Featured Image Credit: BT Sport
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, AS Roma, Sevilla, Manchester City, Europa League, Fan Reactions
Josh Lawless
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, AS Roma, Sevilla, Manchester City, Europa League, Fan Reactions
Pep Guardiola's reaction to receiving a runners up medal has begun to do the rounds after Jose Mourinho's gesture following Roma's Europa League final defeat to Sevilla
Mourinho lost a European final for the first time in his career to the Andalusian outfit, who won the Europa League for the seventh time in 17 years.
Sevilla won the feisty final 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of game-time, with Argentina defender Gonzalo Montiel replicating his World Cup final heroics by converting the winning spot-kick.
Mourinho was looking to become the most successful coach in UEFA competitions as well as the first manager to win three Europa Leagues with three different teams.
But he tasted defeat for the first time and did not take it well. After collecting his medal for second place separately to the rest of his squad, Mourinho took it off immediately and threw it to a young fan in the stands before exiting down the tunnel.
He would later wait for the officials in the car park and abuse them in an expletive-filled rant. Afterwards, Mourinho explained why he deemed the medal worthless, saying: "That's what I did, I don't want silver medals. I don't keep silver medals, so I gave it away."
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He's done similar before, even in winning situations and memorably gave away his UEFA Super Cup medal to a United fan back in 2017.
Guardiola too is used to winning and has only lost two finals in his career - one of which was a 1-0 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in Porto with Manchester City back in 2021
But while it was a major disappointment, the Catalan had a very different reaction to Mourinho and instead kissed his medical after it was placed around his neck by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
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Guardiola, who has won the competition twice, was mocked by many for his decision at the time but two years on and the 52-year-old will be hoping to collect a third Champions League winners medal.
City take on Inter Milan in the final and could seal a historic treble with victory in Istanbul should they also prevail against rivals Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley