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      Man City star tried to give away Champions League medal to team-mate ‘who deserved it more’

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      SCOTT CARSON became a two-time Champions League winner last weekend – but he tried to give away his first winners’ medal.The former England stopper got his hands on a second medal last Saturday when Manchester City picked up their maiden European Cup with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul.
      Scott Carson picked up her second Champions League winners’ medal on SaturdayCredit: GETTY
      The keeper picked up his first 18 years ago with LiverpoolCredit: NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD
      But he wanted to give his medal to fellow Reds stopper Chris KirklandCredit: NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD
      Carson picked up his first – somewhat fittingly – in the same stadium 18 years earlier with Liverpool in their unforgettable comeback victory over AC Millan.
      But he felt undeserving of the gong having only played once during the campaign – so much so that he tried to give it to fellow stopper Chris Kirkland.
      The 37-year-old told The Guardian in 2017: “When we got the medals, I tried to give mine to Chris.
      “He played more games in the group stages than me. So I felt that he deserved it more.

      “But Chris, as anyone who knows him will say, is a really nice lad.
      “And he said, ‘No. You were on the bench, you played your part as well.'”
      Carson was a spectator as Jerzy Dudek’s shootout heroics guided the Reds to their then-fifth European title.
      And he would’ve been more than happy not to have walked away from the Ataturk Stadium with a gold medal.
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      He said: “I’m delighted I’ve got it, but a medal is a lot more valuable to you if you played.
      “For me, Just to witness that night was good enough.”
      Hours after picking up his second Champions League winners’ medal, a Twitter troll claimed Carson was undeserving of either as he hadn’t played a single game in Liverpool and City’s successful campaigns.
      But he was quick to put the troll in their place by pointing out he played in the first leg of the Reds’ 2005 quarter-final tie with Juventus.
      He tweeted: “90 minutes quarter-final do your research lad.” More

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      Just one Arsenal player features in Dream Team’s best XI of 2022/23 – while four Manchester United stars make the cut!

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      The 2022/23 season is officially in the record books and Manchester City fans couldn’t have wished for a more satisfying finale.Pep Guardiola’s side beat Inter in Saturday’s Champions League final to claim a historic treble and bring the curtain down on another captivating Dream Team campaign.
      Given City’s dominance, one might expect an overwhelming presence of Etihad assets in Dream Team best XI of the season… but that’s not the case.
      In fact, just three treble-winners make the cut once the numbers have been crunched.
      For clarity, we’re exclusively interested in which players earned the most Dream Team points across the 36 Game Weeks, nothing else matters.
      GOALKEEPER: David de Gea
      Four Manchester United players feature in Dream Team best XI of 2022/23
      It was a two-horse race between the sticks for the majority of the campaign with Manchester United’s No1 ultimately edging out Nick Pope, 163 points to 147.
      De Gea’s individual performances were subject to justified criticism at times but 25 clean sheets in all competitions was a formidable tally.
      To put that into perspective, the Spaniard earned the same number of points through clean sheets (125) alone as Ederson did overall.
      DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw
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      Ruben Dias’ late charge wasn’t quite enough to earn him a place in this XI but it seems likely the Portuguese centre-back would have finished as runner-up in his position had he not suffered a spell on the sidelines with injury.
      As it was, Liverpool’s homegrown hero claimed the silver medal by virtue of a creative outpouring that produced seven assists across the last eight Game Weeks.
      Alexander-Arnold was exposed defensively throughout the first two thirds of the season but only a fool would underestimate his talent in possession – how he mustered 167 points despite the Reds’ defensive woes is a compelling mystery.
      A league of his ownCredit: GETTY
      Shaw completes the podium having impressed for Man United at both left-back and centre-back when required.
      Again, the Red Devils’ mountainous clean sheet total is the main factor but the England international was worthy of the 73 points he earned through match ratings – he finished on 158 overall.
      In regards to top spot, any tension evaporated long before Christmas as Trippier took a commanding lead through a combination of regular clean sheets, 7+ ratings and Star Man awards.
      Newcastle’s set-piece specialist was among the Premier League’s most prolific chance creators and a key cog in the top flight’s joint-best defence (33 goals conceded).
      This double life produced 230 points across the 36 Game Weeks, giving him a lead of 63 over his nearest rival when the fat lady sang.
      MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bukayo Saka
      Most Dream Team gaffers will know by now that Man United’s playmaker-in-chief topped the charts in relation to 7+ ratings and Star Man awards.
      Fernandes built on his impressive World Cup form to stride clear of De Bruyne, himself a potent asset, in the second half of the season to end on 283 points, 31 clear of the Belgian superstar.
      With 14 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, the Portugal international once again proved that his play style is perfectly suited to Dream Team.
      Arsenal’s only representativeCredit: GETTY
      Mahrez didn’t feature in the FA Cup final or the Champions League final but his ruthless efficiency once again made him a perplexing yet brilliant Dream Team asset.
      Despite starting just 22 of City’s 38 league games and six of their 13 European fixtures, the Algerian winger notched 197 points thanks mostly to 15 goals and 13 assists.
      Completing our midfield, Arsenal’s resident Star Boy.
      Given the Gunners’ lengthy title challenge, it’s rather surprising that Saka is his side’s only representative in this XI.
      Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White and Gabriel were all among the best players in their respective positions but the standards are high among the cream of the crop.
      Saka’s form may have faded somewhat in the final Game Weeks of the season but 15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions justified his popularity throughout 2022/23.
      FORWARDS: Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane
      There are no superlatives left to describe Man City’s No9 debut Dream Team campaign.
      Europe’s apex predator plundered 431 points when all was said and done, 130 more than his closest competitor, to become just the second player ever to reach the status of quadruple centurion.
      Haaland finished on 52 goals having scored SIX hat-tricks over the course of the season, including a five-goal rampage at RB Leipzig’s expense.
      The Norwegian captains our side.
      A phenomenonCredit: GETTY
      Man United’s top scorer was arguably the world’s most in-form player for a while this season.
      Rashford bagged 90 points in the space of just five Game Weeks at his rampant best and his final tally of 301 earned him the silver medal not just among forward but all Dream Team assets.
      The battle for the final forward spot was hard fought between Tottenham’s main man and Mohamed Salah, who both posted mightily impressive individual campaigns despite their teams’ problems.
      Read more on The Sun
      Anfield’s favourite Egyptian banked 275 points in all but a brace to relegate Leeds on the final day meant Kane finished on 30 league goals and 289 points.
      The England skipper essentially fought a one-man battle for much of 2022/23 to cement his status as a Dream Team legend. More

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      Man City’s Treble puts them on course for astonishing bonus that could see club easily afford Kylian Mbappe transfer

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      MANCHESTER CITY’S Treble has put them on course for an astonishing £335MILLION bonus.The  Champions League winners know they will never be universally loved thanks to charges related to 115 alleged breaches of historical Financial Fair Play rules.
      Man City completed the treble on SaturdayCredit: Alamy
      But there is no doubting their sensational play on the pitch has brought in an unprecedented amount of prize money this term.
      City have lifted the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the space of  three weeks and they could soon have two more trophies in the bag, as they take on Arsenal in the Community Shield  and Europa League winners Sevilla in the Super Cup.
      A fifth Premier League crown in six years is estimated to be worth £164m.
      Their long-awaited first Champions League victory added another £117.2m, while beating Manchester United in the FA Cup saw them trouser £3.9m — taking the total to a staggering £285.1m.
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      That is not all — Saturday’s win over Inter Milan has guaranteed City entry into the new-look Fifa Club World Cup in 2025, which will be worth about £50m.
      That adds up to about £335m, which will delight chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and owner Sheikh Mansour.
      The total amount of prize money could see Man City recruit some huge transfer targets – potentially including Kylian Mbappe.
      Mbappe signed for Paris Saint-Germain in a huge £166million transfer from Monaco in 2017.
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      The Cityzens could also attempt to sign Neymar, who is expected to leave PSG this summer.
      Despite Man City’s huge cash bonus, club officials are set to kick off their summer business with a free transfer.
      The Prem champions are set to sign Mateo Kovacic on a free transfer from Chelsea as a potential replacement for Ilkay Gundogan. More

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      It has been a long wait, but Manchester City are really there after Champion’s League win

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      “WE’RE not really here.” That old City chant from the 1980s was never more true than in the Atatürk Olympic stadium on Saturday night.Surreal and unreal. As Ilkay Gundogan scaled the ad boards and bowled towards us with that huge iconic trophy, I couldn’t quite believe this was happening.
      Triumphant Man City players lift the Champions League trophyCredit: Reuters
      And neither could all the laughing, crying, emotionally wrecked fans around me.
      Earlier, at the fan park by the stadium, miles out on the edge of this gigantic, teeming city, a place with the weight of all human civilisation on its shoulders, 20,000 lads and lasses from Manchester and beyond partied in the sun.
      Tales of tortuous journeys abounded, of three-hour queues for free buses, of madly ­expensive taxi rides.
      But the overwhelming feeling was: Was this whole thing real?
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      As a City fan since 1969, when as a seven-year-old I watched them win the FA Cup on the first colour TV I’d ever seen, this, for 40 years of my life, was an impossibility.
      For 20 years in the ’90s and noughties, we were rubbish.
      With the piled-on pain of Man U’s successes.
      Of course, since we became rich in 2008 then, seven years ago, got the best manager the game has ever seen, hope and expectation has grown season by season.
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      Old fans like me were delirious with an FA Cup, and then, a couple of Prem titles.
      But, Champions League? You’re ­having a laugh.
      At this new-found highest level we were still Typical City, as several painful exits proved.
      Saturday night ended that.
      Back to the city on the brilliant all-night metro, we celebrated till the sun came up.
      A narrow cobbled alley of bars just off Istiklal Street, Istanbul’s Oxford Street, became City, Champions of Europe Boulevard.
      Grown men mimicked flicking monkeys off their backs.
      There was champagne and £1 cigars, strong beer and kebabs, flags and flares, banners and anthems, pledges of European Cup tattoos with ‘Istanbul 10.6.23’, like people do for the birth of a child.
      And we were really there.
      Party time as flares are lit in Istanbul’s Istiklal Street – now nicknamed ‘City Boulevard’ More

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      Jack Grealish belts out rap song after wild all-nighter celebrating Man City’s historic Champions League victory

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      PARTY boy Jack Grealish belted out a rap song from the Man City team bus as he led their Champions League celebrations into the early hours yesterday.The England ace, 27, repeatedly poked his head out of the sunroof, yelling “woo!” before they set off.
      Jack Grealish repeatedly poked his head out of the sunroof of the team busCredit: Simon Jones
      Grealish has a lager in the dressing room
      Grealish knocked back beers and belted out Blues chants with his teammatesCredit: Getty
      Jack had knocked back beers and belted out Blues chants with his teammates in the dressing room after they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final to complete their historic Treble.
      The winger sang a version of Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere with lyrics altered to turn it into a City tune.
      After the match in Istanbul, City’s £100million record signing was close to tears as he told what the achievement meant to him.
      Brummie Jack said: “Anyone that knows me knows how much of a family person I am and how much I love football and, I don’t know . . . this is what I’ve worked for my whole life.
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      “You think back to all the people that have helped you and just seeing my family in the crowd, it makes me emotional.”
      Grealish toasted the victory by sharing a kiss with girlfriend Sasha Attwood, also 27, on the pitch.
      City’s aces, manager Pep Guardiola and their loved ones then went back to the five-star JW Marriott Hotel Istanbul Marmara Sea to carry on the party.
      Grealish, Kyle Walker and others raved until 8.30am local time.
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      Goal machine Erling Haaland puffed on a cigar and declared his love for Grealish in an Instagram selfie.
      Walker was seen holding a microphone with a bottle of booze next to him in an 8.30am Instagram snap.
      City had an exclusive bash with a dancefloor, DJ decks and disco balls in a conference room and adjacent space outside.
      The equipment, booze and hotel space is likely to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
      The partying players showed no signs of slowing down as they departed the hotel — goalie Ederson was holding a bottle of Asahi on the team coach at 11.55am.
      The “big-eared” Champions League trophy was bundled on to the bus as City made their way to the airport.
      Players continued the celebrations yesterday afternoon during the three-and-a-half-hour flight home from Istanbul.
      Belgian midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne, who limped off with an injury in the first half of the final, posed wearing the golden crown from the Premier League trophy.
      The Belgian, 31, also bantered with Grealish.
      And local lad Phil Foden, 23, who came on for De Bruyne, could not stop smiling on the jet to Manchester.
      Guardiola led his squad off the club’s custom jumbo, hoisting aloft City’s first Champions League trophy alongside skipper Ilkay Gundogan, 32.
      Hundreds of fans lined the exterior fences of Manchester Airport to welcome their side home.
      City are now set to embark on an open-top bus parade through Manchester, starting at 6.30pm tonight.
      Thousands of fans will glimpse their Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies.
      Some 30,000 fans had descended on Istanbul, with midfielder Rodri’s 67th-minute strike breaking the deadlock.
      Ex-boxing world champ Ricky Hatton, 44, was among them.
      But Oasis legends Noel and Liam Gallagher did not attend.
      Read more on The Sun
      Noel, 56, on tour in the US, watched with fans in San Diego, California.
      After the game, he said: “Tonight, the Manchester rain will taste like champagne. This is the end of the beginning. This is only the start.”
      Local lad Phil Foden could not stop smiling on the planeCredit: Getty
      King Kevin De Bruyne with his Champions League crownCredit: Getty
      Heroes Pep Guardiola and Ilkay Gundogan arrive back home with the CupCredit: Getty
      A jubilant Pep waves to fansCredit: Simon Jones More

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      When is the Champions League final 2024 and where is it being held?

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      MANCHESTER CITY made history in the Champions League final – and they’ll be hoping for a repeat in the 2024 edition.Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled blue machine escaped Istanbul with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan.
      Manchester City beat Inter Milan to win the Champions League finalCredit: Rex
      And it meant that they became only the second English side to complete the Treble after their noisy neighbours Manchester United.
      However, all eyes will be on City for the 2023/24 campaign to see whether they can achieve the prestigious accomplishment once again.
      But fans want to know when the 2024 Champions League final is and where it is being held first.
      When is the Champions League final 2024?
      The Champions League final 2024 is expected to be played on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
      Read more on Champions League
      It will be the 69th season of Europe’s premier club football organised by UEFA.
      And the 32nd campaign since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the Champions League.
      Winners of the huge final earn the right to play the winners of the Europa League for a chance to lift the UEFA Super Cup 2024.
      Where is the Champions League 2024 being held?
      The Football Association (FA) won the right to host the Champions League final 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London.
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      This will be the third time the new Wembley is hosting the Champions League final having previously been held in 2011 and 2013.
      And it can host approximately, 90,000 spectators.
      While five matches took place at the original Wembley Stadium – 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1992 which hosted around 82,000 fans.
      Who has won the most Champions League titles?
      Manchester City became the latest team to secure Champions League glory by beating Inter Milan in a history-making final.
      But Real Madrid have been a dominant force in clubs football’s biggest competition, having lifted the trophy a record-breaking 14 times.
      Cristiano Ronaldo was a huge part of Real Madrid’s dominanceCredit: AP
      And Los Blancos specifically rubber-stamped their authority in the Champions League when their club legend Zinedine Zidane guided them to THREE consecutive triumphs – 2016, 2017 and 2018.

      Real Madrid – 14
      AC Milan – 7
      Liverpool – 6
      Bayern Munich – 6
      Barcelona – 5
      Ajax – 4
      Manchester United and Inter Milan – 3
      Benfica, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Porto – 2 More

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      Man City coach suffers huge scare after dad mysteriously disappears during Champions League final

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      MANCHESTER CITY coach Enzo Maresca had a huge scare after winning the Champions League, with his father going missing during the game.An announcement was made at the Ataturk Stadium for Pascquale de Caro, Maresca’s father, to make himself known to the nearest steward, while City launched an appeal for help on Twitter.
      Maresca has been Guardiola’s assistant since 2022Credit: Getty
      Maresca was on the bench last night as Manchester City completed an historic TrebleCredit: Getty
      Maresca attempted to contact his father by phone and City informed local police, but it was confirmed at 12.24am on Sunday morning, almost 2.30am in Istanbul, that De Caro had been found.
      Meanwhile, a huge number of City fans endured chaos getting to and from the 75,000-seat Ataturk.
      Nick Stapleton, a City fan and a reporter on the BBC series Scam Interceptors, shared his frustration on social media.
      Stapleton said: “Got to respect UEFA who are, as ever, absolutely committed to making the experience of being a match going fan as miserable as possible even at the Champions League final.
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      “I think you’d struggle to find one City fan who thought that was a well organised/easy event to attend. It was a disgrace.”
      UEFA had told City fans not to use the local metro network and instead use the shuttle buses provided.
      But Stapleton said the journey from the city centre took up to three hours with no water or toilets available, while there was a near two-hour queue for water inside the ground.
      After the game, he and his father walked along a grid-locked motorway to find a taxi as there were too few buses available.
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      Many other fans, including some family members of the City players, shared similar experiences.
      The chaos comes a year after the disastrous Paris final, where Liverpool fans were teargassed outside the Stade de France and an independent report laid the blame at UEFA’s door, saying supporters could have been killed.
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      Bleary-eyed Jack Grealish tries to get some air and Ederson carries on with the beers as tired Man City stars head home

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      JACK GREALISH looked worse for wear as the Manchester City players headed home from Turkey after their Champions League triumph.Pep Guardiola’s men became the first English side to complete the Treble since Manchester United in 1999 following their 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday evening.
      Pep Guardiola waved at fans after emerging from the hotelCredit: PA
      Jack Grealish tried to take in some fresh air from a window in the roof of the busCredit: PA
      Riyad Mahrez did not look particularly fresh as he donned some sunglassesCredit: PA
      Ederson was pictured with a beer as he made his way out of the hotelCredit: Simon Jones
      Erling Haaland emerged after sealing the Treble in his first season with Man CityCredit: PA
      They celebrated on the pitch after the game, with defender Kyle Walker insisting, “Put any drink in front of me, I’m gonna destroy it”.
      Grealish was then pictured drinking a beer in the dressing room, before Erling Haaland smoked a cigar.
      And it’s safe to say the squad looked somewhat tired as they boarded the team bus on Sunday as they began the journey back to England.
      Grealish could be seen getting some air as he yawned out of a window in the roof of the bus.
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      Manager Guardiola appeared the freshest of the Man City party as he waved to those outside their hotel.
      But the same could not be said for Riyad Mahrez who donned some red-tinted sunglasses as he offered a tired acknowledgement for those that had come to see the squad.

      Meanwhile, keeper Ederson, who made some key saves in the final, was still holding a beer as he smiled for fans.
      Captain Ilkay Gundogan, who lifted the trophy, looked on the better side of those that made their way onto the coach.
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      Grealish was snapped appearing to yawn out of the team busCredit: PA
      Man City are set to return to England on SundayCredit: PA
      Captain Ilkay Gundogan was snapped on Sunday, hours after lifting the trophyCredit: Simon Jones
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      And striker Haaland was also snapped exiting the hotel as he brings the curtain down on an incredible season – which saw him register 52 goals in 53 games for the Treble winners.
      After winning his third Champions League as a manager – and first in 12 years – Guardiola said: “It was written in the stars that we’d win this season – and we did. I’m feeling tired, calm and satisfied. This f*****g trophy is so difficult to win.
      “We knew it would be hard. They are really good. We were anxious in the first half but it was a question of being patient. I told them to be patient.
      “You have to be lucky, with Ederson at the end, and this competition is [a toss of] a coin. The momentum came from winning the Premier League and FA Cup and now we have this.
      “It was not our best performance. I have no energy to think of next season and we need a break.
      “We will start from zero and it’s our job. Winning the treble is so difficult.”
      Mahrez was one of a number of people wearing ‘The best team in the land’ shirtsCredit: PA
      Guardiola will be looking forward to some well-earned downtimeCredit: PA More