this, it reminds me back to 2011-12, that QPR game, the first Premier League (title). There was relief in that game and then happiness. With the Champions League, we’ve tried so hard for so many years, you know that. And then to finally, finally do it last night, the first couple hours until now, it’s relief, it’s happiness, but it’s really more relief. We finally have that trophy right here.”
On having Sheikh Mansour at the final
“I mean, it’s incredible. For Sheikh Mansour, given everything he has given to this club, given all the commitment, years of support, love, he’s given passion to the club. And at the pinnacle, the final of the Champions League, to be here, to be able to attend it. He has so much love for this club and working with him over the last 15 years as part of City Football Group. He deserves this. He really does. And I’m so happy he was there.”
On team’s consistency in the Premier League
“It’s actually the record I’m most proud of because it’s a testament to everything we’re doing and all the hard work that this club and every employee, everyone associated with the club, I think is so proud of.
“Because there was a UEFA dinner on Friday night, and I was asked a similar question: What’s so special about Manchester City and about this group? And I said, it’s that winning mentality, this winning mentality that produces the consistency you’ve just described year in, year out. Not for one year, not for two years, not for three years, 10 years across every competition, every competition we play in at every level.
“We play to win, we play to win. And that play to win applies to everyone. It’s the players, it’s the coaching staff, it’s the physios, it’s the management, the commercial guys, it’s the receptionists, it’s the folks at the kitchens, it’s the media team, it’s the digital team. Every individual associated with this, with this club, with this group, I think share that, that passion, that commitment.”
On Pep Guardiola extending his contract
“It was very important because he’s such an important part of this club. He’s an incredible, incredible leader. I knew where Pep’s heart was and I knew where his mind was. So, I think I was never really concerned. We’ve had these conversations before. But the timing was important at the time. It was always very important because it gave clarity.”
On Erling Haaland’s mentality
“Well, that’s the beauty of Erling is that he’s a champion. He’s never satisfied. If it’s one goal, if it’s no goals, if it’s two goals, if it’s five goals, even five goals. And I remember when he scored five, after the game, he was telling me, ‘Yeah, but I should have scored another three or four,’ genuinely not joking.
“Like in his mind, he knows ‘I should have probably scored seven that night or even eight that night.’ That’s that winning mentality. That’s that winning recipe which you know is the intangible. That’s the intangible, the anomaly that makes you great. And in Erling, I think this club now, we have an unbelievable, unbelievable player.”