Guardiola becomes fastest manager to reach 100 UCL wins

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola became the fastest manager to reach 100 wins in the UEFA Champions League after their 4-0 victory against Real Madrid on Thursday. The Catalan managed to reach the milestone in just 160 matches; he surpassed the previous record holder, Carlo Ancelotti, who took 180 games to hit the three-figure mark.

After registering the 100th victory in his career, Guardiola is now only the third manager to reach the landmark, with Sir Alex Ferguson the first to do it after 184 fixtures. Guardiola has won 47 of his 74 matches with City in the tournament, for a win rate of 64 percent. During this period, Manchester City have scored 174 goals and conceded just 75.

As things stand, only three managers have won more European Cups than Guardiola. The list includes Ancelotti (3), Zinedine Zidane (3), and Bob Paisley (3). Pep has taken one step closer to matching the record as Manchester City sealed their place in the UCL final in Istanbul against Inter Milan.

Bernardo Silva was at his best, scoring a brace (in the 23rd and 37th minutes) in the first half of the match to put the defending champions under pressure. Carlo Ancelotti’s side tried to fight their way back into the match, but a goal by Manuel Akanji (76th minute) and Julian Alvarez’s stoppage-time (91st minute) finish only widened the margin.

Manchester City have faced some strong opposition as they make their way to the finals of the UCL. Earlier in the competition, City faced RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 and Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals; now this City side has defeated another European heavyweight. Next month, Inter will visit Istanbul. The chances of them completing a historic triple on that night are increasing.