For all the money Manchester City have spent under Pep Guardiola, Celtic still remain one of the very few clubs he has never beaten.
Guardiola spent 11 years at Man City winning every trophy available and sweeping away almost every team they faced in the process.
However, a viral statistic this week claimed Guardiola has faced 93 clubs as City manager and failed to beat only six of them. And Celtic are one of them.
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Celtic still did what most clubs could not against Guardiola
Manchester City have dominated English football during Guardiola’s reign. They have won multiple Premier League titles, the Champions League and assembled one of the most expensive squads the game has ever seen.
Yet Celtic still avoided defeat against them. As well as the following:
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Borussia Dortmund
- Lyon
- Wigan Athletic
- Al Hilal
The 3-3 Champions League draw at Parkhead in 2016 remains one of the standout European nights of the modern era for the club. Rodgers refused to approach the game with fear and Celtic attacked City from the opening whistle.
Moussa Dembele scored twice while Raheem Sterling’s own goal added to a relentless Celtic display under the lights in Glasgow.
Guardiola himself admitted afterwards that Celtic Park was one of the toughest atmospheres he had experienced.
Celtic’s mentality mattered more than Man City’s billions
What makes the statistic so impressive is the scale of City’s resources during Guardiola’s era.
Few clubs anywhere in world football can compete financially with Manchester City. Celtic certainly cannot. But money alone does not guarantee control in elite European football.
Celtic played with aggression, intensity and belief that night. Rodgers also had experienced figures around the squad including Kolo Touré, who understood exactly what it took to compete at the highest level.
That is why the statistic still stands out almost a decade later.
Out of all the clubs Guardiola has faced with Manchester City, Celtic remain one of the few he never managed to beat.
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