Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has claimed his side s Champions League defeat against Barcelona in 2014-15 was one of his finest moments in charge of the Allianz Arena outfit.
The Bavarians took on their coach s former team in the semi-finals last term, with Barcelona eventually progressing to the final 5-3 on aggregate, despite a 3-2 defeat in Munich.
Guardiola was not too bothered by Bayern s failure to win the Champions League, though, as he was proud of his side s performance regardless of the eventual outcome and feels European success is a matter of time.
One of the best moments of my career as Bayern coach was the semi-final defeat against Barcelona, Guardiola said at a news conference.
The fans were all applauding us. They are not stupid. They all saw the players gave everything for the jersey.
Successful San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich once said success needs time. What we are doing here is a process.
Guardiola won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2008-09 and 2010-11, but European club football s main trophy has evaded him so far with Bayern.
The Bundesliga champions were eliminated in the semi-finals by Real Madrid in 2013-14, before Barca proved to be too strong last season.