The City, the mystique and the patrons' table

Football transfers to the semifinal Manchester City-Real Madrid a consideration that flies over the tie.

Two great teams will begin today to resolve their problems.

The necessary material is not lacking: the urgency to reach the final, extraordinary players, a general feeling of uncertainty, two coaches with a track record overflowing with successes and the tingling produced in Madrid by the presence of Pep Guardiola on the English bench.

However, Madrid-City is not a classic.

Not yet.

When Guardiola arrived at Manchester City, he declared that it was necessary to fill an almost empty silver room with trophies.

Born in the parish environment that was so decisive for the growth of football in England, City acquired his name in 1898. This remains of an old club does not match the vision of his team.

Even today, after winning five Premier League titles in the last 10 years, City are regarded with a distance, a wealthy

who is not well received in some salons.

He had his good times, especially in the sixties, when he dared to challenge and overcome Manchester United.

City won the League in 1968, the English Cup in 1969 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1970, but those titles were contradicted by years of hardship, relegation and bankruptcy notices.

In the city he cohabited with a club that also knew the disappointment of relegation and a deep void of success.

Between 1967 and 1992, Manchester United failed to win the League, but its ineffectiveness did not deprive it of majestic consideration.

Where the titles did not reach him, he served him the mythical landscape of the

, the Munich plane crash, the rebellious figure of George Best and the admiration professed for Bobby Charlton.

United did belong to the select club that is observed, and is observed, as the aristocracy of European football.

Real Madrid, Milan, Bayern, Juventus and Liverpool, teams that have built a long and double story in European competitions and in their respective Leagues, belong to that rank.

Barça, which was missing several League titles -only two between 1960 and 1990- and the European Cup to appear in the curia, secured entry through a legend (Johan Cruyff), a captivating style and a trail of hits.

Guardiola's enormous work goes mainly through putting City at the table of the classics.

Of course, they need to win the European Cup and continue their fantastic run in England - the

have won the Premier League three times in the last five years and are leaders this season - but to this day Manchester City have never achieved the player who pretended when the old hierarchs entered the bidding.

Liverpool took Van Dijk, Barça Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane remains at Tottenham, Maguire, yes, Harry Maguire, chose Manchester United and Hazard – a favorite of Guardiola – signed for Real Madrid.

City probed and moved away.

He had no chance, despite the money from Abu Dhabi, the fame of the coach and the constant successes of the team.

These subtle questions also refer to a semi-final that will not affect Real Madrid's position on the football scale, but will say a lot about City's location.

It is a good time to find out if you have any chance of joining the iron club of patterns or continue with the doors closed.

That is, if for the first time an undisputed figure chooses Manchester City over any of the usual suitors.

The main actor in this mystery already has a name:

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