Welcome to the September edition of the City Magazine!
This month, we don't have just one main feature - we have two.
To kick-off, cover star Ruben Dias discusses his adopted city and the things he loves most about life in England.
Then we have a fascinating interview with James Trafford, who looks back to his farming roots and reveals what life was like growing up in rural Cumbria - and what that has brought to his game.
There are new features to enjoy, too.
Marc Riley's Get With the Programme is an hilarious trawl through the matchday programmes of yesteryear, with his own acerbic slant on some of the more questionable features they included.
Kev Cummins will be bringing us The Cummins Files this season - a mixture of shoots he's done in the current month over the years, so expect anything and everything.
Our occasional City Vloggers feature is back with Typical City taking the hotseat and Tales of the City looks at a flash interview with a Hollywood legend...
Regulars Sometimes They Come Back (Geovanni) and the Random Match Generator are back and are archives feature focuses on a Yaya Toure interview from yesteryear.
Jack Wint is under the EDS spotlight, and we also have the best of our women's La Manga training camp.
Plenty to go at!
Ruben Dias on living a regular life, fish and chips and his adventures in and around Manchester...
It’s not easy living a normal life if you’re a Premier League footballer. Even less so if you play for one of the best clubs in the world and one that has trophies for fun over the past decade.
But Ruben Dias tries to live his life not far from the madding crowd, but instead very much within it.
The Portuguese defender, renowned for his meticulous professionalism, fierce desire to win and continuously putting his body on the line for his club, has just penned a two-year extension which will extend his time at City until at least 2029.
And with 11 trophies won in his first five years, he fully intends adding to that tally in the coming seasons, but he has also been reflecting on his time in Manchester so far and why living in the city has made it easy to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
“Perception-wise, in terms of coming to live here, I didn't have a clear image of Manchester or England,” says Dias.
“I'd been here three or four times with the national team to play when I was younger, so as regards living here, I didn't know what I was going to get.
“Obviously, I came to the city centre to live, which sorts of makes it more uniform to wherever you go, and that helped, but I was just mainly focused on coming to the best team in the world.
“This is the team I used to watch as a kid and now all the kids will be watching me now, so this was where I wanted to be. It was just exciting to be experiencing something new on and off the pitch.”
What he wasn’t perhaps expecting was the how the people of Manchester – and in England as a whole – would treat him when he wasn’t playing football.
In many other football-loving countries, players are often swarmed around if they dare set out on the street, or, depending on their status, regularly have a posse of photographers watching their every move.
That’s never been the case in Manchester. Far from it. And that sort of freedom and respect of personal space has made living in our city a pleasurable experience for one of the Blues’ captains.
“That's one of the best things about being in England - there are exceptions here and everywhere - but almost all of the time people are very respectful, he says.
“OK, I've been asked for a selfie while eating a burger, but almost all the time the interactions you have are in a very respectful vibe - people just know which lines not to cross, which is good for us as players and nice to know because I walk around the city centre a lot and go to malls or whatever because I always push myself to do the things I would always do.
“That allows me to feel quite normal and when I do it, as I say, people are very respectful, and I appreciate that. I try to do my normal things and not act funny - I like it when the parents come up with their kids and ask if I mind having my picture taken with them and I always try to make sure I do that, even if I'm eating at the time, I'll tell them I will do it before I leave.
“Some people who are well-known might get bored with it, but I have a always kept a different perspective, and that is you can't be upset by people wanting to say hello or whatever. You can't be upset for being loved or recognised for what you do - everyone would love to be loved for doing what they do and because they are good at it. I try and appreciate it rather than being evasive.”
Though Ruben says his home city of Lisbon is “my paradise” and where he will no doubt one day return, Manchester is undoubtedly his second home.
It's true the weather can often be trying for those who come from sunnier climes, but Ruben believes the Manchester weather is “getting there slowly” with several heatwaves hitting the city this year and temperatures surpassing even those in Lisbon many times.
He misses the sea – who wouldn’t? The Manchester Ship Canal has its own beauty, but you wouldn’t necessarily lie on a sunbed by it! But here does feel like home and whenever he travels and comes back, Manchester provides that familiarity and comfort that only somewhere you’re happy being can do.
With that in mind, what about the food?
Cuisine in Manchester is unrecognisable from maybe 20 years ago, when a donner kebab was still regarded as exotic! But, aside from the hundreds of top class international restaurants that now line Manchester’s streets, what of English food? Has he tried much and if so, what has impressed him?
He smiles at the question.
“I keep my own influence on my food - I brought my Portuguese chef, but I do love fish and chips - really love it in fact! Not every day, obviously, but I also love shepherd's pie which was also love at first sight,” he says.
“As for Sunday roasts, I'm still yet to try one I absolutely love, but there is time.”
So what else about our city or country does he enjoy?
“What else? Well, I also love the green of the countryside, like if you drive for 30 minutes or an hour, you are amongst it and the green fields and trees makes you feel good and happy.
“I've been to the Lake District, which I love and have been many times to Dovestone Reservoir and enjoy driving on Snake Pass, too. You don’t have to go too far to find it all.”
Another ‘adopted Mancunian’ is Bernardo Silva.
Named skipper for this season by Pep Guardiola, Bernardo is in his ninth season at City and will go down as one of our all-time greats for his contribution over that time.
And Dias admits he is closer to Bernardo than anyone in the game.
“He's probably my best friend in football so far in my career,” he says.
“He is the person in football that I'm most connected with because of shared ambitions and the very similar way we both see life. We both love to have fun when the time is right, but we are both serious when the time is to be serious.
“We also share a feeling and experience of knowing how to win, so in the difficult times when the guy next to you needs help, we can give it.
“Team discipline needs to exist if you want to win because if you try and win things on your own, you're only going to go so far and we've always seen eye to eye on those many different perspectives and I think that's why we connected so much.”
Interview: David Clayton
James Trafford returned to City in late July – the Club he always planned to return to… here he speaks to City Magazine about his unusual journey and how his farming background has helped his career…
It’s fair to say that farming is very much in James Trafford’s DNA.
Growing up on a family farm in Cockermouth in the Lake District might not be a well-trodden track for most footballers, but it’s one Trafford sometimes taps into as and when needed.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper has returned to City to compete for a starting berth and learn from the likes of Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli as he continues his custodian education – all with the aim of being the best keeper in England.
As a youngster, he’d spend time with his father, mum and siblings, learning to drive tractors from an early age, helping out during the lambing season and mucking out the animal pens when needed.
“I remember falling off the silage pit when I was with my dad and my mum and my sister were at the pond,” recalled Trafford.
“It had a really steep drop, so you don’t forget things like that. I also remember harvest time, being around the sheep and the lambs, playing on hay bales and things like that.
“As a kid I’d play in the garden of the farmhouse or in the yard, kicking the ball against the sheds and my dad going mad because it was disturbing the cows – stuff like that.
“I also recall not being able to open Christmas presents until 11am on Christmas Day because dad had to work, feeding the livestock and doing other necessary tasks around the farm – random memories!”
So, what has he taken from his childhood days out in the fields?
Is it something he has utilised and somehow adapted into his playing career?
“You draw on [the farming experiences] in the most in the tough times,” he said.
“You know, when it’s nailing down outside and you really can’t be bothered, every farmer knows that regardless of the weather, you still have to go out. You still have to work all day. You just have to do your job and do it as best as you can.
“That sort of upbringing, seeing my mum and dad graft as hard as they can, has always stuck with me.
“Like farming, goalkeeping can be a really lonely place. But it’s also a really good position on the pitch because you have that sense of importance and you try and keep everything together.
“I don’t really know [how much my background has influenced me] – you can think really deep into it, but I don’t really want to think too deeply into it. The farm is all about being home and going back there, seeing my family, seeing my mates.
“The situation with farmers in this country is not good – farmers have been struggling for a number of years, and all their money is generally tied up in the fields and many have had to actually sell their farms to keep their farms. It’s something I’d like to raise awareness of more one day.
“That said, I have no interest in running the family farm once I retire! When I go home, sometimes, I’ll challenge dad to see who can push a bale the furthest. That’s about it!”
James acknowledges things were a bit different for him as a kid.
While some aspiring footballers might have wanted to appear in Four Four Two or Match of the Day Magazine, James once admitted one of his proudest moments as a boy was seeing his photo in Farmers Weekly!
He actually started out as an outfield player before giving keeping a go – a decision that arguably changed his life.
“If my dad didn’t take me to football, he’d always put my gloves in the car with my mum just in case I was ever a goalie,” James recalls.
“Luckily, one time I said, ‘yeah, I’ll go in goal,’ and I just stayed there.
“Being a goalkeeper can be tough. You’re the only one who wears a different coloured kit. Even that on its own, you stand out.”
He joined City from Carlisle United’s youth team aged 12 and would stay with City for eight years, during which he went to Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers on loan – the latter under the management of former Wanderers boss Ian Evatt who says Trafford will be England’s No.1 “without doubt” – before joining Burnley permanently in 2023.
“Going out on loan was massive for me,” says Trafford.
“I just wanted to play as many games as I could and get as many experiences as I could. The loans were brilliant for me in that aspect, I got so many memories and developed so much.
“Throughout it I always believed I would be coming back [to City]. Then two years ago, I had the opportunity [to move to] Burnley and I thought it was the right step for me in that moment.
“I always believed that one day I would be back here, and I worked to achieve this moment.
“It’s brilliant for me. It was one of my goals since I joined when I was 12 to play for City. I knew my journey would look different and I knew the only person that could [make that happen) was me.
“I always believed that I’d get to this moment and now I’ve got this moment, I’ve just got to keep going. “
With the No.1 squad number vacant on his arrival at City from the Clarets, Trafford took the opportunity to take a shirt number not used since one of our modern greats last wore it – a fact not lost of James Trafford.
“I quite like the number, but it’s just a number,” he reflected.
“I think the last City keeper to have it was Joe Hart, who had a massively successful career and is an inspirational person and somebody I am in contact with, so I’ll send him a nice photo of that shirt and say ‘thanks’!”
Now, as Trafford embarks on his second spell as a Premier League player, he admits he hopes it starts better than the last time – which just, incidentally, involves one of his new team-mates.
“The first time I actually touched the ball in the Prem was picking the ball out of the back of the net from Erling Haaland!" he smiles.
“I’m a lot older and miles more experienced. I’m 100 times better and I’ve improved in every aspect as a person and as a player.
“I don’t really think too far ahead. I just want every day to work as hard as I can and improve and see where it takes me.”
Interview: David Clayton
One of City Magazine’s most popular features, with our resident Predictor-in-Chief and former captain Andy Morrison taking on three City fan YouTubers.
Last season, Mozzer lost by the narrowest of margins – and now he wants payback. Esteemed Kompany is back for a second season, joined this by fellow City vloggers JSM44 and Typical City.
Who will triumph this season? Can Mozzer level the series at 1-1? Remember, it’s one point for a correct result and three for a correct score. So, without further ado, let battle continue as Mozzer takes on Esteemed Kompany for our September fixtures…
CITY v MAN UNITED
Premier League
Sunday 14 September, 16:30 kick-off
Etihad Stadium
Mozzer view: I know if the best version of City turn up, we win the game comfortably – and that applies to whoever we play – but we’ve started a little bit hit and miss, but we are a work in progress. I think we will concede, because they have some dangerous forwards, and their counter-attacking style means this is the perfect game for them. But I don’t see us losing back-to-back opening home games and believe we will negate their threat.
Mozzer score prediction: City 3-1 Man United
Vlogger view: United have been struggling under Ruben Amorim and the League Cup defeat against Grimsby Town was evidence that they still haven’t found the consistency in performances they are looking for. With that in mind, I believe we will win and Erling Haaland will score a brace.
Vlogger score prediction: City 3-0 Man United
CITY v NAPOLI
UEFA Champions League
Thursday 18 September, 20:00 kick-off
Etihad Stadium
Mozzer view: When you've had the sort of decade we have, it's inevitable we will see former legends returning and that's the case here with one - if not the - greatest City players ever in Kevin De Bruyne. It's a tough one to call because we don't know how Napoli will be lining up or what they will be looking to do, but it will be a magical evening I'm sure and I'm going to say the energy and love for KDB will actually inspire our boys to victory.
Mozzer score prediction: City 3-1 Napoli
Vlogger view: The return of the king! It feels impossible to predict anything other than a KDB masterclass on his return to the Etihad. McTominay will of course score, too, given his past, but City will start their Champions League campaign with intent and the De Bruyne's presence for the opposition will up City's game and see us have enough to seal the victory.
Vlogger score prediction: City 3-2 Napoli
HUDDERSFIELD v CITY
Carabao Cup 3rd Round
24 September, kick-off 19:45
Accu Stadium
Mozzer view: This is your archetypal ‘free hit’ for Huddersfield in that they are expected to get beat so they can play with freedom. Given their solid start in League 1, I think their manager will want to protect his players and so ring the changes. It will be a good chance to see the likes of Nico O’Reilly and Abdukodir Khusanov and I see us winning well.
Mozzer score prediction: Huddersfield 1-4 City
Vlogger view: I think Pep will give a few debuts here because we have a busy month – and because he trusts our younger players. I expect to see Divine Mukasa really shine should he be given the chance in this game, and with maybe 5,000 Blues making the short trip over the Pennines, it should be a fun away win away with Phil Foden starring.
Vlogger score prediction: Huddersfield 1-3 City
ARSENAL v CITY
Premier League
Sunday 21 September, 16:30 kick-off
Emirates Stadium
Mozzer view: Probably the toughest away game of the season. They are defensively solid, have creativity in midfield and threats in attack so while nothing would surprise me in this game, it would be naïve for me to say we are going to rock up and win easily. I’m going to go for a scoring draw and I think most City fans would be happy with that if it happens.
Mozzer score prediction: Arsenal 2-2 City
Vlogger view: We will want to erase that nightmarish 5-1 defeat last season, but we will be up against it. Arsenal have been knocking on the door for the past three seasons, and they have improved their squad over the summer. Bukayo Saka may miss this with injury, but whatever happens, it will be a tough game – that said, I’m backing City to hold on for a draw.
Vlogger score prediction: Arsenal 1-1 City
CITY v BURNLEY
Premier League
Saturday 27 September, 15:00 kick-off
Etihad Stadium
Mozzer view: I have some great memories of playing against Burnley and once scored in a 6-0 win against them and we have scored a lot of goals and won many games against them over the past 20 years. I think Kyle Walker will get a fantastic reception from the City fans for his service to the club, but I don’t think he’ll have a happy return on the pitch.
Mozzer score prediction: City 3-0 Burnley
Vlogger view: You have to feel for Burnley fans – they are too good for the Championship but have struggled back in the Premier League. It shows what a good job Sean Dyche did during his time there, but it looks a tough ask for them yet again. City have coasted this fixture in recent years, and I don’t see anything changing here. I’m predicting Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki to score as City run rampant.
Vlogger score prediction: City 4-0 Burnley
Last month: With only three games and a couple of City losses, Mozzer and JSM44 only predicted the Wolves result correctly. There were no correct scores, so the early scoreboard shows: Mozzer 1-1 Vloggers
Not 2Shy 2Play
Like every young impressionable girl, Shura had big dreams. When she was in Primary School she was set a task to write a letter about ‘What you want to be when you’re older’. But unlike other girls her age, she scrawled down in pencil ‘I want to be a footballer, an artist and someone that works in space’. And she soon set herself to work on achieving something that almost seemed impossible.
Starting with trying to solve England’s problem on the left wing during the 1990s by becoming a left winger and tirelessly practicing only with her left foot, as she dreamed of one day playing for the men’s Three Lions.
Music artist Shura, also known as Alexandra Denton, is well known for her song ‘What’s it Gonna Be’ appearing on the soundtrack of Heartstopper, but unknown to some she also played for Manchester City between the ages of 8 and 15 years old – before, like many young girls that age, giving up because it wasn’t seen as a viable career.
Her dad had a real dislike for the culture around men’s football and he even went to some great effort to encourage any hobby that wasn't sport for Shura’s two brothers.
After her parents separated when she was three-years old, her dad had a girlfriend called Ingrid, who was a huge West Ham fan and suddenly her interest in football was born which led to a spell with the Blues which she looks back fondly on to this day.
“That's when I first became aware of football and I think it was through her love of football that I got into it and I can't really explain why,” she said
“I'm guessing that’s why, that she was really into football, she was very passionate about it and it seemed really exciting.
“I remember watching England, the men's team in Euro 96 and they had this real problem on the left wing where they just didn't really have a great left winger and I was right footed at the time and I said ‘OK, I'm going to solve this problem. I'm going to learn to play with my left foot’ and I went into the back garden and I just started taking penalties only with my left foot for like weeks and weeks.
“I was like, ‘I'm going to be so good with my left foot that I'm going to play for England men's team.’ I just thought if I was good enough, I would be there and I’m going to go and play for England,” she added.
“So, I'd completely become obsessed with the idea of becoming a footballer and playing for the England team and I guess because I just didn't see an England women's team. I didn't know that women played football.”
The best part of it all was that her dad, initially sceptical of football, proved to be incredibly supportive of her decision and took her to every single training session and every game.
“He'd been like ‘I spent so much effort into dissuading my sons from playing’ that he kind of found it funny because he was like ‘Of course, I didn't think about this but I should have done.’
“So, I taught him to fall in love with football,” she smiled.
“So that's a beautiful journey that we've been on together as he went from hating something and thinking it was awful to actually understanding and loving it.”
And that journey continued as Shura took part in a mixed tournament at primary school, which was how she was scouted to play for City.
“I think I was subbed on because it was late on in the tournament, but all I remember is scoring this goal that involved dribbling around four or five different people and I just remember putting it in the back and running and suddenly everything was in slow motion and blurred and I was just screaming.
“As we were leaving the leisure centre these two women, Jane Morley and Lesley Wright, came up to me and my dad and said to me ‘How would you like to play football?’ and ‘Would you like to come and do a training session with Manchester City?’ And my dad said I've never said yes quicker to anything in in my life.”
She attended the first training session at a park in Manchester and was then asked to come back and eventually Shura did fulfil her dream of playing on the left, just not for England.
“I was an attacking wing back, so I did end up playing on the left. Like midfield left wing when it was kind of seven a-side, I guess and then as we got to Elevens, I fell back to left back position because my specialty was slide tackles.
“I literally had the meanest slide tackle, which I realise is quite funny to say, because a lot of people say if you're having to do a slide tackle, it means you've already made a mistake.
“But I just loved it. It was the most fun thing to do because the right winger would be running down with the ball and I'd just be like ‘you think you're going to cross it in or you think you're going to cut inside and shoot. And I have other plans for you, my friend.’”
The singer made some of the best memories of her childhood while at City in an unstoppable team of young girls.
“We were great, it was almost embarrassing. We would win like 7-0, I scored five goals in the game once and I'm a defender,” she stated.
“I got a ball that was signed by Joe Royle, who was manager at the time and all of the City players being like ‘well done on the five goals’. It was just a great team and everyone who was involved like Lizzie’s [the captain] mom who did the kit. There was no kit person. It was just parents.”
Although Shura has some fantastic memories of everyone associated with City – like trainer Godfrey - nothing quite compared to the culinary delights of a half-time orange.
“Still to this day I will never have an experience as satisfying as an orange slice at half time because it's not about the orange, it's the context in which the orange is being eaten and then like putting it in your mouth and having it as a little gum shield. I have some really fond memories.”
It’s no secret that to make it to the top level of any sport the support from friends and family is so important and it was a message that Shura was keen to play up as she talked about her time with the Blues.
“It’s so many sacrifices, so many weekends. Not sacrifices that they're willing to make. Sacrifices they want to make. It's not just one person being good at football getting there, it's everyone around them, it's their grassroots club, it's their family," she says.
“It takes hundreds of people and I think it's the community part of it that I have such fond memories of and actually that I really miss. I just think there's something about team sports and it's really special.”
And despite her dad’s attempts to stop her brothers from getting involved in any sport, he became the most supportive towards Shura’s passion for football and they made some really special memories together.
“Post Friday training, we’d go to the drive thru and get a burger, those are memories I'll have with me for the rest of my life. There’ll be some of the fondest memories of my childhood without a doubt. The best memories from my childhood involve football. Like it’s not even close.”
It’s no secret of how misunderstood women’s football still was during this time. In 1971 the ban on women’s football had only just been lifted after 50 years of them being forbidden from playing football and opinions still hadn’t fully shifted.
“Me and Viv Bowdler, we were the two girls that played in my primary school and we were both good, but people thought we were weird.
“I remember going to little camps in the summer and we'd be the only girls there. Back then you were playing in environments that weren’t really set up for you. It was a different era.”
She may have loved football but her passion for the sport had to be put on hold when she discovered the guitar and a passion and talent for music.
“I think another aspect was being a teenager and discovering music and falling in love with music, which was my second big love," she smiles.
“It took a lot of my attention and I'd started to play guitar and I'd started to write songs and I'd started to play gigs.
“Unfortunately, at that time, these two things couldn't coincide, there wasn't enough support on both sides.”
After music took full hold of her life, Shura did eventually return to football as an antidote to panic attacks she’d started to experience as music really took hold of her life.
“The first song I put out was a song called Touch, then I was suddenly on this kind of music treadmill running 100 miles an hour with very little preparation mentally for what that would entail.
“Whilst I was recording the first album anything other than music went completely out the window and I started to have my first ever panic attacks.
“It wasn't until the third or fourth panic attack that I even knew that that's what it was. Because the first time you have a panic attack you think you're dying and you go to the hospital.”
It was then that she realised just how much joy and comfort football had brought her and how much it connected her to her childhood and after a lot of research she stumbled across Goal Diggers FC.
After initially signing up to their amateurs training programme she quickly realised that her footballing ability had never left her.
“My first session I was in they were like ‘I don't think you should be in this part’ but I decided ‘I'm going to stay here until I'm a bit more confident.
“And I stayed for a while just because I really lacked that confidence and looking back, I feel sorry for everyone else and I was probably like ‘I feel like Messi!!!’”
Like everyone across the nation, Shura tuned into the Women’s Euros in Switzerland this summer as City’s very own Alex Greenwood, Jess Park, Lauren Hemp and Khiara Keating helped England to retain their title.
And she confessed after not being able to watch the Sweden or Italy game fully due to nerves, she has now adopted a new superstition.
“I never want to do it like that again,” she laughed.
“It was the best thing and the worst, we did it the hard way. I couldn’t watch it. So I text my friends ‘I'm going to have a bath and I'm going to put my phone upside down and when I'm out of the bath we'll have either survived or we won't’ and when I found out we made it through I sent them a video of me in my bath towel screaming.”
But it didn’t end there as the new lucky superstition struck again against Spain in the final.
“We got to penalties and I had to watch them with my back turned to the TV so I'd like to listen to them, but I wouldn't watch them.
“But my partner went for a shower and she was like ‘I can't handle it’ and we won. So, I'm like, OK, the new rule is when it's tight either me or my partner has to have a bath or a shower.”
Finally, she discussed the evolution of the game and the level of inclusivity in women’s football.
“I think the culture in the women's game is magic, like the fan culture, and there's something really special there that I think the culture in the men's game could learn from.
“Watching the women play it feels like a place where people who are fans of football absolutely can go and watch great football, but also it's where you can bring families. I really don't want to say it's just for families and just for kids because it's not, these players are incredible.
“And the way the game has come on since I was a player and even in the last 15 years,10 years it just shows you that if you invest in the players, if you invest in the league, if you invest in grassroots, the great football is there.”
Interview: Alice Wright
Continuing our look at goals scored in particular minutes, (this time combining eight-and nine-minute goals) for the Blues down the years…
8 mins - 4 December 2015
City score an early goal at Old Trafford to go 1-0 up against Manchester United. James Milner finds David Silva’s run into the box with a neat
pass and the Spaniard reaches the by-line before firing a low cross into the six-yard box for Sergio Aguero to sweep home.
8 mins - May 2016
Fernandinho’s cushioned header finds Sergio Aguero on the edge of the Arsenal box – the Argentinian star spins away from his marker before
firing a powerful left-foot shot in from just inside the 18-yard line to give City a 1-0 lead over Arsenal at the Etihad.
8 mins - 14 September 2016
The first of yet another Sergio Aguero hat-trick comes in this Champions League group-stage clash with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach in a game hastily rearranged from the previous
evening after torrential rain made the surface unplayable. Aleks Kolarov’s superb low cross from the left is turned in at the near post by the prolific Argentine to give City a 1-0 lead at the Etihad.
9 mins - 26 December 1981
Asa Hartford, having already had a goal harshly ruled out, makes no mistake when he is given a second chance soon after. Ray Ranson plays a ball down the right flank for Kevin Reeves to chase and his low cross only finds Phil Thompson – but Hartford nips in, takes the ball off the Liverpool defender before turning quickly and firing a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to put City 1-0 up at Anfield.
9 mins - 23 March 1988
In a game ridiculed by many and a competition overlooked by some, City take the lead in the 1988 Full Members Cup Final at Wembley. City were taking on Chelsea and a crowd of 67,236 had made a mockery of those who had discarded the cup as unimportant and Steve Kinsey fires home from close range to give the Blues a flying start.
9 mins - 22 September 2015
Sergio Aguero thumps home another penalty after Jesus Navas had been fouled in the box to put the Blues
on the way to a comprehensive 4-1 League Cup win at the Stadium of Light.
9 mins - 23 January 2016
Despite falling behind after just 53 seconds, away to West Ham United, City respond quickly to level the scores.
After being fouled in the box, Sergio Aguero steps up to send the keeper the wrong way to make it 1-1 at Upton Park.
9 mins - 24 September 2016
Fernandinho plays the ball to the right flank for Bacary Sagna, and the former Arsenal man hits a low cross in towards Sergio Aguero who moves past a defender with his first touch
then fires a low shot through the legs of Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski from the corner of the six-yard box to give City an early 1-0 lead at the Liberty Stadium.
9 mins - 7 August 2020
City’s high press pays dividends in the Champions League round of 16 second-leg clash with Real Madrid. Raphael Varane dithers in possession to the right of his own six-yard box and Gabriel Jesus nicks the ball off his toes
then passes to the unmarked Raheem Sterling who rolls the ball into the net despite a despairing lunge from a Militao. It is Sterling’s 100th goal for the Club and what a prestigious fixture to get it in.
“You chase perfection, but you catch excellence.”
An abbreviation of the former American Football coach’s iconic quote is a constant motivator for Director of Academy Recruitment Sam Fagbemi.
It is an ideology that the Club’s Academy strives to achieve in various ways, from success on the pitch, the development of City’s players as a group and individually, and in the case of Sam’s role, the bolstering of our Academy with talent elsewhere.
In the midst of a busy August, Sam kindly agreed to sit down with City Magazine to detail his role, passion for the Academy and more.
CITY MAG: Sam, thank you so much for your time, I assume it’s been a busy time for you! Recruitment/scouting always seems like such a niche area of football to get into, how did you come about to be in your role?
SAM: It has been busy, but it’s been very enjoyable! I started this role in October, I had the fantastic opportunity from Thomas [Kruecken, Academy Director] to take on more leadership. Compared to my previous role as Head of Academy Recruitment, I have more of a strategic involvement in what the Academy teams look like in terms of recruitment and retention. And I must say I’ve enjoyed getting to work with Thomas more closely, he’s been a fantastic role model and mentor for me in my development. Along with Txiki [Begiristain] and now Hugo [Viana], they’ve helped me on my journey from Regional Scout, Scout South, Southern Lead Scout, National Youth Scouting Manager, Head of Academy Recruitment to now.
CITY MAG: As a scout you must view football and the way an elite athlete plays in a completely different way to an average fan. How would you describe the way in which you watch football and how would you describe the buzz of scouting?
SAM: When I take a look at games, I’m very strategic in my mindset. So my view is to always look for technical, highly intelligent, good athletic players and also those who have the capacity to go and develop. The biggest thing from the mental side of it is the capacity to learn and if the player has a capacity to learn and has enthusiasm and intelligence and good physical traits, these are the makings of potentially a really good player. So I find I have more of a scientific lens, but it’s a sill I’ve developed over the past 15 years.
I have a real passion and enthusiasm for player recruitment. But my passion and enthusiasm for player recruitment is almost 50/50 now. Sometimes the best recruitment is no recruitment, it’s all about us creating a competitive, healthy environment.
CITY MAG: The style of football City plays is implemented from the first team all the way down to Under-9s. Does having that structure make scouting easier?
SAM: Absolutely. I believe Pep’s vision, playing style and identity has really helped the Academy create a similar but separate identity. And someone who has been a fundamental part of that is Txiki. He’s been amazing, Thomas is really innovative on how we can take the Academy’s identity to the next level whilst also retaining the principles of the first team.
CITY MAG: You’ve worked closely with Txiki for a long time now. With his time at City coming to an end, how would you describe your relationship with him?
SAM: Txiki is the best Director of Football in the history of the game. And I believe Txiki’s appointment in Hugo, he will also go on – in my opinion – to succeed Txiki because they have similar mannerisms. They carry themselves in the same way and have a high level of professionalism. Txiki to me is someone how has been a real driver of my success and especially from my background, he’s helped me go to the next level. He’s always given me time and I can’t really describe Txiki in words, but he’s very specia. I think Txiki is the very best in the game and it makes me a bit emotional but I don’t think any other club has someone as special as Txiki.
On a positive note, I think Hugo is going to be a fantastic person to work with and I’m really excited about what we are going to collaboratively build, on top of the foundations Txiki built.
CITY MAG: Finally, how excited should fans be for the talent we have in the Under-18s and Elite Development Squad and the players who we could potentially see around the first-team this season?
SAM: All of our players are exciting. We expect them all to achieve really strong things which is why we are so excited to watch both teams look to defend their respective titles. We’ve already seen Divine Mukasa handed the opportunity to go to Palermo with the team and then to name a few players across the squads, Reigan Heskey, Ryan McAidoo, Finlay Gorman, Harrison Miles, Stephen Mfuni , Christian Dunbar-McDonald, Marlow Barrett, Xavier Parker, Floyd Samba and more. It’s definitely an exciting time to be following the Academy.
Interview: Holly Percival
This season we’re working round the calendar to bring you a session I’ve taken on a specific month of the year.
This session with Happy Mondays was taken on 2 September 1985 – blimey, that’s 40 years ago...
Tony Wilson called me to say he was signing a new band, and he wanted me to meet them with a view to working with them. “You’ll get on with them” he said, “they’re like us. They’re Salford lads” There was a lot to unpack in this statement, but I let it go.
We all met up one afternoon in the Hacienda
They didn’t look like a Factory band to me. They looked like the sort of lads who were going to steal the wheels off my car once I was out of sight.
Tony had rather exaggerated mannerisms when he was speaking – almost actorly - and began to introduce me while waving his arms around, “This is Kevin, who I want you to work with. He and I went to the same school: De La Salle.”
Shaun was already yawning. Wilson carried on, oblivious to the large chasm he was creating.
“Kevin has worked with some great musicians. He’s photographed Marc Bolan, The Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Bob Marley…”
Shaun looked at him and he said - with a few colourful expletives deleted here: "Yeah, but they're all dead."
It occurred me that maybe I should change tactics and mention that I’d also grown up in Salford.
I asked them how they saw themselves; did they have any ideas for how they’d like to look on a photograph. Shaun replied, “We’d like to be photographed with Rambo.”
Wilson, only half hearing, said, “Rimbaud? I didn’t realise you read poetry Shaun. He’s wonderful isn’t he? Le Bateau ivre helped to deconstruct traditional French verse. Do you like Verlaine too? They had an affair when Rimbeau was only 17…”
Shaun cut short the reverie.
“What are you talking about? RAMBO. Sly Stallone?”
Wilson laughed nervously. “I don’t think we have the budget for Hollywood actors, Shaun.”
Shaun looked at him as if he was about to speak to a small child.
“Not the real person,” he said. "There’s a massive poster of Sly across the road. Rambo’s his new film.”
So out we went and sure enough there was indeed a massive poster across the road. I arranged them on the wall in front of RAMBO. And that’s how this photo came about.
We later took a few shots in the stairwell leading to the dressing rooms in the Haçienda and that was it.
Session over. Tony smiled belligerently. I don’t think he realised what he was about to unleash on the world.
I spent a lot of time over the next ten years working with Shaun and the Mondays and Black Grape, but the subject of the French romantic poets was never raised again. We watched a lot of Rambo movies though.
Kevin Cummins
MCFC V Q.P.R.
17TH NOVEMBER 1973
(NO 1)
Welcome to this the first in a series of in-depth rummages through a collection of antique City programmes liberated from various dusty drawers and cupboards via the route of Internet auction sites.
The aim? To take a journey backwards in time when it seems many 30 year-old men had 60 year-old men haircuts. A time when you we’re as likely to bump into your ace striker on the 108 bus from Wythenshawe as you were one of your match day mates. A time when the club and players thought nothing of publishing photographs of where they live and naming the area.
It was a different time.
To begin this time travelling journey let me introduce you to this beauty... from a year when David Bowie killed off Ziggy Stardust and the most watched TV event of the year was the marriage of Princess Anne… Manchester City v Q.P.R on Saturday (naturally) 17 November 1973.
For the princely sum of 10 pence we’re greeted with the sight of a City midfielder doing his best to divert the ball away from a two-footed slide tackle from his opponent. The heading - as you can see - WHY TONY TOWERS WAS DROPPED - by Tony Book. Not exactly the cover story Tony T was hoping for I bet.
Regardless…. here are my favourite moments from within.
Page 5 brings with it a candid interview with QPRs Stan Bowles who found himself returning to his first footballing home - Maine Road - to face the Blues.
Stans indiscipline was legendary. Tales of dropping into the pub on his way to play a match etc. And it seems his tenure at MCFC wasn’t entirely without controversy.
In a more light-hearted moment page 4 see’s an ‘At Home’ feature with beloved City left back Willie Donachie with his (then) wife Yvonne and new baby boy Daniel. Proudly showing off a top of the range turntable in his living room - and another shot of Willie’s (then) house 'in Hollingsworth'. Thankfully they stop short of giving out the full address and postcode!
Hard to imagine such a feature these days.
Next up …. TOILET TROUBLE!
Let's hope Mr Swales got the builders and plumbers in forthwith!!
FRANNY'S BOOTS GO TO JAIL! What on earth is going on here then?
As we know - footballers weren’t paid in amounts requiring a flat-back truck to drop their 1970s monthly salary off… so in them days a pair of boots was a pair of boots! NO CHANCE!!
The 1970s programmes were rather partial to the odd quiz or two, also. The first (of two) to be featured in this particular missive involves photographs of players as babies and their identification through them.
The much coveted prize? It appears to be the case that all of the winners are ladies! Intrigued?
Read on…
Every now and then, when the opportunity arises, I intend to introduce to proceeding a ‘Lookalike’ feature… and lo and behold- Look what this debut publication has presented to yours truly.
It’s none other than one time Prodigy member Keith Flint (R.I.P.) mixing it up with our very own Big Joe!
You might have noticed the caption competition announcement too!? Well done Mrs I White of Reddish who was going to attend the Man City away fixture against Ipswich at Portman Rd whether she wanted to go or not!
The final brainteaser in this programme comes in the shape of the age-old classic relates to the above. The aforementioned Caption Competition.
We may never know what the winning entry was - and who eventually took a trip to London as a result…but that doesn’t stop any of you have a go yourself. And should you be deemed to have proffered the most witty entry you won’t win a trip our capitol city - but you might well win a City related prize of some description!
So give it a go why dontcha!
And the winner of this months caption competition will be announced alongside next months programme reveal. Send to [email protected] and put 'caption comp' in the subject.
And finally We think it only fair to show you the team picked to play this particular match…. and more importantly… THE FINAL SCORE!
WE WON 1-0. OF COURSE WE DID!
Geovanni
A brilliant Brazilian whose signature long-range strikes came back to haunt City...
Has anyone ever endeared themselves to City fans more quickly than Geovanni? A 25-yard strike… against Manchester United… to send City top of the Premier League. A how-to in becoming a fans’ favourite before the clocks have even gone back.
The Brazilian had already showcased his quality on the opening day of the 2007/08 season when his crisp low strike had wrapped up a 2-0 victory at a sunny West Ham.
Four days later, the feelgood factor was in full swing under new boss Sven-Goran Eriksson as a 781-minute wait for a home goal at the Etihad was ended by a delicious solo effort from Michael Johnson in a 1-0 win over Derby.
The sun was still shining when Manchester United made the short trip across town and a brilliant booming derby was settled by Geovanni’s wonderful winner.
It may have clipped Nemanja Vidic’s ankle on it’s way beyond Edwin van der Sar, but that could be largely ignored on a day to remember.
Sadly, that would be about as good as it got for Geovanni and City, who slid out of form and down the league, culminating in the disastrous 8-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on the final day eight months later.
And for Geovanni, that would be his only ever league start at the Etihad as his time here fizzled out, with only one more goal coming in a 1-1 draw at Wigan.
He was gone by the following season and a career that had taken in stops at Cruzeiro, Barcelona and Benfica would add Hull to the list.
Phil Brown’s newly-promoted Tigers were redesigning their squad for the rigours of the Premier League but found some space for Brazilian magic.
He made an instant impact, scoring the East Yorkshire Club’s first goal in the top-flight in a 2-1 win over Fulham.
An incredible 30-yard strike in a 2-1 win at Arsenal won goal of the month for September and the following weekend he was back in North London to score the only goal in a win over Spurs.
City, meanwhile, had our own magician – not from the exotic climes of south east Brazil, but the enchanting Irish city of Cork.
Stephen Ireland had all the samba skills and lit up the Etihad in a season when he would finish as Player of the Season, living up to his Superman nickname after revealing his famous superhero underpants in the previous season.
But Mark Hughes’ side were struggling away from home when we went to Hull in November 2008, having won just once on the road in six Premier League away games.
And the Tigers were ahead inside 14 minutes when Tal Ben Haim’s short back pass was punished by Daniel Cousin.
Enter Ireland, who pounced on a similar error to level before an outrageous curler to put us ahead before the break.
However, there would be one more twist in the Tigers’ tale. Hull won a free-kick 25 yards out on the hour and it was our old player who stepped up.
From a showreel of brilliants strikes, it wasn’t Geovanni’s finest – deflecting off Vincent Kompany and wrong-footing Kasper Schmeichel before nestling in the net to secure a 2-2 draw.
City would at least get our revenge just over a month later with 5-1 win on Boxing Day when Brown gave his famous bizarre half-time team talk on the Etihad pitch.
Geovanni, meanwhile, is more remembered for his derby dazzler than that Hull equaliser at least.
Words: Jonathan Smith
A surprising total - to date - of 499 men have scored at least two goals for Manchester City.
So, anyone who’s ever found the net for City just once is now tied 500th when it comes to the leading scorers in our history.
For some, it’s a case of what could have been. For others, it’s about a striker’s instinct that was never there.
And for even more, it was about doing your duty in a role that meant minimal opportunities to grab the headlines.
Not every player can be Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero or Eric Brook, football teams need their defensive workhorses just as much as the superstar strikers.
Over the rest of this season, we’ll pick out some of those who got that feeling once in City blue.
We start with perhaps the unlikeliest scorer of the lot, goalkeeper Harry Dowd.
One of the best goalkeepers in our history and part of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison’s golden era through the 1960s, Dowd earned plenty of plaudits in his playing days.
In February 1964, midway through his second term as first choice goalkeeper, Dowd broke his finger in the second half of a home clash with Bury.
We were already 1-0 down thanks to a strike from a talented Bury youngster by the name of Colin Bell – what ever happened to him?
With no substitutions in English league football at the time, City would have to replace Dowd as goalkeeper once it became clear he couldn’t handle the ball.
However, rather than go off and leave his side down to 10, Dowd went upfront.
In scenes that would have many thinking of David James’ ill-fated cameo at the top end of the pitch on the final day of the 2004/05 season, Dowd was eager to get involved.
The chaos created by an enthusiastic, unfamiliar presence perhaps had Bury’s defenders confused.
And that’s how we capitalised, with Dowd setting up Derek Kevan to shoot.
Kevan’s effort came down off the bar and a brave Dowd was first to react to the loose ball.
Maine Road enjoyed the moment, as did Dowd and the local reporters in attendance.
And let’s not forget Matt Gray, the forward who had swapped shirts with Dowd, and did everything required of him to earn a point in the remainder of the second period.
After recovering from his injury, Dowd returned to his usual position where he’d share duties with Bert Trautmann and Alan Ogley over the remainder of the campaign.
While Dowd would face challenges to his shirt from the likes of Ogley and Ken Mulhearn throughout his City career, he continued to feature on many occasions each season until Joe Corrigan’s emergence in 1969.
We would win the 1967/68 Division One title and 1968/69 FA Cup trophy with Dowd involved, before lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup in his final season – 1969/70.
Dowd also became known for filming any memorable trips with the squad, including our first ever visit to Istanbul – a city that will now forever resonate with Blues - in 1968 and the journey home from the Cup Winners’ Cup success two years later.
Feature: Jack Mubbmfo
Local lad Jake Wain is one of a handful of City Academy players who have made the step up to Oliver Reiss’ Under-18s this season.
It is the 16-year-old’s first taste of competitive football in the Under-18 Premier League North. And so far, it’s been a positive start to the campaign for him and the squad.
At the time of writing, he’s featured as a substitute in both Under-18 PL North fixtures, which saw City beat Leeds United and Sunderland 5-0 and 2-1 respectively.
He also helped City stage a dramatic 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace in the Under-18 Premier League Cup, in which Reiss’ team clawed back a point after being three goals down.
Speaking to City Magazine for the first time, Wain provided insight into what type of player he is and what fans should expect to see from him this season.
“So I’m a full-back, I play on both sides, but I’d say I feature mainly on the right. I’m very attack-minded, but I also like doing the defensive duties that come with my role,” began Wain.
“I’d say I’m pretty quick, which helps because I enjoy overlapping as much as I can when we attack.
“I think the reason I’m attack-minded is because when I joined the Academy at Under-9s, it was 7-a-side football and I played out wide, so basically a winger.
“And played in that position until I was about 13, then I moved back into right-back. I think it was my one-on-one defending capabilities that made me a good choice in that position, and I’ve been there ever since!”
With it being Wain’s first season in the Under-18s, the young, aspiring defender is still adjusting to the intense matchdays that come with competitive football.
But it’s not stopping him from reaching his ambitions.
“I’m excited to see where the season takes us,” he said.
“I know what the team is capable of and I definitely think we can win the league. We also want to do better than last season, which is going to be difficult because the team was really successful, but we want to push ourselves.
“I’m also just focused on becoming a regular name in the squad so taking it day by day and seeing where it takes me.
“As a team we want to win as many competitions as possible, but personally, I’m also just trying to develop as a player and do the best I can for the team.”
What makes this season so special for Wain, as a lifelong City fan, is his family and friends will be able to watch his progression and journey towards senior football.
With over 70 games streamed live on CITY+, and his family being close to the City Football Academy, having such prominent support around him is something that is special to the City defender.
“I’m a City fan, a Season Ticket Member. My family live about 20 minutes away [from the CFA] but I live on site which helps with the schedule as it’s very hands on and busy,” said Wain.
“I’m excited for my family to see the games, they’ve helped me so much to get to where I am and it means a lot when they see me play.
“They’ve taken me to so many training sessions, including my grandparents who have helped such much, it means a lot.
“My friends are going to be watching a lot too on CITY+, they support me as much as they can and it makes me want to perform my best.”
Interview: Holly Percival
Hull 2-1 City
Full Members Cup
Northern Final first leg
Tuesday 26 November 1985
City: Nixon, Reid, Power, Clements, McCarthy, Phillips, Melrose (Simpson 78), May, Davies, McNab, Wilson. Sub: Moulden.
Hull: Norman, Jobson, Swann, Doyle, Skipper, McEwan, Williams, Bunn, Whitehurst, Askew, Brentano. Subs: Pearson, Saville
This month in our Random Match Generator, we revisit a (rightly) forgotten clash against Hull...
Brian Horton is always assured a warm welcome whenever he returns to Manchester City. The former boss is a much-loved great, remembered for the swashbuckling football that he brought to the Club, encapsulated by that “Game of the decade” 5-2 win over Spurs in October 1994.
But it wasn’t always the case with Horton part of one of the darkest days at Maine Road. He was in the Luton side that condemned City to relegation in the final minutes of the 1982/83 season which prompted the ungainly sight of David Pleat dancing across the turf.
Then 32, Horton moved on to Hull City the following season as player-manager and immediately took the Tigers to promotion.
However, City had bounced back to Division One in the same season so would avoid a reunion with Horton unless we were drawn against each other in a cup competition.
The chances of that happening had increased with the introduction of a new tournament – the short-lived Full Members Cup, brought in while English clubs were banned from European football.
But only 21 of 44 eligible clubs would compete with the road to Wembley divided into Northern and Southern sections.
So in November we headed up to Boothferry Park to face Horton’s side in the first of a two-legged opportunity to reach the final.
After a tricky start to the season, City went into the game in good form having won 2-0 at Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest before beating Newcastle at home thanks to a goal from Mark Lillis.
And in true City style of the time, it all went horribly awry as the ever-unpredictable Blues were second best to the Second Division side in a gloomy Hull.
Alex Williams had started the season as City’s number one but after a slipped disc was diagnosed early in the campaign, Eric Nixon took over the gloves.
And the Manchester-born keeper had to be in good form in East Yorkshire, simply to keep us in the tie.
He kept the game goalless with a number of fine saves in the first half but Billy McNeill couldn’t reset his charges during the break, and we finally fell behind.
Nixon kept out Billy Askew’s shot but couldn’t save Frankie Bunn’s follow-up just minutes after half-time.
David Phillips pulled a goal back with a smart effort just after the hour but we couldn’t hold out for a draw with Stan McEwan getting a late winner after following in his penalty which was saved by Nixon.
Once again, Horton had masterminded a shock result to upset the Blues and cast himself as the baddie!
But it’s not a role he would inhabit for long and over the next four decades, he has become firmly established as not just a City favourite, but a much-loved football man.
As for the Full Members Cup, Jim Melrose’s 90th minute strike secured a 3-1 victory in the second leg and a place in the final.
However, despite it being scheduled four months later, it was still squeezed in 24 hours after a Manchester derby at Old Trafford as we went down 5-4 to Chelsea. But that's another story...
Words: Jonathan Smith
The latest Elite Development Squad player to he quizzed by City Magazine for his ultimate Academy 5-a-side team was versatile defender Stephen Mfuni.
The rules for building his team were as follows: one goalkeeper, one defender, two midfielders and one attacker from those he has played with during his time at City’s Academy.
Let’s see who he picked...
GOALKEEPER:
I would say Oliver Whatmuff. I’ve known him for a long time, he knows how I play and I know how he plays, so I think he’d be the best choice for me..
DEFENDER:
I’d choose myself because I bring leadership and defensive capabilities.
MIDFIELDER:
I’d put Divine [Mukasa] on the left. I played with him a lot last season and I think he’s good to play alongside.
MIDFIELDER:
And I’d put Jaden Heskey on the right. He is just very good at what he does, he never stops running and he’s a hard-working guy.
FORWARD:
I’d stick [Divin] Mubama up there, he just scores goals!
Interview: Holly Percival
Friends Reunited
Yaya Toure spoke to the City Magazine ahead of our game against Monaco on 2017, retracing the steps before he played for the French side…
Time passes quickly in football and for Yaya Toure, it probably doesn’t seem that long ago he was signing for AS Monaco.
The Ivorian only enjoyed life in the principality for one season, but it played an important role in his career with his performances eventually earning him a move to Barcelona.
Yaya began his career with ASEC Mimosas before joining Beveren in 2001 as a raw 18-year-old. The Belgian side had a reputation for developing Ivory Coast talent with as many as 14 players from the African country on their books while Yaya was with the club.
His path to England could have been entirely different had his trial with Arsenal in 2003 gone better. He played in a pre-season friendly against Barnet for the Gunners, but played as a striker and missed a sitter during the 0-0 draw. Nonetheless, Arsene Wenger wanted to sign the powerful 20-year-old but difficulties in obtaining a work permit meant Yaya instead took up an offer to join Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk instead.
His globetrotting around Europe continued 18 months later when, hailed by brother Kolo as “the new Patrick Vieira”, he joined Greek giants Olympiacos where his reputation continued to blossom.
He also represented Ivory Coast in the 2006 World Cup and it was his performances in Germany that convinced Monaco to sign him for around £3.5m. Things didn’t go too well to begin with Yaya’s relationship with coach Laszlo Boloni gradually deteriorating and Monaco’s poor form eventually leading to the French side bringing in Laurent Banide midway through the campaign.
The transformation was immediate. Banide saw Yaya’s strengths and made him an integral member of a team that climbed from second bottom of Ligue 1 to safety with Yaya, now employed as an attacking midfielder, bagging five goals in the last seven games. His reputation as one of the most promising African talents in Europe now firmly established, Barcelona snapped up Yaya for €10 million.
He appeared in 117 games for the Catalan giants and eventually played under Pep Guardiola after the future City boss took over at the Nou Camp. He memorable played as a centre-back at Barca won the Champions League in 2009 – one of seven titles he won during his three years with the La Liga giants.
In 2010, he joined City where he is now in his seventh season. His goals at crucial times have made Yaya one of the Blues’ most important players and it was his late goal in the 2011 FA Cup Final against Stoke at the end of his first season that ended the Club’s 35-year wait for silverware. A year later the Blues ended a 44-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions with the Ivorian again integral throughout.
Now aged 33 and closing in on 300 games for City, his time with Monaco must seem like an age ago and this evening, he will likely face his former employers having been included in the Blues’ Champions League squad. It’s been quite a journey for the man the description ‘midfield powerhouse’ could have been specifically invented for and though in his seventh campaign for City, Yaya still has plenty of work to do.
Domestically, he feels the title race is far from over, too. “We are a little bit far away from Chelsea at the moment and the way they are playing they won't let that lead slip,” said Yaya. “But we have to look forward and also remember 2012 and 2014 when we came from behind to win the trophy. We need to show consistency, and keep winning. We play Monaco tonight and then we play Sunderland in the league – it will be another tough game away and the big games just keep coming.
“We are back in second place now – that's very important, because step by step and time by time we are starting to get to what the manager wants. We are looking forward to playing Monaco because we have confidence now. With the players we have, winning is the most beautiful thing that can happen and we want to go as far as we can in every competition we are in.
“Monaco will be tough – we know that – they are playing really well and scoring goals, but we are playing well, too. On a personal level, the support I’ve had from our fans has been incredible. That’s why I want to win more trophies for them. We’re looking forward. We still have competitions coming. The Champions League, hopefully we will still be in the FA Cup after Saturday and we’re going to try to do our best for those guys who come to watch and enjoy football.
“My mentality is always like that. I try, at the end of the season, to lift a trophy - it’s one of the most beautiful things that can happen to me. I’ve been at this club for a long time. I know what winning means and I know what it means to lift a trophy at the end of the season.”
So, it seems, Yaya still feels he has plenty of unfinished business with the Club he’s spent the majority of his career with and undoubtedly his best years. So can he add to the six trophies he’s already won with the Blues?
“My time here has been great,” he said. “My mentality has always been the same. I always enjoy it. The plan of this club in the beginning was to try to get players to win, to change the Club into a winning machine like Manchester United or Barcelona.
“That’s what made me decide to come here because what the Club was trying to do was bring in big players - winning players. It’s nice when you have to win week in, week out. It’s brilliant and I feel happy when I’m winning because I don’t like losing. I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win and play in any role I’m asked. I played for Barcelona seven years ago in a deeper position so I know what to do. I’ve been able to play in defence, in midfield, as a striker. If the manager asked me to play as a goalkeeper I’m capable of that too! I just try to enjoy the game and try to give my experience to the young players. I have so many good memories at this Club and I want to add more – that’s why we have to make sure we go to Monaco in a strong position.”
It’s fair to say that whatever else happens between now and May, Jack Wint will never, ever forget the first week of the 2025/26 season.
Over the course of a whirlwind 48 hours at the outset of the campaign, the boyhood City fan was first included as part of Pep Guardiola’s travelling City squad for our opening encounter of the new Premier League season away at Wolves.
Having been part of the group who recorded a superb 4-0 win at Molineux, Wint then concluded a follow-up training session back at City’s CFA HQ the following day by being introduced to England head coach Thomas Tuchel, who was in Manchester alongside Pep Guardiola to watch the Blues squad go through their paces.
And just over 24 hours later Wint was back on the road, this time with City’s Elute Development Squad for our first Premier League 2 clash of the season away at Chelsea.
For a teenager who just a few years ago was cheering his beloved City on from the stands, it was the very stuff of dreams. Except this was reality.
For Wint, not surprisingly it was an unforgettable experience that has only served to whet his appetite looking ahead to the rest of the campaign
“It's been crazy to be fair,” Wint reflected on that magical introduction.
“I've tried to take the emotion out of it because at the end of the day it's my job.
“But it has been weird because I've followed some of these players since I've been 12/13 and watching them on TV and watching them in the stands and stuff.
“It was crazy because the last time I was at Molineux I was 13/14 and standing in the City end!
“So, it was a bit weird, but I was able to train well and obviously to be able to go with the squad [to Molineux] was an incredible experience.
“Then obviously to see Traff (James Trafford) getting his debut was nice and obviously it was good to top it all off with the win.
“[Listening to Pep Guardiola’s team talks] was a bit crazy too because I remember the first time I saw something like that was on All or Nothing, the documentary programme that we did a few years ago.
“So being able to be in the change room to witness it live was crazy.
“It was just very, very intense. Everyone was laser focused on listening to Pep and what he was saying.
“Everything was on point, and everyone was just taking everything in and making sure that they were ready to go out.
“It was all kind of surreal to be honest.
“The atmosphere was incredible, especially in the first 10 minutes - the stadium was roaring.
“But yeah, it was definitely really weird, the change being in the squad and with the team compared to being 13/14 years old and watching everyone from the stands.
“My whole family are massive City fans, so it made it extra special.
“My Dad was there. He was able to get a ticket just in time because I only found out like 2-3 days beforehand [I would be with the squad] so my Dad was able to get a ticket.
“Obviously he wanted to watch City anyway, so he was able to be there, watch me warm up and watch me be in and around the squad and also watch his team win.
“So, it was a double bonus for him!”
Wint says the opportunity to training alongside and learn from City’s superb cohort of senior goalkeepers and coaches helped make the transition that much more memorable and valuable.
And he says he was especially grateful to be able to tap into the knowledge of James Trafford, a fellow former Academy graduate who made his own senior City debut at Molineux that day.
“Traff and I we've always been good friends because he's come through the Academy just like me. And when he was progressing through the18s then the EDS and to when he was out on loan I spoke to him quite a bit.
“I also had the same goalkeeper coaches as him, so we've got quite a lot in common.
“I've always spoken to Traff, seeing how he's been getting on and saying congratulations because he's been smashing it throughout his loans and then at Burnley and now obviously he's come back to City [which is great].
“Traff also helped me with a lot of off the pitch stuff. Obviously, I didn't know many [of the senior] players personally.
So, I was always just able to chat to Traff and stuff like that. And it's always good to have someone over there that you know, can just kind of like be an icebreaker kind of thing.
“But I was able to get to know the rest of the players quite well too and they are all really nice [and helpful].”
Wint says that help and advice he had received from Trafford has been reciprocated too by fellow senior keepers Ederson and Stefan Ortega.
And for the teenager they are priceless lessons he is keen to take on board at every opportunity.
“Obviously, training with Traff, Stef and Eddy, they're all super nice and I guess they kind of understand the position that I'm in because they've all been there at the same time [in their careers],” Jack added.
“They’ve all spoken to me about what I can do and what I can do better and stuff like that.
“They've all been really helpful, especially in the drills. Sometimes I may not understand it, or they're familiar with certain drills that I'm not familiar with.
“They can help you out and have all been very encouraging whenever you make a save or something like that.
“It has all helped me massively.
“The difference between first team football and Academy football's a big, big jump and being able to be around that that environment and that high level has really pushed me as a player and also as a person.
“It's forced me not only do better in training and keep up the high standard, but also, I've got to get to know people.
“Whether I go out on loan or leave [in the future] I’ve got to get to know and get along with new people.
“So, it's all been really good.”
Interview: Neil Leigh
28 February 1976
Continuing a new series, we find classic imagery of yesteryear with a brief note explaining the particular moment in time…
City celebrate winning the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Newcastle, but this picture says so much more.
The blood-spattered Dave Watson, always one to put his body on the line has got one over on Newcastle United and given his Sunderland background, that must have tasted sweet.
Matchwinner Dennis Tueart, however, still floating on air from his career-changing overhead kick goal, was also ex-Sunderland.
But born and bred on Tyneside, his loyalties lay with the Magpies, and he wore that black and white striped shirt in the celebration shots, perhaps imagining what it would have been liked if he’d won a cup final with his boyhood idols.
He was 100% committed to Manchester City of course, but it must have been a nice moment of happiness and a little sadness that it had to be the Toon the Blues beat that day.
Joe Royle looks on and Joe Corrigan was hidden behind what looks like a plaque of the plinth the cup came with.
All in all, a classic and iconic image.
Meet City YouTuber Jonny Morris - AKA 'Typical City'...
CITY MAG: Good to meet you Jonny, how and when did you start your channel?
It's good to meet you too! Thanks for inviting me. I started my YouTube channel following the 2022/23 Treble-winning season. I'd seen City win everything at that point. I knew that if I wanted to make this channel work, I'd have to make the incredibly emotional decision to give up my 32-year-old season ticket and fully commit to making Manchester City content - even on matchdays.
When did you think this could be more than just an occasional hobby?
I'd actually decided that before I even started. I took a risk by giving up my full-time job and I gave myself the 2023/24 season to get it off the ground. By the end of the season I was monetised. Thankfully.
What can people expect on your channels?
City fans can expect a passionate City fan that knows the club inside out and someone that will passionately defend the club against anyone or anything. I keep the fans informed on the latest news while (attempting) to sprinkle in some daft Manc humour in the process.
How did you land on the name ‘Typical City’ - and for newer/younger City fans, what does that title mean to you?
Being 37-years-old, I thought that I'd be a good age to bridge the gap between the older and newer generation of City fans. The older meaning of Typical City is one of pain and misery, where City would always, somehow, manage to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I've flipped that meaning on its head - again, trying to sprinkle in some of that sarcastic and ironic Manc humour. Typical City now means winning silverware on a regular basis and I'm hoping it can maintain that meaning for years to come.
What tech do you use for your channel when you’re home and when you’re at games etc?
I use a PC and laptop, a Sony ZV-1 camera for non-live videos, an Elgato Facecam Pro for live videos, a blue yeti microphone and multiple face-lights. Sadly, committing to Watchalong content meant I had to give up my season ticket, as it's just not possible to do both but creating a community where all City fans across the world can join in has been incredible. I really do miss the Etihad though.
What’s your personal City story – how and why did you end up following the Blues?
It's all thanks to my Dad really. He brainwashed me at a very young age and I'm so grateful he did! There were times in my youth when I questioned his parenting choices, wondering why he continued to torture my Mum and I by dragging us back and forth to Maine Road, in the hope of a very rare win to celebrate. I remember him tucking me in bed one night when I was around seven years old, the night United had beaten us 5-0 in 1994 and I asked him, "Dad, when I'm older, can I support who I want?". He replied, "No". He continued to promise that "one day we'll be good again". He was absolutely right.
All-time favourite City moment in your life?
It has to be the Aguero goal vs QPR but a very special place in my heart was the memory of being stood in Wembley Stadium between my parents. One moment was tears of despair, then the next was tears of joy when Dickov equalised vs Gillingham in 1999.
Where’s your audience/subscriber numbers currently at?
It's currently at 37,000 on YouTube and around 45,000 on TikTok (though I don't make too much content on Tik Tok at the minute - I'll be back making content there soon.
Any memorable moments doing your shows that particularly stick out?
Winning the fourth Premier League title in a row. It was my first season making content on my channel, so what a way to cap if off. I designed and printed my own champagne label that was titled and branded "Arsenal Fan Tears" and glued it to a cheap bottle of bubbly to drink while live and watching the title celebrations. I'm very petty!
Are you getting recognised at games and if so, what’s the reaction been like?
It's not possible to attend games and host the watchalongs sadly, but there was no way I was going to miss De Bruyne's final City game vs Bournemouth last season. I got recognised quite a few times while attending and everyone was super kind and really supportive of the channel, which was so nice.
Which other City vloggers do you enjoy watching?
I like to watch Big Steve. When he talks, he talks sense. I'm a big fan of his.
And other vloggers in general...
I like to tune into Mark Goldbridge when United have lost!
We obviously win a lot of games – how do you cope when we lose in terms of your output?
I think like most fans, I definitely have the occasional outburst that might require the bleep button to be aired on platforms other than YouTube, especially in the 2023/24 season. In the 2024/25 season though, I realised by Christmas that we were having a season of inevitable decline, and I reminded myself of two things. One - this is nothing compared to the 90s. Two - we WILL be back. Producing content has almost acted as therapy, because sharing my thoughts with other likeminded City fans, while hearing theirs, has definitely improved my ability to digest a City defeat.
Finally, what advice would you give to other youngsters wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Commit and only commit if you know you can commit. It's cliché but being yourself is vital because authenticity will shine through. You will be nervous at the start but hitting record on the camera is the only way you'll find out if making content is for you. Like anything, you'll continue to get better with practice and make sure to enjoy yourself because if the viewers can see you're enjoying yourself, then they'll likely enjoy it with you.
Follow Jonny's YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/@typicalcity9320
You can also follow Typical City on:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@typicalcity9320
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/typicalcity9320
X: https://x.com/TypicalCity9320
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/typicalcity9320/
CITC and C.P. Company open community football pitch
City's charity, CitC, has unveiled a newly regenerated community football pitch, located close to the Etihad Stadium, supported by C.P Company...
Bradford Park has been transformed through City in the Community’s ‘Healthy Goals’ initiative, which uplifts the physical and mental health of local young people by creating new community football pitches in Manchester, where the charity’s youth-led programmes are delivered.
The regeneration, which marks the charity’s eighth pitch development since 2023, was made possible through funding from C.P. Company, Manchester City’s Official Fashionwear Partner and the first partner of Healthy Goals.
Click here to watch the latest Healthy Goals video.
To mark the opening, Manchester City Ambassador and former player Joleon Lescott cut a blue ribbon at a launch attended by local councillors, residents, and young people.
Speaking at the event, Joleon Lescott said: “It was an honour to be part of the Bradford Park opening and to see first-hand the impact City in the Community is making through its Healthy Goals initiative.
“This pitch isn’t just a place to play — it’s a space where young people can grow in confidence, stay active, and feel proud of their community. It’s fantastic to see partners like CP Company getting behind this kind of work.”
The pitch’s design was inspired by a drawing by one young student from East Manchester, Waiden, whose name features on the final artwork alongside the message “There’s No Us Without You”, a core theme of C.P. Company’s community work.
To further celebrate the opening, C.P. Company invited a group of young community leaders from Milan and Marseille to Manchester, where they had the opportunity to enjoy the Club’s facilities, take part in sports activities, and learn more about the work of City in the Community coaches.
Launched in 2022 in Gorla, Milan, and continued in 2024 in Marseille’s Les Carmes district, the project promotes social inclusion among young people by revitalising underserved urban areas through the unifying power of sport. It aims to create inclusive spaces and shared experiences where youth can connect, play, and develop a strong sense of belonging.
C.P. Company President, Lorenzo Osti, added: “At C.P. Company, communities have always been at the heart of what we do. For several years, we’ve promoted the project 'There Is No Us Without You', which uses sport, especially football, to foster inclusion, break down barriers, and serve as a powerful force for social cohesion. That’s why we’re proud to partner with City in the Community on a project that brings people together and drives meaningful, lasting change.”
C.P. Company’s support will enable City in the Community to renovate three community or school pitches in total.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, Manchester City Council, added: “Bradford Park’s transformation is a brilliant example of how we’re putting children and young people at the heart of our neighbourhoods. Creating safe, inclusive, and inspiring spaces like this supports our journey to becoming a UNICEF-recognised Child Friendly City — where every child has the opportunity to play, grow, and thrive.
“This regeneration also reflects the City’s commitment to enhancing green spaces that promote wellbeing and community pride. We’re proud to work alongside like-minded partners to make this vision a reality.”
City in the Community is Manchester City’s official charity, founded in 1986, and exists to empower healthier lives with city youth through football.
The charity uses the hook of the Club to engage Greater Manchester in meaningful programmes, which are categorised by three outcome-based pillars: healthy people, healthy futures and healthy communities.
The Healthy Goals initiative was launched in 2023 and aims to uplift the physical and mental health of young people by creating new community football spaces in Manchester.
Raising £180,000 in the 2023/24 season, City in the Community regenerated multi-sports pitches at Ravensbury, St Wilfrid’s, Ashbury Meadow, Southern Cross and Holy Name in 2024 – all schools where the charity delivers its programmes.
The campaign followed the success of the City in the Community PlayZone project, which saw the charity build two new recreational areas, in Newton Heath and Withington.
For more information, visit www.mancity.com/CITC or follow @citcmancity on social media.
There is surreal, and then there is really surreal…
The 2012 tour of China saw City proudly showing off the Premier League trophy secured so magically just a few months earlier.
Based in Beijing, the Club had organised a number of high profile meet and greets, dinners and fan events during the stay, but there was one moment that leaps out when thinking back of what was, in many ways, an historic visit.
Tasked with interviewing anyone who was presented to us, imagine when Hollywood superstar Jackie Chan turns up.
As a kid, I’d seen him in Enter the Dragon, Fists of Fury, Supercop and countless other martial arts movies.
Later, he would star in Rush Hour 1, 2 and 3 and make appearances in such box office hits as Kung Fu Panda.
In other words, a legend.
“We’ve got two minutes with him,” I was informed and handed a microphone.
“Erm, OK..” I said.
There was no time for preparation, it was all going to be off the cuff stuff as Jackie was led across, and I was prodded by the cameraman – meaning he was rolling.
Jackie talked of his love of football and how he used to play, and the respect he had for the players who had waited 44 years to become English champions, and the “blood, sweat and pain” they’d shed to achieve it.
The killer line was then delivered.
“So, can we call you a Manchester City fan, now Jackie?” I asked…
There was a moment’s hesitation before he said that yes, from today, why not?
With the headline now written, Jackie said, “I like Hong Kong and sometimes Ho-Land as well.”
But we had our City line, and I’d managed not to be completely star struck.
He was a thoroughly nice guy, humble and emitted an infectious energy.
I knew this would be the only time in my life I would ever meet him and, in hindsight, there were 1000 other questions I could have asked, but just to have two minutes with Jackie Chan… what a privilege.
Words: David Clayton
Tijjani Reijnders has been voted Etihad Player of the Month for August.
Reijnders arrived in June 2025 from Italian side AC Milan, penning a five-year deal with the Blues.
And the silky-smooth central midfielder made a dream Premier League debut in the 4-0 win at Wolves.
The 27-year-old scored one and made one as he excelled at Molineux in a near-perfect performance.
He met a brilliant Oscar Bobb pass to fire home in the West Midlands before creating a sublime assist for Erling Haaland as Pep Guardiola’s men made a dream start to the new top-flight campaign.
Our new No.4 also shone despite subsequent defeats at home to Tottenham and away to Brighton.
He beat off competition from Erling Haaland and John Stones who finished second and third respectively in the first vote of the new 2025/26 season.
Haaland made a typically fast start to the season, scoring two in his first three games in sky blue while it’s a wonderful sight to see Stones back involved after an injury-hit previous term.
Congratulations to Tijjani on winning the award.
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