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Pep Guardiola couldn’t help but tease Rio Ferdinand about his former Barcelona side’s two Champions League final wins against Manchester United.
Barca claimed the first victory against the Red Devils in Rome in 2009, goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi giving them a 2-0 victory.
And two years later at Wembley they did it again, beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s side 3-1 in a display widely regarded as the all-time best in the European final.
Ferdinand has played in both games and has spoken regularly of his admiration for this Barcelona team.
And in an interview with Guardiola for BT Sport ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, Ferdinand ended the chat by remembering the two games.
(Image: Action footage)
“I can’t end the interview without touching Rome and Wembley,” Ferdinand said. “Do you realize that what you did to us in those days marked us for life?”
Guardiola responded by referring to Messi’s goal in Rome in which the Argentine snuck behind Ferdinand at the far post to score a rare header, saying: “I said to Messi, ‘attack the far post, with Rio ‘”, before the two burst out laughing.
But Guardiola then quickly added: “No, we were lucky. In the first ten or 15 minutes it could have been 2-0 for you. Cristiano Ronaldo had a free kick and Gerard Pique cleared one on line.
“It was an honor to play against United in these finals. Because we won of course, those are great memories for us.”
Ferdinand then added: “This is a good way for you to end. I want to leave you on a confident note!”
City would extend their lead over United at the top of the Premier League to 17 points with a win at the Etihad on Sunday, the title race apparently almost over.
BT Sport brings fans live to the Premier League every weekend starting at 11:30 am on Saturday. With the BT Sport Monthly Pass, fans will be able to catch all the action on BT Sport for the next 30 days for just £ 25 without a contract. For more information, visit www.bt.com/monthlypass
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