Pep Guardiola Aims Parting Swipe at Real Madrid After Champions League Elimination

A fiery confrontation with Antonio Rüdiger after the final whistle proved tensions were still high.

Pep Guardiola was visibly frustrated. | Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images

Pep Guardiola struggled to contain his frustrations after Manchester City’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, insisting his side had actually been the better team across two legs.

Trailing 3–0 from the first leg, City failed to pull off a miracle as they fell to another 2–1 defeat on Tuesday and were knocked out by Madrid for the fourth time in the last five seasons. It was put to Guardiola after the game that facing Los Blancos had been the biggest challenge of his career, but he was in no mood to dish out such praise.

“My biggest challenge has been [Jürgen] Klopp,” Guardiola said, recalling his enthralling Premier League battles with Liverpool over the years. “Here, you were in Spain and you didn’t realize what that was like.

“To play against Real Madrid so many times, with the generation we had, we were good enough. We won both matches. Statistically, we were similar; they eliminated us more often, but based on how we played, I think they know that too.”

Asked whether Madrid were deserving winners from the tie, Guardiola simply responded: “1–5 ... congratulations.”

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Guardiola Clashes With Antonio Rüdiger After Final Whistle

Guardiola’s meeting with Antonio Rüdiger soon turned tense. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

After City’s elimination was confirmed, Guardiola took to the pitch to shake hands with the Madrid squad. Most passed without incident, but a meeting with center back Antonio Rüdiger was not so courteous.

In a moment reminiscent of Thomas Tuchel’s famous tangle with Antonio Conte in 2022, Guardiola and Rüdiger remained locked in a handshake as they began to exchange words and ultimately had to be separated by a handful of members of each team.

It was the Real Madrid defender who appeared to be doing most of the talking, with Nathan Aké playing peacemaker before Los Blancos boss Álvaro Arbeloa managed to drag his player away.

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Guardiola: Everyone Wants to Fire Me!

Guardiola launched a passionate defense of his Champions League record. | Alex Pantling/UEFA/Getty Images

City’s limited success on the European stage—one title win in 10 seasons—has often been highlighted by Guardiola’s critics, ignoring the fact only the great Carlo Ancelotti has ever won more European Cups than the City boss.

As he defended his record in the Champions League, Guardiola appeared to suggest he is a victim of his own early success, with his City team deemed a disappointment solely because of their failure to win each and every trophy available.

“Everybody wants to fire me!” Guardiola said. “One day I will come here and say, ‘Bye bye, guys.’ But you’re right, I have to win six Champions Leagues to be recognized, yeah for sure. 

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Man City’s Champions League Record Under Pep Guardiola

Season	Round Achieved	Opponent
2016–17	Round of 16	Monaco
2017–18	Quarterfinal	Liverpool
2018–19	Quarterfinal	Tottenham
2019–20	Quarterfinal	Lyon
2020–21	Final	Chelsea
2021–22	Semifinal	Real Madrid
2022–23	Winners	Inter
2023–24	Quarterfinal	Real Madrid
2024–25	Knockout Playoff	Real Madrid
2025–26	Round of 16	Real Madrid

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“Listen, I started my career really young, in the second team in Barcelona and we were promoted. And my first season, after Barcelona won the treble, great success, and after, if my teams don’t win the treble, they are a failure. I know that. 

“My first season here, you remember, ‘When are you going to win the Champions League?’ We won the league with 100 points. ‘When are you going to win the Champions League?’ In the end, we won it. ‘When are you going to win the Champions League?’

“We tried. We have been in other finals, a lot of semifinals. Unfortunately, the last two editions of the Champions League we have been out, but this club, we arrived to make the bar high in terms of the Champions League. And we achieved that, so that is good.

“I would love the club to have that feeling that Madrid has—if you don’t win the Champions League, that is failure. That is pressure. Pep is a failure, he didn’t win the Champions League, but that is fine, for City it is not the pressure. With time, maybe we will get that.”

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