“By any means necessary!” – Ederson sends warning to Man City’s Champions League rivals

Ederson has sent a warning to Manchester City’s Champions League rivals by admitting his firm to desire to win Europe’s greatest prize “by any means necessary”.

Manchester City will get their latest pursuit of European glory back underway this week, as they take on Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig in the first of a two-legged affair in the Champions League last-16.

Following disappointment on Saturday afternoon through a 1-1 draw against Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest, City have extra incentive to get back to winning ways, and take a mental break from the relentless nature of the ongoing English top-flight title race.

This week, the club’s number one choice between the sticks Ederson has been discussing Manchester City’s collective goal of winning the UEFA Champions League for the first time, and the Brazilian’s own personal ambitions that have been present since he was a teenager.

On the subject of Manchester City’s hopes of winning the Champions League, Ederson said, “That’s our main objective, the main objective of the club. We’ve been trying (to win it) and will carry on trying.”

“But I think this year, we’re more than capable of getting to the final and challenging for the title. We’re coming after it. We’re a group of great quality and that shows how much the club has developed over the last five or six years, with Premier League titles, FA Cups, Community Shields.”

“Now this title is what the club needs, it’s what we athletes need and it’s what (Pep) Guardiola needs here at the club, too. This year, we’re going to try. We’re going after it.”

The former Benfica goalkeeper also admitted that his dream of winning the UEFA Champions League has been a relentless journey from the age of 13, and a dream that got even closer the day he made the switch into Europe from South America when he was 15.

“From 13 or 14 years old, I started watching European football more. Then, between 15 and 16, I went to Portugal, so the dream was closer to me,” said Ederson. “After that, my objective was always that: to play in the Champions League, to play at a big club and to win competitions, to challenge for a World Cup.”

“So, I’ve always worked with objectives. ‘I will play in the Champions League; I will play in the Premier League; I will play in the World Cup.’ I always put it as an objective, because I already achieved my dream of becoming a professional footballer – I achieved that.”

He continued, “From that moment, I started to set goals in my career and, thank God, I’ve managed to hit these goals. One of the goals I have set for myself is to win the Champions League. That’s what’s missing and I want to be able to achieve this objective.”

In a word of warning to Manchester City’s direct Champions League rivals this season, Ederson even went as far as to say that he would be willing to win the competition by “any means necessary”.

Ederson closed, “I’m willing to always work hard, I always give it my all. So, this year, I want to achieve my objective, by any means necessary.”

Manchester City are set to make the journey from the north-west of England to Germany on Tuesday afternoon, with Pep Guardiola and Nathan Ake facing the media in the pre-match press conference later the same day.

Ederson will be named as part of Manchester City’s travelling squad for the flight to RB Leipzig, but there are growing calls amongst a small section of the fanbase for back-up choice Stefan Ortega Moreno to be granted the opportunity against the Bundesliga outfit.

Those calls come following City’s recent tendency to concede from the first shot they have faced on target, all of which have come in matches when Ederson has been the goalkeeper between the sticks.