da realsbet： The four-time Champions League winner spoke to GOAL ahead of the final between Manchester City and Inter in Istanbul

da betcris： Pep Guardiola is on the brink of winning the treble with Manchester City and if his side can take down Inter Milan in the Champions League final, he will join a select group of only three coaches to have won Europe's biggest prize three times.

In the eyes of many, the Catalan is the best coach in the world and the best in the history of the Champions League, if not the 67 years of the European Cup. He has elevated Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now City to an entirely new level, setting the record for winning the highest number of points in La Liga and the Premier League while winning the Bundesliga in the fastest time ever.

He has also produced scintillating football with each club and his City side have outclassed Real Madrid and Bayern Munich on their way to the Champions League final this term.

But Clarence Seedorf, a four-time Champions League winner as a player, is not convinced that Guardiola deserves more praise than any of the other legendary European coaches who have hoisted the trophy.

Getty'There are other ways to play football'

The former Netherlands midfielder is keen to stress that Guardiola is an immense coach, but he does not accept the idea that what he is doing with Manchester City is any more impressive than Jurgen Klopp's work with Liverpool or Carlo Ancelotti's job with Real Madrid or AC Milan.

Seedorf points to the fact that Guardiola has not won the Champions League for 12 years, since his Barcelona side outclassed Manchester United to win 3-1 in the 2011 final at Wembley Stadium.

"I saw Klopp do the same, I saw Ancelotti do the same," Seedorf, a FedEx Express Ambassador for the UEFA Champions League final, tells GOAL in Istanbul.

"He has his style but he didn't win the Champions League the last years. I'm not disregarding Guardiola, I have high esteem for Guardiola but people sometimes confuse the fact that there is not only one way of playing, there are other ways of playing football.

"Klopp has a different style from Ancelotti, Ancelotti is different from Guardiola, [Vicente] Del Bosque, [Zinedine] Zidane was different and they all won – and not one time, they won it multiple times.

"So I think we should appreciate and respect Guardiola for what he’s doing as a coach, he is obviously one of the best coaches in the world and the way he asks his players to play the game is fantastic, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only way."

AdvertisementGettyInter still a bigger club than City

City are enjoying a golden age under Guardiola and have just won their fifth Premier League title in six years, in addition to completing a domestic double by beating Manchester United in last week's FA Cup final.

Inter had more than a decade in the wilderness after their last Champions League triumph in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, and did not win another Serie A title until Antonio Conte led them to the Scudetto in 2021. They then captured the Coppa Italia in consecutive seasons under Simone Inzaghi.

However, Seedorf still considers the three-time European champions to be a bigger club than City, who are still waiting to win the Champions League for the first time. And he thinks history could play its part in the final, even though he admits Guardiola's side are the favourites.

Getty'City need to build that legacy'

"I don't think they are the overwhelming favourites, they are the favourites in terms of what they have shown in the last matches, but Inter Milan is one of the top four clubs in Italy," Seedorf says.

"Historically they have won many Champions Leagues already so City as a club is not there yet. They are facing a bigger club than they are in [terms of] the history, so I think that’s a nice challenge. City wants to get there, they need to win Champions Leagues to build that legacy as a club so that is a nice thing but I would never count out any Italian squad in any final."

Seedorf also says that despite their recent success, City are still not as big a club as their Manchester rivals United.

"There are some things Man City needs to build still. I'm close to [Manchester City chairman] Khaldoon Al Mubarak and I follow the whole process and I love what’s happening there. But people need to give this club time to become a Man United, an AC Milan a Real Madrid," he adds.

"It needs time, history is written over time but at this moment it's a club that's doing fantastically well, having great players and are the best in Europe so I don't like to look at it like that."

FedExIconic Champions League final moments

Seedorf is speaking to GOAL at the UEFA Champions Festival in Istanbul, standing in front of four giant cardboard sculptures, of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Bale.

The sculptures, constructed entirely from recycled FedEx Express cardboard boxes, form the Champions Unboxed exhibition and have been displayed outside the Ataturk Olympic Stadium ahead of the final.

The structures were created by world-renowned Canadian sculptor and artist, Laurence Vallieres. Vallieres made the sculptures after fans voted on social media for their most iconic UEFA Champions League final moments.

The four most iconic moments as voted for by the fans and brought to life by Vallieres are: Gerrard beginning the famous ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ comeback for Liverpool against AC Milan in 2005; Ronaldo’s headed goal for Manchester United in the 2008 final vs Chelsea; Messi’s celebration following his goal against United for Barcelona in 2009 and Bale’s jaw-dropping bicycle kick against Liverpool in 2018, which saw Real Madrid clinch a record third-consecutive Champions League title.