Pep Guardiola said after defeat by Real Madrid in both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie that Manchester City had a bright future with the players at the club’s disposal.
For supporters, it felt like a difficult concept to grasp given the nature of the 5-1 aggregate loss.
But having now claimed the first major trophy since the big-money rebuild overseen by Hugo Viana, as well as the controlled and authoritative nature of the performance at Wembley against arguably Europe's best team at present, it feels as though there has suddenly been a real turning point in the development of this new Manchester City squad.
In 2018, the League Cup was the catalyst for Guardiola and City to achieve unprecedented success across various competitions, and the latest Wembley win has a similar smell to it. Are we on the verge of seeing another sky blue force conquer English football and the European game sooner than we perhaps might believe?
Glance through the starting line-up that truly dominated an Arsenal side supposedly at the peak of its powers – James Trafford, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku to point out just a few. All names at the start of their top-level football development journeys and all hungry for the biggest successes, aiming to replicate achievements of City previous stars.
They are complemented by more experienced names guiding them through this phase of winning in Nathan Ake, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland, alongside others – such as Phil Foden, Gianluigi Donnarumma, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic – on Sunday's bench.
Viana and City's squad planners may have found the perfect balance between present-day experience and winning mentality, with a crop of potentially world-beating stars ready to have their hands held on their way to the very top stage of the game.
The Carabao Cup of 2026 is just the beginning of a truly special journey for Manchester City once again.
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