My lovely friend Jennie recently asked me how I came to love Manchester City FC. This was an excellent question from an excellent person. Ergo, it deserved an excellent (hopefully) response. Here it goes.
It all started with this Bill Simmons article from 2006. He was figuring out which Premiere League team he ought to support. That seemed like a fine idea, so I followed suit. Following his two-column-spanning logic, I settled on Man City. The following reasons supported that decision.
- Sky blue is awesome
- My dear friend Bryn is Mancunian (though I secretly suspect he’s from Sheffield and embarrassed to admit it)
- Ricky Hatton and Oasis are huge Man City supporters; I’m a huge fan of the boxer and the band
- In 2006, Man City seemed destined for longterm mediocrity, so nobody could accuse me of being a bandwagon fan
The icing on the cake came in 2007 when ousted Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra bought the team. I lived in Thailand for most of 2006 and most of the rural Thais I met worshipped Thaksin. Plus, I was in the Kingdom during the coup that ousted him. Logically (sort of), it seemed like I was destined to be a Man City fan.
Thaksin sold Man City to the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008. The company formed City Football Group, which started several “City” football teams internationally. In 2013, City Football Group announced plans for New York City FC, an expansion team for Major League Soccer. City Football Group owns 80 percent of the club. The other 20 percent is owned by…the New York Yankees. As someone that was born in the Bronx and has been a lifelong Yankees fan, it seemed like kismet. I was meant to love City.
So that’s my story, Jennie. Admittedly, it makes more sense in my head than it does on (digital) paper.
Bonus Point: My favorite City player is David Silva. I absolutely love his game. Plus, it’s astounding that he can look so suave bald or with a lush head of hair.