Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano takes aim at Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho… and reveals he tried to sign Lionel Messi
MANCHESTER CITY chief Ferran Soriano has fired a thinly-veiled dig at Jose Mourinho by saying trophies won with a defensive philosophy only bring “empty victories.”
Ferran Soriano has fired a thinly-veiled dig at Jose MourinhoAFP or licensors
Speaking to Argentine digital newspaper Infobae, he reiterated his vision for City: “Our vision is to win playing beautiful football. The idea we have conceived in the last five years is the concept of always playing beautiful football.
“We adapted our philosophy with Manuel Pellegrini and now Pep Guardiola has taken it a step further.
“What will take us to another level is to play beautiful football. It is not a theory, it is practical.
“When we went into Barcelona, they had finished seventh the previous season. Then, after the change began in 2003, we won everything.
Jose Mourinho has claimed Man City are only as far ahead in the Premier League table as they are due to monumental, unmatchable spendingPA:Empics Sport
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“If we had won the same titles without playing beautifully, it would have been an empty victory.”
Guardiola failed to win any silverware last season, his first in charge of City, while Mourinho’s United won the EFL Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
When asked about Mourinho’s, 55, criticism of City’s spending earlier this season, Soriano insisted the United boss’ words were wrong.
He said: “If you look at the 10 most expensive signings of all time, none of them play for City.
“Do we have [Paul] Pogba, [Romelu] Lukaku, Neymar or [Kylian] Mbappe? Of course, we made an important investment in the transfer market because we had to change the age of the squad.
“But all of the players we bought would now be worth £100m. And, in addition, Manchester City now earns a lot of money.
Ferran Soriano has scoffed at claims that City are buying the leaguePA:Empics Sport
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Soriano has admitted he has always wanted to sign Messi but it is not possibleJUAN MEDINA
“In the last three years, we have not spent more than we have raised economically, so I see no reason for criticism.”
Soriano also admitted that signing Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was a dream that even he could not deliver.
He said: “We would all like to sign Messi, but he is where he wants to be and signing him is not possible.
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