The two-weight world champion on nabbing Keegan’s medal and asking Wayne Rooney to carry his boxing belts
Lewis Watson
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
What was the first game that you ever attended?
It was Manchester City against Huddersfield Town in 1987. I must have been about nine years old at the time. I always had a big family of City followers, so I was probably always going to be a blue rather than a red, but it was confirmed after this match as we won 10-1! I was with my uncle at the back of the North Stand at Maine Road. It doesn’t get much better than that for a first game. Back then, this sort of scoreline was unheard of for City fans.
Who was your childhood hero, and did you ever meet them?
I had a load of heroes – Ian Brightwell, Andy Morrison, Paul Lake, Paul Dickov, players like that – but I’d have to say that it was a player who I’ve been fortunate enough to become really good friends with now: Georgi Kinkladze. He was brilliant. City didn’t have much to be excited about during the time that Georgi was playing for us, but when he got on the ball, he was magic. Seeing him running at defenders was something else.
What do you like the most about going to a football match?
Lately, it’s the quality of the football and the world-class players that have put on the shirt over the last few years. I was there in the early years when we went down to the second division and we were rubbish.
I would spend all day in the rain jumping on different buses just to get to Maine Road, then we’d lose 2-1 to someone like Grimsby Town and I would get home soaking for about nine o’clock in the evening. Growing up, I would never have guessed that City would go on to be as good as they are now.
Who from your club’s past would you bring back for your current side?
I think it would be Mike Summerbee or Colin Bell – an old-school player. Bell was a terrific player. But if we are thinking more recently, I’d say David Silva [below]. He’s probably the best player we’ve ever seen at City.
Which player do you like even though they never played for your club?
Diego Maradona – I think he was the best player of all time. The things he could do with that football were just ridiculous. I’m always watching videos of him, even just warming up. He was completely in love with the ball – it didn’t leave his feet. Obviously, Lionel Messi is another obvious one. I thought there was a chance he could have come to City at some point with
