15 March 2023 , 11:38
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Manchester United have mocked Pep Guardiola after the Spaniard claimed he is a "failure" because Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford instead of the Etihad Stadium back in 2016.
Roberts, 55, visited Manchester seven years ago to take in the Red Devils' 1-1 draw against West Ham. Jose Mourinho was in charge of United at the time as Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised after Diafra Sakho's opener.
However, in a bizarre revelation following City's 7-0 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday, Guardiola admitted that Roberts is one of his three idols and also revealed his disappointment that the actress chose United over City.
He said: "I am a failure in the Champions League. If I win the Champions League three times in a row I will be a failure. I have three idols in my life. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Julia Roberts. These are my three idols.
"Julia Roberts years ago came to Manchester - not in the 90s when Sir Alex [Ferguson] was winning titles and titles and titles. She came in the period where we were better than United, in these four or five years, right?
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"And she went to visit Man United. She didn't come to see us. That's why even if I win the Champions League it will not compare for the fact that Julia Roberts came to Manchester and didn't come to see us. Even if I win the Champions League it will not compare to this disappointment I had."
In response to Guardiola's statement about Notting Hill and Ocean's Eleven star Roberts, United decided to fire back and mock the Spaniard in a cheeky tweet on Wednesday morning.
It read: "Throwing it back to when Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford," with the winking eye emoji and #MUFC. The post also involved three images of Roberts at United during her brief trip.
United's clash with West Ham proved to be an entertaining one for viewers, and Roberts, who saw Mourinho shown a straight red card for touchline antics on a frustrating evening for his side.
Julia Roberts attended Old Trafford back in 2016 (Getty Images)Roberts attended the game with her husband Daniel Moder and her three children, who are thought to be United fans. She was allowed on the pitch after the match with her family and met Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick.
But Guardiola's latest plea could tempt her to visit the east side of Manchester given the way City performed against Leipzig as they battered their German counterparts.
Erling Haaland became just the third player to score five goals in a Champions League game alongside Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano after he a stunning individual performance.
Meanwhile, Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan also struck on a famous night for City as they matched their biggest-ever Champions League win following a demolition over Schalke in March 2019.