Man City confirmed as world’s best club in 2023 after winning its fifth trophy

Jeddah, Dec. 24: Pep Guardiola is happy to call Manchester City the best in the world this year, but an all-time great team? That debate must wait for years if not decades.

“Right now, I don’t know,” Guardiola said after City cruised to its first Club World Cup title by easily beating Fluminense 4-0 on Friday, lifting a fifth domestic and international trophy in 2023.

Guardiola is the first coach to win the FIFA club title with three different teams and compared City’s status to the great Barcelona side he led to be the champion of Spain, Europe and the world in 2011.

“If people talk about the team 25 or 30 years later it means you’re a really good team,” he said. “Today is nice. We have been the best team in the world.”

Judgment on this Man City era also must wait for the outcome of an English Premier League investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing at the club for almost a decade through 2018.

A hearing is expected late next year to examine 115 charges levelled against the club for conduct during the first nine full seasons after being bought by the royal family of Abu Dhabi. Verdicts are not expected until 2025 when City will play in the first revamped Club World Cup with 32 teams.

Guardiola’s team has been unquestionably the best in Europe this year and was simply too good for overmatched Fluminense, which could ill afford unlucky bounces of the ball that left the first-time champion of South America in a two-goal hole within 27 minutes.

“We prepared the whole year for (Copa) Libertadores but not the Club World Cup,” Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz said of his team being drained by winning its continental title seven weeks ago.

City led after just 40 seconds to make it a match mostly free of tension. Julián Álvarez followed up fastest to meet a rebound off a post from Nathan Aké’s shot.

An own goal by Fluminense captain Nino decided the game long before Phil Foden’s goal in the 72nd, guiding an Álvarez pass into an open net. Álvarez struck again in the 88th.

Victory came at a cost for City, which gave Europe a 16th title in 17 editions of FIFA’s competition for continental champions.

Guardiola was the first coach to win the Club World Cup with three different teams. He led Barcelona to titles in 2009 and 2011, then with a team that won the Champions League under outgoing coach Jupp Heynckes.

Guardiola celebrated calmly his record fourth Club World Cup title as a coach — adding to Barcelona’s in 2009 and ‘11 and with Bayern Munich in 2013 — by walking across to console Diniz with a handshake and arm on his shoulder.

In the third-place game earlier in Jeddah, African champion Al Ahly of Egypt won 4-2 against Urawa, the Asian champion from Japan. Those teams also will be at the expanded 2025 edition. (AP)