Manchester City finally enters the nobility of the Old Continent

The sky of Istanbul was painted blue. Manchester City reached its destination by signing the 2022-23 Champions League title and diverting Inter Milan from its goal by scoring 1-0 in the final. The title motivates City to dream of bigger goals, like starting to build a dynasty. The Citizens finally managed to transfer the dominance they have exercised since 2017 to a continental level, winning five of the last six editions of the Premier League.

The squad masterfully directed by Pep Guardiola has no equivalent: a conductor like few others in the figure of the Belgian Kevin De Bruyne, hampered by injuries in recent months, and in which the Norwegian scorer could not have fit better. Erling Haaland, with 52 goals in 53 games in his first season in Manchester.

Behind, in command in the midfield, the Spanish Rodri, scorer of the decisive goal in Istanbul, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish, players who have been carefully matured by Guardiola, capable of reinventing his team every year.

The continental title is also the culmination of the successful marriage between an ancestral club, founded in 1880 by St Mark's Church in Manchester and the fortune of Sheikh Mansour, a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates and owner of City since 2008.

The preview of the grand final of the Club World Cup

Manchester City comes into this match after beating Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 and faces Fluminense who beat Egyptian Al-Ahly 2-0 in their semifinal. The Citizens are seeking their first Club World Cup title without the presence of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku, absent in the semi-final. The championship regulations only allow teams to register for the final the same 23 players present in the semifinal. Manchester City could make history this Friday by becoming the first, among English clubs, to win the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, all in one glorious anus.