Manchester City officials and Kevin De Bruyne have reacted to the organisation being crowned as the Club of the Year at the 2022 Ballon D'Or ceremony on Monday night.
The reigning Premier League champions fought off competition from English top-flight rivals Liverpool, and Champions League winners Real Madrid to the award.
It was the Merseyside club who finished runners-up to Manchester City on the night in Paris, replicating Jurgen Klopp's Premier League title finish last season.
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On a momentous night for the entire organisation, a number of integral figures from Manchester City were on hand to provide their views on one of the club's proudest moments.
Speaking on the award, CEO Ferran Soriano said, "This is a proud day for Manchester City.
"To be named Club of the Year is an honour and further underlines the strength of this club across both men’s and women’s football."
He continued, “We pride ourselves on playing beautiful football and winning matches. We are proud of the quality of the players and all the staff behind the scenes who help make us successful.
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"This award is recognition of the hard work and dedication found in every department of our organisation.
“We will continue to strive for success but today I want everyone connected to Manchester City Football Club to take a step back and feel proud of all we achieved last season."
Speaking specifically on the talents and work of head coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain praised the Catalan boss at the Ballon D'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.
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"Pep (Guardiola) is just brilliant. It’s a constant evolution – there is always something new almost every day,” said Begiristain.
“And it’s based on hard work and respect – to the opponents and the competitions that we play.
“Basically, he is a good guy. When we lose, he is always leading and pushing us to be better, and when we win, he shares everything with everyone - kit men, chefs - he is a top guy."
Manchester City's vice-captain and recipient of third place in the Men's Ballon D'Or award Kevin De Bruyne was also on stage as he said of the club's success, "I’ve been there eight years, I’ve come to a family who wants to play a philosophy of making people entertained.
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“We try to play in the right way that is good for us and we try to inspire young children to play in that way.
“It’s been exciting – we’ve won a lot. Obviously, we’ve not won the Champions League yet but I think we are proud of the way we perform as team and so we should."
On the field, Manchester City will be hoping to return to winning ways in the Premier League next weekend, after falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy