Manchester City have completed a remarkable 2023 by becoming the first English club in history to simultaneously hold the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The final piece of the jigsaw was secured on Friday in Jeddah after City won the FIFA Club World Cup at the first attempt by beating Brazilian side Fluminense 4-0 in the final at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s squad will now travel back to Manchester and begin preparations for Wednesday’s Premier League game at Everton as we continue our bid to win a fourth successive title.
Club captain Kyle Walker spoke of his pride at winning all five trophies in a calendar year, describing the achievement as “special”.
“We’ve shown over the past 12 months we are the best team in the world. Our results prove that and the consistency we have managed has been amazing.
“To win these five trophies – for me, the five biggest prizes available to us – is incredible. I am so proud to have been a part of this and I can honestly say it’s an honour to play alongside these players; I couldn’t ask for better teammates.
“And it isn’t just the players – the team behind the team here at City are the best you could ever ask for and I want to put on record my thanks and appreciation for every single person who works here day to day to try and help us be the best we can be.
“The level of quality in football across the world right now is scary. It’s really, really hard to win consistently, so to be sat here today having won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup is really special and a huge achievement.
“It’s been the best year I have had in football and something I will never, ever forget.”
The 2022/23 season was the finest in Manchester City’s 129-year history.
In an extraordinary run of form, City won 22 and drew five of our final 28 matches in all competitions to ensure we became only the second English team in history to win the Treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
And that drive for success has remained this season, too, with Guardiola’s men adding the Super Cup and Club World Cup to our collection, making more history in the process.
The accomplishments on the pitch have been the byproduct of a bewitching and mesmerising style of play, with City perhaps the finest exponents of attacking, possession-based football in the world.
Pep Guardiola added: “I am so proud of this Club. What we have done is an outstanding achievement.
“To win this trophy is to be the best team in the world and our players, our coaches, our backroom staff, all of them work hard every single day to bring us this success.
“As a manager it is what I am most proud of; that we are always there. No matter how much we win, no matter what trophies we lift, we are there again to fight for the next one.
“To win the Treble was truly special, but to win two more trophies and now hold these five major titles shows the unique mentality of this team, of the Club and its fans.
“It is something no other English team has ever achieved and we will always remember this incredible time we spent together.”
For the City boss, this is the latest trophy to his ever-expanding catalogue of silverware.
He has now won 16 trophies since joining Manchester City in the summer of 2016, which includes five Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one Super Cup, one Club World Cup and two Community Shields.
Across his entire management career, Guardiola has now won 37 major trophies. This was his fourth FIFA Club World Cup title, having won two with Barcelona (2009 and 2011) and one with Bayern Munich (2013) prior to his latest success with City.
Everyone at Manchester City sends their congratulations to Pep, his backroom staff and all the players on another remarkable achievement.
