Pep Guardiola will this week attempt to create more history with Manchester City, both for the club and personally, too.
Should the Spaniard lead his side to the Fifa Club World Cup crown in Saudi Arabia on Friday, he will become the first manager to capture the trophy four times – and the first to win it with three different clubs.
City, meanwhile, are looking to add the Club World Cup to their trophy cabinet for the first time. The current European champions, debuting in the tournament, have already won the Premier League, Uefa Champions League, FA Cup and Uefa Super Cup this year.
Here, we cast our minds back to Guardiola’s three Club World Cup successes thus far, as City enter the 2023 tournament in Jeddah at the semi-final stage on Tuesday, against Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.
2009 – Abu Dhabi
With the UAE hosting the Club World Cup for the first time, Barcelona came into the tournament chasing a historic sixth title in 2009. They entered the competition at the semi-final stage, where they came back from an early goal to defeat Mexico’s Atlante 3-1 at a packed Zayed Sports City. Winger Pedro etched his name into the record books by scoring in six official competitions in the same season. In the final, Barcelona were again forced to come from behind when they went a goal down to Argentina's Estudiantes through Mauro Boselli’s 37th-minute opener.
Pedro proved again to be the man for the grand occasion, though, with the substitute rescuing the match with only a minute remaining by converting Gerard Pique’s flick-on to send the majority of the 43,000-plus crowd wild. Barcelona then clinched the trophy five minutes into the second half of extra time, when Lionel Messi chested home a Dani Alves cross to see off his compatriots at the death. Barcelona had a first Club World Cup crown and a sixth title in the calendar year, eclipsing Liverpool’s five-trophy haul from 2001. Guardiola was reduced to tears, saying afterwards: “At half time I told my players they had to be strong, that you have to dig deep to win finals like this. To win six successive titles is unthinkable. We've had the best year in the history of this club."
2011 – Japan
Again, Barcelona landed in the tournament as European champions and thus began their campaign for a second Club World Cup success at the semi-final stage. There, they swept past Qatar’s Al Sadd, defeating the Asian champions 4-0 at the International Stadium in Yokohama. Adriano struck twice, with Seydou Keita and Maxwell also on the scoresheet.
The Brazilian theme would continue through to the final, with Barcelona taking on Copa Libertadores holders Santos. It just so happened to pit against one another Lionel Messi, widely regarded the world’s best player, and Neymar, the young pretender tipped to one day emulate the Argentine.
But there was only one winner from that particular duel. Messi struck both the opener and the game’s final goal, with Xavi and Cesc Fabregas scoring in between, to give Barcelona a second successive 4-0 victory and a second Club World Cup title in three years. The Spanish side, and Guardiola, appeared at the apex of their powers with their manager agreeing, describing their displays in Japan as our “all-time peak”.
“My players were like artists,” he said after the final. “Whatever they envisaged in their minds, they were able to do on the pitch. It was an incredible performance.”
2013 – Morocco
Now in charge of Bayern Munich – he joined the German giants only a few months before – Guardiola was tasked with masterminding Club World Cup success for a second team, this time as Morocco staged the event for the first time.
The European champions joined the tournament in North Africa in the last four, and quickly set about dispatching 2013 Asian Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande a couple of days after they touched down. Franck Ribery, Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gotze scored in the 3-0 win at Stade Adrar in Agadir, with all three goals coming in a seven-minute spell either side of half time.
In the final, Bayern would meet host Raja Casablanca, who had upset Atletico Mineiro – former Barcelona star Ronaldinho represented for the Brazilians – in the previous match. Guardiola had warned his players they would be “playing against an entire country”, and they seemed to take heed, racing to a two-goal lead within the first 22 minutes. Two Brazilians got on the scoresheet at Stade de Marrakech: defender Dante and midfield teammate Thiago Alcantara.
The score stayed at 2-0, clinching Bayern a first global crown and fifth overall in 2013.
Afterwards, Guardiola heaped praise on his players, saying: "Five titles in one year is a great achievement for Bayern. They have won those titles because of the great players here. [The Club World Cup] is something that have never won before and now they have it."
Club World Cup’s most successful coaches in titles
Pep Guardiola: 2009, 2011, 2013
Carlo Ancelotti: 2007, 2014, 2022
Zinedine Zidane: 2016, 2017
Poacher
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
More on animal trafficking
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
