Champions League: Erling Haaland scores 5, Pep Guardiola rues Julia Roberts snub
- Manchester City striker continues his remarkable season with five goals in a 7-0 rout of Leipzig as his side reach the quarterfinals
- But manager Guardiola expresses disappointment that actor Roberts opted to watch Manchester United instead of City on a visit to the UK
On a night when Erling Haaland set new standards in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola was preoccupied with Hollywood star Julia Roberts.
Never mind a record equalling five goals in one match – or the Manchester City striker becoming the fastest and youngest player to score 30 in European club football’s elite competition. Guardiola had other things on his mind after the 7-0 rout of Leipzig on Tuesday as City advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-1 aggregate win.
Oscar winner Roberts, the City manager explained, is one of his three idols, along with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
But on a visit to the UK she chose to watch Manchester United, rather than Guardiola’s City team, who have won four Premier League titles in five years.
“She came in the period where we were better than United, in these four or five years,” he said. “And she went to visit Man United. She didn’t come to see us. That’s why this is … even if I win the Champions League [it] will not be compared for the fact that Julia Roberts came to Manchester and didn’t come to see us.”
