Pep Guardiola insists 'I gave my life' after Champions League failure at Bayern Munich

The coach will leave for Manchester City this summer without winning the trophy he really wanted

Pep Guardiola (Getty)

Pep Guardiola's mission to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich was ended last night when his side exited the competition at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

It was the third time in as many season's that the German giants stumbled at the semi-final stage - every time to a Spanish opponent.

Winning the European Cup was the trophy Guardiola, like all managers, coveted above any other during his time at the Allianz Arena. But with a contract signed at Manchester City for him to join this summer, it won't be happening.

Following his side's exit Guardiola insisted he could have given nothing more in the pursuit of the trophy won by his predecessor Jupp Heynckes the season before he took over.

He told Bayern's official website after his side exited the tournament on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw with Atletico: "I gave my life for this team, I fought and did my best.

"We played as we wanted to play today but we came up one goal short. I'm sorry, especially for the players."

The season is certainly not over for Guardiola and Bayern Munich. They can still win two trophies this season, with the club in reality needing just one point from their final two league games of the season to win the Bundesliga for a record-breaking fourth straight season. They can add the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) when they play Borussia Dortmund in the final towards the end of the month.

However Guardiola's failure to win the Champions League with Bayern will be among the things he is best remembered for during his time in Bavaria. And that will only become more acute if his next club, Manchester City, progress further in this season's competition. They play Real Madrid tonight.