After the storm comes the sun. Following Manchester City‘s tough elimination from the Champions League by Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola’s team has added a new title: they are EFL Cup champions. But it doesn’t end there.
After their 2-0 victory over Arsenal thanks to a brace by Nico O’Reilly, the 55-year-old manager has reached a historic milestone in his career: 40 titles.
Double victory for Guardiola
In just 5 minutes, O’Reilly became the hero, first capitalizing on a serious mistake by Kepa Arrizabalaga to win the ball and score with a header in the 61st minute, and then perfectly converting a precise cross from Matheus Nunes in the 65th minute-again with a header.
In this way, Pep secured his fifth EFL Cup as manager of the ‘Citizens’ and outdid Mikel Arteta, now totaling 40 titles and having won trophies in 16 of his 17 seasons in professional soccer (he did not win one in 2016/17).
Likewise, Pep joins all-time leader Alex Ferguson as the second coach in history to reach 40 titles, a record that places him among the absolute elite of world soccer, although Sir Alex won his 49 titles over a 39-year career, according to statistician Alexis María Martín-Tamayo Blázquez, better known as MisterChip.
O’Reilly’s two goals allowed the Citizens to claim their first title of the campaign in one of England’s two major cups, a trophy they hadn’t won since the 20/21 season. In the other, the FA Cup, the Sky Blues will face Liverpool in the quarterfinals, while in the Premier League they trail leaders Arsenal by nine points, having played one fewer match.
Beyond the numbers, his impact goes far beyond trophies: Guardiola has influenced generations of players and coaches and has been more than a headache for his rivals with his teams and tactics.
With 40 titles under his belt, the question is no longer whether he will make history, but just how far he can take it.
Pep’s 40 titles:
Guardiola has already won 19 trophies in 10 years with City: 6 Premier League titles, 5 Carabao Cups, 3 FA Cups, 3 Community Shields, 1 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and 1 Club World Cup.
In addition, during his four seasons with Barça, he won 3 La Liga titles, 3 Super Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Copa del Rey titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and 2 Club World Cups.
Finally, with Bayern, he celebrated 3 Bundesliga titles, 2 DFB-Pokals, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and 1 Club World Cup in three seasons with the Bavarians.
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