Rodri's cool finish in the 68th minute earned City their long-awaited first Champions League title, but only after Brazilian Ederson kept them in the match with a brilliant point-blank save to deny Lautaro Martinez (25).
"The defeat teaches a lot, it was five years of disappointments, we were shattered, but we picked up the pieces and rebuilt ourselves. And the new pieces that arrived helped a lot too," Ederson told Brazilian TV channel TNT Sports.
Inter were starting to cause trouble for a nervous City when Manuel Akanji (27) delivered a hospital pass intended for Bernardo Silva (28) and Lautaro anticipated it to go one-on-one with Ederson.
The Brazilian keeper, however, made himself big to limit Lautaro's angles and blocked the Argentine's strike with his body.
After Rodri scored, Inter pressed for a late equaliser and Ederson made two brilliant stops at the death.
In the 88th minute, he kept out a point-blank header from substitute Romelu Lukaku (30) and in the last play of the match, Ederson shone again as a corner was taken to the near post where Francesco Acerbi (35) flicked the ball into the box and Ederson made a diving save moments before the final whistle.
"This year I dedicated myself a lot, worked hard, gave up a lot of things to be rewarded," Ederson said.
"I am still in a state of ecstasy, I want to enjoy it now, enjoy it, enjoy it with my family too. Now it's time to celebrate."
