Pep Guardiola called it the “cathedral of football”. And if he can reach for the religious in other descriptions – famously saying of Barcelona that his mentor Johan Cruyff “built the cathedral” – Wembley also assumes a huge part in his history. It was there, in 1992, that he became part of the first Barcelona team to win the European Cup and there, in 2011, that his Barcelona team produced what still ranks among the finest performances in a European Cup final; Manchester United were flattered by the scoreline in their 3-1 defeat.
Now Guardiola returns to the cathedral, perhaps for the last time. The FA Cup final will be his 24th visit with Manchester City alone. There are England managers who have been in the Wembley dugouts fewer times than Guardiola. He has won 12 trophies at Wembley: two with Barcelona, plus two FA Cups, three Community Shields and five League Cups with City. Perhaps it was notable, though, that on Wednesday, fresh from beating Crystal Palace, the two Wembley results he referenced were defeats.
