Manchester City may have progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals after a 7-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig but it was their local rivals who got one over on Pep Guardiola.
Erling Haaland was the leading light with five goals as City secured an 8-1 aggregate victory over Leipzig but it was Guardiola’s post-match comments that caught the eye.
The City manager revealed he will always feel like a “failure” after he failed to meet one of his idols – Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts – when she came to visit Manchester in 2016.
In a bizarre twist to his press conference, Guardiola explained his hurt over the fact Roberts had slept with the enemy.
“She came in the period when we were better than United, these four or five years,” he said.
“And she went to visit Man United. She didn’t come to see us.
“So, even if I win the Champions League, it cannot compare to the fact Julia Roberts came to Manchester and did not come to see us. My idol.”
United were quick to remind Guardiola of the fact on Wednesday, with a post on social media showing photos of Roberts’ visit to Old Trafford in 2016.
The caption read: “Throwing it back to when Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford.”
Roberts visited the Theatre of Dreams in November 2016 though United were unable to hook three points in her presence, only managing to draw 1-1 with West Ham.
She then met players from the squad with her children after the game.