Often, that was when he was at his most ruminative, his most considered, his most obliging in his praise of an opponent. Barcelona ranked, without question, as the best team in Europe. Pep Guardiola, the architect of his defeat, was rumored to be thinking of leaving Barcelona, exhausted by the intensity of the work that had gone into his masterpiece. Ferguson — perhaps wanting to give the younger Guardiola the benefit of his wisdom — cautioned against it. Guardiola would regret leaving behind the team he had built at Barcelona behind, he said.

Source: New York Times May 28, 2021 09:00 UTC