Manchester City’s first Champions League title was greeted with jubilation by thousands of club fans gathered in the city center after their proteges’ 1-0 victory in the final against Inter Milan on Saturday at Istanbul.
“It was deserved. It’s something that had escaped us in recent years,” one of his fans, Shaun Stevens, recalled to AFP, referring in particular to the lost final (1-0) two years ago against another English club, Chelsea. “It was always the stick that other people liked to beat us with. No European title, no European title. What are they going to be able to say now? Nothing more!”, he still rejoiced.
The Citizens had a European cup in their trophy cabinet, however, won in 1970, but it was the much less prestigious and now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup. Long in the shadow of its cumbersome neighbor in red, Manchester United, the sky blue club has become over the years and with hundreds of millions of euros invested, after the arrival of the United Arab Emirates at its head, the dominant team in England, with four league titles in the last five years. But the C1 has long refused them and their coach Pep Guardiola who, thanks to a goal from his defensive midfielder Rodri just over twenty minutes from the end of regulation time, led his club to a treble championship, FA Cup and Champions League that only Manchester United had succeeded in England in 1999.
The Spaniard’s winning strike was greeted by an explosion of joy from some 6,000 people massed in the fan zone, before long minutes of anguish until the final liberating whistle. “It’s one of the best nights of my life!” Jacob Evans told AFP. “Did you see everyone there? It was incredible”.
Piccadilly Gardens, a vast commercial square in the city center was crowded with people wearing the sky blue jerseys of the new European champions and sometimes hoisting themselves onto bus stops. But the celebrations have only just begun in Manchester as the club announced just after the final whistle that players and staff will take part in a parade through the city on Monday with an open bus to celebrate the three trophies won this year .
