‘Why would I’: Mateo Kovacic says he wouldn’t have joined Man City if it weren’t for one thing

Mateo Kovacic says he wouldn’t have joined Manchester City if he didn’t believe the club could build on their Champions League success.

City won a historic treble last season, the centre piece of which was a maiden Champions League triumph.

Pep Guardiola’s side had gone close in European football’s premier club competition on several occasions, including a defeat in the 2021 final to a Chelsea side including Kovacic.

In 2023 City finally ended their hoodoo, defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul to get their hands on the famous trophy.

Now that City are European champions, the difficult task of defending their crown begins.

As City have found out in the Premier League, defending titles is never as easy as it sounds.

It’s even harder in Europe, where one-off bad performances can prove the difference between progression and elimination.

Kovacic hungry for more
Kovacic has already won the Champions League on four occasions, once with Chelsea and three times with Real Madrid.

However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t hungry to add a fifth winner’s medal to his collection.

The Croatian midfielder is confident that City can win the competition again this season, and said he would not have joined the club if he didn’t think they could.

“I think they can start to dominate,’ Kovacic said, via the Daily Mail.

“By winning the trophy you get even more confidence. Of course for me it’s just the start, if it was the end why would I have come?

“The team is so young, so confident and playing great football so why would it be the end? It should be just the start for City. They dominated English football. In Europe as well without having the luck.”

MCN view: Kovacic the kind of signing that keeps motivation high
There’s always a risk of players struggling to motivate themselves to go again after enjoying such a successful season.

Kovacic has enjoyed great success during his career, but his hunger silverware – plus the fact that he has never won the Premier League – will rub off on his new teammates.

His arrival will keep things fresh and keep City’s stars on their toes.