'Seven academy players, the best ever... It happens once in a lifetime'

Speaking at the Trento Festiaval of Sport, organisaed by Italian newspaper 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', the Manchester City boss admitted to feeling emotional when seeing images of what his side achieved and revealed his "happiness for having enjoyed it."

"The two times that we won the Champions League with Barcelona we won it with seven players from the academy, like Xavi, Iniesta, Valdes, who joined the club aged seven or eight," he enthused. "It was a combination of talents that happens once in a lifetime.

"The club had confidence in me, having come from the lower levels of the club and the players had an affinity for the club. We had money to buy great players and we had the best in history by far," he continued, referring to a certain Lionel Messi.

Guardiola won two Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, two Copas del Rey, three LaLiga titles and three Spanish Super Cups during his time at the helm at Camp Nou and he believes his side's greatest strength was their determination.

"That happens one in a lifetime. It makes me feel nostalgic seeing that (photos of his success with Barca) and happy for having enjoyed it. In 20 years if we can still read about our story in the history books it'll be good, something that we've left behind," he explained. "I don't want to be unmodest, I didn't invent anything."

Meanwhile, Guardiola also spoke about the late Johan Cruyff. "For me he was very important, he opened our eyes, he had very clear ideas and he helped us understand football as something different. Cruyff taught us everything, how to win and how to do it in that moment. He transferred a feeling, a love to the player but also the essence of the competition. Football is a complicated sport and he dominated it because no one thought like him," Guardiola insisted.