Pep Guardiola ends debate on whether he is better than Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has seemingly ended the debate as to whether he is the better manager between himself and the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Catalan coach has established himself as the most successful manager in European football over the last nine seasons he has been working on the Manchester City project, creating a lasting legacy in English football in particular.

Alongside his playing style, that many believed would not be appropriate for the physicality of the English game, Guardiola has backed up his bold approach to trusting his vision with a glowing record of silverware.

Whilst bringing the club’s first UEFA Champions League title to the Etihad Stadium in the 2022/23 season, Pep Guardiola also recorded a treble-winning campaign in the same period, as part of a staggering haul of six Premier League crowns in seven seasons.

And the matching of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Treble success with Manchester United in 1999 has only added to the ongoing debates as to who is the greatest manager of all-time, particularly within the English game.

Speaking during a recent press conference, the 53-year-old was asked whether there was any motivation to continue winning and extend his stay at Manchester City even further, with a view towards defeating Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy in the game.

“No , not at all! I want to be happy every day when I come, I don’t do it to… Of course, winning titles gives you the chance to have a job, it’s the only thing it gives to you. But it’s not the pleasure, honestly,” Guardiola made clear.

“In that country, and I think all around the world, Sir Alex Ferguson is the best! For the time, for the changed teams and look at his cabinet of trophies. Being close to one of the most important managers of all time is not enough, it’s more, more than enough!

“It’s an incredible honour, for me, for all the staff, all the assistants I’ve had, all the players I’ve had, for me it’s an honour. It’s not just for me. When people say, ‘Pep is one of the best’, that is for the players I’ve had, for the managers, the assistant coaches we’ve had all together and I’ve had many, and all of them create that sense that we are good and this is enough!

“I don’t fight for… I like because I want to win balls desperately, I want to prepare well and I want to win, but I live better and I make my people happy and our fans of course, and our people who believe in you.

“When you lose you think you disappoint the people who trust you, who believe in you, and that I don’t like that feeling. That’s why I want to win to still be proud and enjoy the moments in the canteen, on the training pitch, and wherever, the very best. And this is the only thing I’m concerned.”

The Manchester City manager continued, “I’m never, and you have to understand me, never, ever in my life I could think for one second that we could get or achieve what we have achieved for many, many years as a manager.

“As a football player even, but as a manager – IMPOSSIBLE! Not even in my best dreams. I’ve not got anything to ask more right now, ‘No I have to do this’. I want to win balls because it’s a process, and after if I will not lift another trophy, that’s fine. We want it? Yeah, of course we want another Premier League!

“And do we want to arrive in the last stages of the Champions League and try to win it again? Of course we want! But I know the difficulty, I know the many things are completely different when you never won the things you won, and I have to handle it. And that’s why still we are here.”