Josko Gvardiol said he is “super proud” of Nico O’Reilly after his Manchester City teammate scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side scored a goal at the Santiago Bernabeu but O’Reilly equalized for City before Erling Haaland won the match from the penalty spot.
At 20 years and 264 days old, O’Reilly is the second-youngest player to score for an English club against Madrid in the Champions League, behind only Alan Smith for Leeds United in March 2001 (20 years and 129 days).
O’Reilly has registered four direct goals in the Premier League this season (one goal, three assists), in addition to his goal and assist in Europe’s top competition.
Gvardiol showed his delight at seeing the youngster continue to take advantage of opportunities in key moments for City.
“I’m super proud of him,” Gvardiol said.
A moment that Nico will never forget pic.twitter.com/5Fh4OIUiC4
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 11, 2025
“I’m also very happy for him. He’s young, but to be honest, two days ago I thought when I saw him playing next to me, I felt like he was 30. I think he has a quality.”
“There is a reason he is in the starting line-up. He just has to keep going. He has the full support from me, from everyone in the team, from the manager, from the staff too, from the club. He can do such big things in his career.”
City’s win in the Spanish capital was their fourth straight win in all competitions, moving them into second place in the Premier League and fourth in the Champions League.
They have lost key players from their previous title-winning sides, such as Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, but Gvardiol believes City are still strong enough to challenge for major trophies.
“I think so,” he said when asked if City can continue their winning run.
“I think we are doing well. As I say every time: we take one game at a time and don’t look too far ahead.
“And obviously we have a good team. We have great players on the bench who are more than ready to come on. So I think we have a good team and we want to fight.”
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