17 May 2023 , 21:51
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Rio Ferdinand has faced criticism for texting Pep Guardiola 'good luck' ahead of Manchester City's 4-0 win against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Guardiola's side dethroned the reigning champions at the Etihad to reach their second Champions League final. City will face Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10 after a brace from Bernardo Silva, an own goal from Eder Militao and a late strike from Julian Alvarez.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, pundit Ferdinand revealed his message to Guardiola. The revelation has raised eyebrows, as Ferdinand is a former Manchester United captain. Red Devils fans are desperate for City not to win 'The Treble' this season.
City are aiming to become just the second team in history to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same campaign. The only other club to achieve that feat are United, who did so under legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson 24 years ago.
United are immensely proud of being the only club in history to win those three trophies in the same season. Despite this, Ferdinand was still keen to offer his support to Guardiola ahead of Wednesday night's huge second-leg clash in Manchester.
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Ferdinand told BT Sport: "He texted me, Pep Guardiola, before the game. I said, 'Good luck'. He said, 'Listen, believe me, we beat them two years ago, we’ll beat them again - believe'. I said, 'I believe you, I hope you do it'."
Guardiola was spotted pointing at Ferdinand after the win (Getty Images)What do you make of Rio Ferdinand's text message? Let us know in the comments below!
Ferdinand's story matches up with Guardiola's antics at full-time. As his players made their way off the pitch, Guardiola was seen pointing at Ferdinand and shouting "I told you". It's fair to assume he was talking about those text messages.
Fans on social media were stunned by Ferdinand's "I hope you do it" admission. One tweeted: "Ferdinand is absolutely embarrassing saying he texted Guardiola good luck. Man Utd legend texting the City manager. Absolutely no rivalry in England anymore."
Another wrote: "Imagine Thierry Henry or Patrick Vieira [as Arsenal legends] texting a Spurs manager wishing them good luck in a semi-final."
Others, meanwhile, questioned whether Ferdinand was telling the truth, with one fan claiming the ex-defender "always wants that main character role". Joleon Lescott confirmed Ferdinand did text Guardiola, but his version of events was slightly different.
After Ferdinand revealed his story, Lescott replied: "No, you didn’t say that Rio! You showed me!" Laughing, Ferdinand asked Lescott to clarify his claim. The former City defender then joked: "[You said], 'Can you get me some tickets for the final?'"
Ferdinand continued: "I just think the conviction that he had - the confidence. That was like two or three hours before the game and he’s sending me a text like that. That is pure confidence in the detail that he’s probably gone into in the lead up to this game and the confidence he’s got in those players."