Sheikh Mansour makes rare public statement as Man City finally win Champions League

 Owner Sheikh Mansour sent a message of congratulations to everyone at Manchester City after attending just his second match since taking control of the club in 2008

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour made a rare public statement after watching the club finally win the Champions League.

Winning Europe’s top club competition has been a long-term goal since Mansour took control at the Etihad 15 years ago. But until a tense 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul, it had eluded them.

In a break with tradition, Mansour attended the game. It was only the second City match he had ever seen in person, with the other a 3-0 home win against Liverpool back in 2010. However, he was in Turkey after jetting in from Abu Dhabi on his private jet, and he kept up his 100 per cent winning record from the stands thanks to Rodri’s second-half goal.

After the match, Mansour took to Twitter to offer his congratulations to the supporters and everyone connected with the club.

He wrote: “My congratulations and gratitude to our loyal Manchester City fans, and everyone at the Club, including management, technical staff and players. We will continue to define and celebrate our success together.”

The message naturally went down well with the club’s fans, with one replying: “Thanks for making Guardiola's dreams come true, to have a place where he can feel loved and respected.”

Another added: “Thank you beyond words HH [His Highness] for what you have done and continue to do for the club and its fans.”

A third gushed: “Thank you for all the hard work and dedication put into this amazing project. We’re proud to be a part of this history and to be supporters of this club.”

A fourth declared: “I don’t have the words to thank you for what you have done for a club I’ve supported for 50 years, other than to say thank you."