Kevin De Bruyne does not believe Manchester City are favourites to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final and secure the win they need to complete the treble.
City are well fancied to beat the Serie A side on Saturday in Istanbul and become the first English club to win all three major trophies in a single season since Manchester United in 1999.
They moved a step closer on Saturday by adding the FA Cup to the Premier League title already won, with Ilkay Gundogan’s goals helping Pep Guardiola’s side to a 2-1 victory against United at Wembley.
Until now Guardiola and his players have largely sidestepped any talk of matching their city rivals’ feat of 24 years ago.
But after the cup final victory, De Bruyne acknowledged how close he and his team-mates were to a remarkable achievement, yet stopped short of saying they were favourites to beat Inter.
“There was belief anyway but there was no point talking about it before,” he said. “We know now. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble but we were getting ready to win this game (against United).
“We deserved to win. I am very happy and very proud. We should enjoy next week and hopefully we can perform the best we can.
“Inter are a very good team. Finals are 50-50. We were favourites today. It is always difficult. You have to manage these moments. There will be moments when it is tough but in the big moments we try to do our job.
“Inter have great players and we have respect for them. They haven’t got to the final by beating easy teams.”
De Bruyne will be looking to exorcise personal demons from the last time he played in a Champions League final, fracturing an eye socket and breaking his nose as City went down 1-0 against Chelsea in an all-Premier League final in Porto.
“That is football,” he said. “I have never broken anything in my life and I come out of the Champions League final with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and concussion.
“It happens. There is nothing more I can do. I wished it was better but it wasn’t.”
Guardiola’s team were knocked out in the last four by Real Madrid last season despite holding a two-goal aggregate lead going into the final moments of the second leg.
The Champions League is the only major honour that still eludes the club, with Guardiola not having lifted the trophy since his second triumph with Barcelona in 2011.
Asked if he believed City were finally ready to take the next step in Europe, De Bruyne said: “I can answer that question next week.
“I don’t see it that way. We have performed really well. We have been in so many quarter and semi-finals and two finals. We have been there most of the time.
“Depends who you ask (whether City need to win in Europe to earn recognition). Most of the guys have been incredible anyway. Will it help, yes.
“But one 90 minutes doesn’t define a career. I am on around 700 games. One 90 minutes out of 700 doesn’t define my career. But obviously it helps.”
Red Star Belgrade 1-2 Benfica: Turkish delight for visitors as Akturkoglu and Kokcu earn win
An early goal from winger Kerem Akturkoglu and a superb free-kick by his fellow Turkey international Orkun Kokcu earned Benfica a 2-1 Champions League victory at Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.
Akturkoglu opened the scoring for the Portuguese side in the ninth minute, converting a cross from close range at the back post.
His compatriot Kokcu then doubled their advantage just before the half-hour mark with a meticulously placed free-kick from 25 yards out, picking out the top-right corner.
Red Star reduced the deficit when Felicio Milson was played through and scored from close range four minutes from time, but they were unable to find an equaliser at the death.
Data Debrief: Turkish first for Benfica
Goals from Akturkoglu and Kokcu ensured this was the first time two Turkish players had ever scored for a non-Turkish club in a Champions League match.
Kokcu, meanwhile, is on his way to earning a reputation as a dead-ball specialist.
Since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, no player has scored more direct free-kick goals in major European competitions than Kokcu's two, with this his first in the Champions League.
Feyenoord 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen: Werkself earn crushing Champions League win
Bayer Leverkusen opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Thursday, scoring all four of their goals by half-time.
Xabi Alonso's men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip.
Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.
Another of last season's stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.
Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke of half-time, Timon Wellenreuther diverting the ball into his own net in a failed attempt to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's header.
Feyenoord were never likely to respond from there, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.
Bayer's resounding victory takes them third in the young Champions League standings, with Milan their next opponents in the competition on October 1.
Data Debrief: Wirtz makes the step up
Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Season as Leverkusen romped to the title last term, and he made the step up to Europe's premier club competition look easy on Thursday.
At the age of 21 years and 139 days, he became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut.
Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes (28) is the only midfielder that has been directly involved in more goals in major European competitions than Wirtz (26 – 14 goals, 12 assists).
Premier League return 'will have to wait' for Gyokores, says former Portugal defender Andrade
Viktor Gyokeres should focus on continuing to shine for Primeira Liga leaders Sporting CP and not be tempted by a move away, according to former Portugal defender Jorge Andrade.
The Sweden striker has been a revelation since his move from Coventry City in 2023, topping the league's scoring charts with 29 goals last season as the Lions won the Primeira Liga title.
Gyokeres has netted 12 times already for club and country this term, including in his last eight outings after scoring on his Champions League debut in Tuesday's 2-0 win against Lille.
Liverpool and Arsenal are reportedly keen on landing the 26-year-old's signature, though Andrade – speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal – believes Gyokeres should stay put.
"Viktor has already been to England and played in the Championship. That makes you wonder if he should come back to the Premier League so quickly," Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, told Stats Perform.
"He is adapting very well to the Portuguese league. He can play in the Champions League with Sporting. He can be the biggest star of a great club like Sporting. You will have to wait [for him to return to England].
"The values are high, but he's a player who values those values. He's a very strong player, he makes a difference in the club he's at.
"He's already in Sweden's national team. He is one of the key players in that team that has been down a lot since [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic left.
"But I think he is a great player, and he will not think about the Premier League immediately.
"I'm sure that in the future, if Sporting is successful, he can still go to that great league."
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