Rio Ferdinand has revealed Pep Guardiola text him before Manchester City demolished Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final.
City kept their treble aspirations alive by tearing Real Madrid apart at the Etihad Stadium, setting up a final showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul next month.
Guardiola’s side produced arguably the finest 45 minutes of football of his tenure during the first half, as they tore through Madrid’s defence with ease.
A brace from Bernardo Silva put City in control by half-time, before an Eder Militao own goal and a late Julian Alvarez strike sealed the deal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s European champions couldn’t live with the home side, as City’s players executed Guardiola’s tactical plan to the letter.
Ahead of the game, Guardiola was in a confident mood, as he said that City would be a bit more direct in attack than they were in the first leg a week ago.
That confidence was confirmed by former Manchester United defender and BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who revealed what Guardiola texted him before the match.
“He text me, Pep Guardiola, before the game,” Ferdinand said.
“I said ‘good luck’, and he text me ‘believe me, we beat them [Real Madrid] two years ago, we will beat them again. Believe’.
“I said ‘I believe you, I hope you do it.
“That was like two or three hours before the game. He is sending me a text like that. That is pure confidence in the detail that he has gone through before the game and the confidence he has in those players.”
City’s reward for exorcising their demons of last season is a meeting with Inter Milan in the final on June 10.
Should City wrap up the Premier League title and beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3, then a win against the Italian giants will make City just the second side to win the treble.
