Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has admitted his admiration for beaten Manchester United rival Sir Alex Ferguson.
It is easy to be magnanimous in victory, but Guardiola's regard for his beaten rival felt sincere:
"I have even more admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson now because they have been in three Champions League finals in four years," the Spaniard said. "My admiration is that any manager can be at the same club for 25 years. That would be impossible in Spain or Italy.
"I know people say, 'Pep Guardiola is good', but if I missed one year I'd be fired. It's different. You can have girls falling at your feet when you win. But that can change overnight. I find it hard to imagine one coach at a huge club for 25 years, building one team and then having to bring in new players and create new teams time and again.
"That is why my admiration is unbelievable because what he has done is so difficult."
