"Tired, calm, satisfied."
Those were the emotions coursing through Pep Guardiola after steering Manchester City to the club's maiden Champions League title against Inter on Saturday, the third leg of a historic European treble to match Manchester United's feat in 1999.
When Guardiola was confronted with how City could perform next season in the post-match press conference, he slumped onto the desk, begging: "No, don't talk about it. I need a break."
It seems that City director Khaldoon Al Mubarak had also been looking ahead.
"My chairman said: ‘Oh, London is next season’s venue [Wembley] of the final,'" Guardiola reported. "I don't tell you my answer to him because [it] will not be proper."
Instead, Guardiola channelled his inner Kool & The Gang. "Now is time to celebrate." Here's how Manchester City's players and fans followed their manager's orders.
Pitch-side party
BT Sport's coverage of City's triumphant Champions League final against Inter was crystallised by a jarring interview with Kyle Walker shortly after the medal ceremony.
The fleet-footed defender had started on the bench, coming on for the final ten minutes to see out a nervy conclusion. Celebrating with his family, Walker reflected on the influence of those closest to him.
"From where I come from in Sheffield it’s not easy," he said. "I remember when my mum didn’t have a pound for the ice cream van. To have this with them, I’m so thankful."
Rio Ferdinand changed the tone when he quizzed Walker on his drink of choice. While apologising to England manager Gareth Southgate, Walker admitted: "Put any drink in front of me, I'm gonna destroy it!"
Before Walker found his way to the bar, he located a plastic chair on which one of the pitch-side photographers had been perched. Hoisting aloft the flimsy stool, Walker was replicating David Alaba's impromptu celebration when Real Madrid staged a dramatic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in last season's Champions League last-16 tie.
Eder Militao presented Alaba with a white chair after Madrid beat Liverpool in Paris 12 months ago to perform his signature celebration which Walker clearly took notice off.
Changing room chaos
Once the players had made it off the pitch and into the changing room, the festivities were cranked up a notch.
Rodri scored the only goal of the showpiece, just the second of his career in the competition, and got the full Will Grigg/Freed From Desire treatment from his jubilant teammates. Amid the throng of flesh jumping up and down with more than a hint of aggression, Phil Foden is bouncing away with his four-year-old son Ronnie on his shoulders.
If the presence of a toddler was a little unusual for a Champions League-winning dressing room, the bare, oiled torso of kit man Brandon Ashton is never far away from any City triumph.
Jack Grealish didn't have to guard his designer backpack as Ashton skidded head-first towards the Champions League trophy. Instead, the £100m winger ticked off another item on the bingo list of City celebrations by leading a hoarse version of Oasis' 'Wonderwall'.
However, Grealish expanded the musical range as he led a conga line out of the dressing room, drowning out post-match interviews with Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' blasting out of portable speakers.
After clawing their way past Arsenal to retain the Premier League title and kickstart this triumphant triptych, Guardiola joked that he and his side "drank all the alcohol in Manchester."
Grealish and company had clearly raided Istanbul’s liquor reserves, carrying buckets of beer on their jaunt towards to the team coach.
READ MORE REACTION TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
Fan frenzy
Only 20,000 tickets were officially allotted for Manchester City fans at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday. Despite 'Empty-had' jibes from rival opposition (and Guardiola) City commanded at least 50,000 home fans for every Champions League match this season.
That left thousands of Sky Blues back in Manchester to cheer on Guardiola's side. Those that huddled together to watch the contest on a big screen embarked upon the same rollercoaster of emotion in unison as City belatedly pieced their way through Inter's stubborn rearguard.
After the initial roar as Bernardo Silva scampered into the box, the crowd collectively groaned as his cutback was blocked. Erling Haaland couldn't help but cover his face in frustration on the pitch. However, the ball fell perfectly for Rodri to rifle in the winner. Limbs - and a couple of inflatable bananas - were everywhere.
The Mayfield Depot was still packed to watch Ilkay Gundogan become the first City captain since Tony Book to hoist aloft a European trophy.
The lucky fans that did make it into the Ataturk - after a tortuous journey through traffic gridlock to a stadium only accessible by road - were more subdued.
Aftermath
There were some sore heads and foggy memories from the groggy bunch that loaded onto City's team bus on Sunday morning. The Manchester Evening News reported that some staff members were still up at 7am.
The players will have been able to catch up on some sleep when they boarded a club-liveried Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner back to England. Yet, the celebrations will continue with an open-top bus parade through Manchester city centre on Monday.
There is no rest for the wicked or the winners.
READ MORE REACTION TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
This article was originally published on 90min as The best videos and celebrations from Man City’s Champions League win.
