Pep Guardiola drew comparisons with Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan as he defended Manchester City’s Champions League record.
City host Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday as they look to win the competition for the first time.
But Guardiola urged patience, pointing out that sports greats Nicklaus and Jordan lost more often than they won.
“Every game is very difficult,” he said.
“Yesterday, it was the Masters. How many Masters has Jack Nicklaus played or majors has he played in his career, in 30-40 years as a golfer? How many wins out of 164? Eighteen wins.
“Wow. He loses more than he wins. That’s sports. In football, in golf, in basketball.
“Michael Jordan, the greatest athlete for me in basketball, won six NBA titles in 15 years. He loses more than he wins.
“What’s important is to be here, to compete well, to do my best. Nothing more than that.”
Guardiola managed Bayern from 2013 to 2016, winning the Bundesliga three times in a row, although Champions League success in Germany eluded him.
But the 52-year-old says the expectation at Bayern is always to go for the win and he does not expect a cautious approach from them at the Etihad Stadium.
“From my experience when I was there, I had the feeling that it doesn’t matter where you play, you have to be Bayern Munich and you have to try to win,” he added.
“If they defend maybe more than usual it’s because we are doing well. But if we don’t do well, we will defend more than usual.”
Tuesday’s game sees Guardiola take on former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
The German was in charge of the Blues when they beat City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final.
Guardiola added: “I was sad, but I congratulated him and Chelsea on the win. It happened.
“I watched the game a month ago and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was a tight game, as they always have been against Chelsea this term.
“We forget and try again.”
