Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, says his reign will be judged “absolutely” on whether he leads the club to its first Champions League title, though he “doesn’t agree” with that.
Since Guardiola took over as manager in 2016, City has won nine major trophies.
However, he was asked if success in Europe’s premier cup competition would define his spell.
“It doesn’t mean I agree with it, but I will be judged on that,” the 52-year-old Spaniard said.
“People told me before my first Champions League game [with City] that I was here to win it.
“I asked, ‘What?'” I’m not sure, but I accept it. It’s not going to change no matter what I do.”
City will advance to the quarter-finals if they win their last-16 second leg at home against RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
They came closest to winning the Champions League when they reached the 2021 final, where they were defeated 1-0 by Chelsea.
Real Madrid’s late comeback prevented City from returning to the final last season, but City failed to advance past the quarter-finals in Guardiola’s first four seasons at Etihad Stadium.
City were knocked out by French clubs Monaco and Lyon, as well as Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham, the latter after VAR played a significant role in the outcome of a thrilling second leg at the Etihad.
Guardiola’s tenure at Manchester City will be “incomplete” unless the club wins the Champions League.
Preview of Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig
In November, Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice as Barcelona coach, signed a two-year contract extension to 2025 and said he wanted “to stay and continue fighting for trophies”.
“We didn’t win it, but we did really well in the Champions League,” City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne said.