Pep Guardiola had just watched his striker Erling Haaland turn in an incredible five-goal performance in the Champions League — so, naturally, he wanted to talk about Julia Roberts.
Man City destroyed RB Leipzig 7-0 on Tuesday, with a record-setting Haaland leading his team into the last eight of the competition.
The win seemed to put Guardiola in a freewheeling mood, with the City boss going full stream-of-consciousness in his post-game press conference.
He took aim at “the Twitter guys” for criticizing his team selection, said he took Haaland out because had he scored a record-breaking sixth goal, his life would be “boring” and, most notably, opined on Roberts’ visit to Old Trafford in 2016.
That visit, which took place early in Guardiola’s tenure at City, appears to have stuck with him just as much as any of his club’s Champions League failures.
“I have three idols in my life,” he said. “Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Julia Roberts.
“Julia Roberts years ago came to Manchester, not in the period of Alex Ferguson when they were winning title after title, in the last four or five years when we were better than them. But she didn’t come to see us. She went to visit Man United.
“Even if I win the Champions League, it will not [ease] the disappointment of Julia Roberts going to United. My idol.”
Huh.
United, of course, had a quick response on its Twitter account.
Throwing it back to when Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford 😏#MUFC pic.twitter.com/xBzLZgnJLK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 15, 2023
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