Guardiola: “It is an honour to be the rival manager with the most games played at the Bernabéu”

Real Madrid’s Champions League journey for the 2024/25 campaign will see them cross paths with a very familiar opponent: Manchester City. Thursday’s group-stage draw confirmed yet another showdown between the two European giants, marking the fifth consecutive season the clubs will meet in the competition.

Speaking ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Brighton, Pep Guardiola reflected on the draw:

“Face Real Madrid? It is an honour to be the rival manager with the most games played at the Bernabéu. Nice to be back in Spain.” — Pep Guardiola

The Spanish coach has now managed at the Santiago Bernabéu 25 times in his career, leaving with 13 victories. His record against Los Blancos, however, has been mixed depending on the team he was leading. With Manchester City, his lone win in Madrid came during the 2019/20 Round of 16, when the Premier League side secured a 2–1 first-leg triumph.

Since then, Real Madrid have often had the upper hand. Guardiola’s City were famously knocked out in the 2022 semi-finals after Madrid’s miraculous remontada at the Bernabéu. In 2023, the two sides played out a 1–1 draw in Spain before City dominated the return leg with a 4–0 win at the Etihad. Then, Madrid once again delivered heartbreak: a 3–3 draw at the Bernabéu was followed by a statement penalty shootout win in Manchester, and last season Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick sealed a 3–1 victory in the return leg of the Champions League playoffs.

Real Madrid’s ability to consistently challenge Guardiola, both with Bayern Munich and City, has made them something of a recurring obstacle in his pursuit of his European glory. The 2014 semi-final, when Ancelotti’s Madrid demolished Bayern 0–4 at the Allianz Arena, still stands as one of the defining defeats of Guardiola’s career.