City have enjoyed a golden period in the six years since Pep Guardiola was appointed manager, winning every available domestic trophy, including four Premier League titles in five seasons and four consecutive Carabao Cups.
We have steadily improved in Europe, too, reaching the Champions League final for the first time in 2020/21 and coming within minutes of doing the same last season before eventual winners Real Madrid staged a remarkable fightback.
Success has therefore proved elusive and, whilst City’s CEO admits lifting the famous trophy is not an obsession, he believes it will happen one day.
“What we did in the last three years is extraordinary,” Soriano said following this season’s group stage draw.
“We have won four of the last five Premier Leagues, which means we are very consistent in the way we work and the way we play. By doing that, we also get runs to the final and runs to the semi final.
“I qualify this as a success no matter what because I know that if we continue to do the same year after year, one day we will get to the final again and one day we will win it.
“We are not obsessed, but I know it’s going to happen.”
Soriano was speaking in Istanbul, where City learnt our group stage opponents for the 2022/23 edition of Europe’s elite club cup competition.
Guardiola’s men have been drawn alongside Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen in what our CEO believes is an exciting Group G.
The 55-year-old is looking forward to locking horns with three teams we have faced previously and, Dortmund in particular, after COVID-19 meant our 2020/21 meeting was played behind closed doors.
“Exciting,” he added when asked for his thought on the draw.
“I think you can never say you are too happy or too sad about a draw. A draw is a draw. There are some good opponents, some good games.
“We went to Copenhagen many years ago in 2009 so we are happy to go back after so many years. Sevilla is a fantastic place, a good squad and a good coach. We played them in 2015 so maybe it was time to come back.
“Of course, Dortmund is a special game. We did play them in 2021 in the quarter-final but it was during the Covid times with no fans and that was a pity.
“Now we will have the experience of playing in Dortmund and in Manchester with fans and maybe with the additional excitement that we have a couple of players that used to play for Dortmund – Erling Haaland and Ilkay Gundogan.
“Overall, I think it will be a great experience for fans and for players.”
