A milestone that marks an era

Tuesday’s clash against Bayer Leverkusen will mark a major milestone in the career of Pep Guardiola, who will reach 100 matches managed in the Champions League with Manchester City. Since arriving in 2016, the Catalan coach has reshaped the club’s European trajectory and established City as a perennial contender for the title.

So far, Guardiola has overseen 99 Champions League proper matches with the Citizens —excluding two qualifying fixtures against Steaua Bucharest— and has accumulated an impressive record: 62 wins, 19 draws and 18 losses. His teams’ offensive output reflects his philosophy: 234 goals scored and only 111 conceded, for a +123 goal differential.

The Champions League that changed everything

The pinnacle of his tenure came in the 2022/23 season, when Manchester City lifted the Champions League trophy for the first time in the club’s history, completing an iconic European treble. With this triumph, City became just the eighth club to achieve the feat, and Guardiola became the first coach ever to win a European treble with two different clubs — having previously accomplished it with Barcelona.

During his time in Manchester, Pep has built campaigns of remarkable consistency. The run to the final in the 2020/21 season remains the most successful in terms of victories — 11 wins in 13 matches — even though City fell just short of lifting the trophy that year.

Across his career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola has now managed a total of 183 games in the Champions League, sealing 115 victories. Only Carlo Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson have managed more matches, with Ancelotti winning 124 of his 218 and Ferguson 102 of 190.

Among the competition’s greatest

When it comes to titles, Guardiola sits tied with Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane, each with three Champions League wins, while Ancelotti leads with five. Yet for many, Pep’s greatest legacy lies not just in trophies, but in his footballing identity — possession dominance, tactical innovation, and total command of match tempo.

His 100th match stands as a testament to endurance, evolution and competitive brilliance. And with Manchester City still hungry for more European glory, the Champions League story of Pep Guardiola is far from finished.