Manchester City will not be given the honour of wearing a Champions League trophy emblem on their shirt next season, despite beating Inter Milan to European glory on Saturday night. Only a select few sides, including Liverpool, are permitted by UEFA to sport the badge.
A 1-0 win over Inter at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul marked a major moment in City’s history. Owner Sheikh Mansour saw the Sky Blues lift the Champions League for the first time after years of huge investment into the club.
Rodri’s second-half strike sealed the tightly-contested game, with City completing a stunning silverware treble after sewing up the Premier League and FA Cup over the past few weeks.
Manager Pep Guardiola, who is contracted to City until 2025, will hope for more European glory in years to come. Only if those aspirations become a reality will the famous sky blue shirt don the emblem of a Champions League trophy.
The UEFA badge of honour is exclusively reserved for teams who have won a European title either five times in total or three times in a row. It was introduced at the turn of the millennium and only seven sides currently meet the criteria.
Liverpool are among them, having lifted the Champions League six times in their history, and the Reds are joined by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.
A relieved John Stones gave fans a sense of what the accomplishment means after the final whistle in Istanbul. “This is what we were missing,” he told BT Sport. “I’m so pleased. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this team and create this history.
“We’ve set the bar high now. After this season, from where we were in the Premier League, to bring it back, go on and win the FA Cup and then come here and win this on such a difficult night… I can’t put it into words.”
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