Rio Ferdinand insists Pep Guardiola didn't need to win Champions League to be considered the best

Rio Ferdinand has insisted Pep Guardiola did not need to win the Champions League to be considered one of the greatest managers of all time.

Guardiola took City to their first Champions League title on Saturday as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul, securing a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup.

They are the first side to achieve the feat since rivals Manchester United in 1999, and only the second English side to do so in history.

The trophy was the latest Guardiola could add to his collection having won two Champions League titles previously and several other accolades.

Ferdinand, who played for several years under Sir Alex Ferguson, heaped praise on the Spaniard, suggesting he could well be the best manager ever.

'Does he need this game to be recognised as one of the greatest, if not the greatest?' he said on BT Sport. 'We’re all I think in agreeance, he doesn’t even need it because of the way he sees the games.

'He has his teams painting pictures like we’ve never seen in my lifetime. Michaelangelo, however you want to do it.'

'This team have played a brand of football that around the world is looked at, is admired. This has been a project and a process for a long time, for many years now, Pep Guardiola coming in. But these players have produced some football that is out of this world. Individually but as a collective this team will go down in history obviously.'

Ferdinand, who was criticised by Manchester United defender Brandon Williams for his praise of City, admitted Guardiola and Co deserved to win the treble, mirroring his former side United's feat from 1999.

The champions have now etched their place in history, and will likely go down as one of the greatest teams ever.

'They deserve to [win the treble],' he said. 'A fantastic team and they’ve dug deep when they needed to, and they’ve been able to play both sides of the game. I think that’s been the difference between this City team to past ones.

'They can pass, they can play the fairytale football but also when need be they can dig in, roll their sleeves up and fight through games as well. Balance is everything in this team.'