Pep Guardiola once lavished praise on one British stadium after visiting it for the first time. Considering that the Manchester City head coach has played and coached around the world, his comments about its atmosphere carry even more weight.
From the San Siro to the Santiago Bernabeu, the elite tactician has managed on the biggest of stages during his time at European powerhouses Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. Yet neither of those stadiums compared to Celtic Park. Guardiola was blown away after he visited it for the first time in 2016, giving the incredible atmosphere the highest praise possible.
Wanted Man City to emulate Scottish stadium
Although Barcelona were on the wrong end of one of the biggest Champions League upsets when they faced Celtic, Guardiola was not in the dugout at the time. Instead, his first taste of Parkhead came during his first season as Man City coach.
Many of his former players, including Lionel Messi, have talked about the cauldron of noise that the ground becomes on the biggest of occasions. And prior to City's match, the former Barca head coach talked about how excited he was to finally experience the stadium himself.
"This is my first time here in Glasgow to play against Celtic," he told the press. "All the people have talked to me about the atmosphere and I’m looking forward to this unique experience.
"I have heard many things. They only lost two or three games and the last two times Barcelona have come here they have lost once, so I know how strong they are.
"I have spoken with my players and my old players and they say that it is a special stadium for the environment, the fans and the way they play, and it’s a good challenge for us to know our level away from home in Europe.
The match between the two clubs turned out to be a classic. City had to come from behind on three occasions to salvage a 3-3 draw against Brendan Rodgers' side.
It was the first game for City which Guardiola had not won, and needless to say he was impressed with what he encountered. After the match, he told reporters that he wanted City to replicate the Parkhead atmosphere at the Etihad.
"Each club has its personality," he said. "What I want at Manchester City is what they are.
"Every club has history, personality, the way it handles the situation, the support. I’m pleased with what we have. Celtic have a huge history in Europe and we're here to build ours up.
"Europe is special, the teams are so strong and this environment is amazing, but it will be a good lesson for the future."
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Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola applauding
However, Celtic Park is not the only stadium which Guardiola has lavished praise upon. The Man City boss was quick to praise Anfield for being "like no other stadium in the world," but also picked out a different stadium for having the best atmosphere in Europe.
That praise was reserved for Atletico Madrid's now-demolished ground, the Vicente Calderon. Guardiola made the comments back in 2016 ahead of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final match, with it an all-too-familiar ground to him.
"We need to focus in the two games," he said. "[On the Vicente Calderon], it’s perhaps the best atmosphere in Europe. [Atleti’s] fans support their team for 90 minutes."
Guardiola managed six matches at the iconic stadium as Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss, losing and winning three times apiece. Whether Celtic Park trumped the Calderon's atmosphere is only something known to him, but there's likely not much to separate them.