Is This The Smartest Thing City Have Ever Done?
Somewhere in the corridors of the Etihad a genuis is at work.
No, I don’t mean Pep. So make that two geniuses. Maybe more.
The story of just how well City are being run probably won’t be told for some time. But the decision to create statutes of David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero was possibly their greatest masterstroke.
Let me explain.
In past times, one of the key factors for a club wanting to retain its best players was the testimonial game, which was traditionally awarded to a player after he had spent ten years at the club. At a time when footballers’ wages were relatively modest, the gate money and donations received by the player made a huge difference in coping with the loss of earnings suffered at the end of a playing career.
The fear of missing out on this important payday also made players reluctatant to move to others clubs once they’d had a few years’ service.
Nowadays, of course, Premier League players have accrued generational wealth long before they’re near the end of their playing days. In fact, players like Vincent Kompany used the testimonal as a way of giving back.
No club has figured out a useful replacement for the testimonial. Except City.
You can guarantee that 32-year-old Kevin De Bruyne has given more than a passing thought to what his statue is going to look like. Gundogan too, most likely, and Johnny Stones. And who knows, maybe Bernardo Silva’s decision to remain at the club was, in part, taken with a view to joining the trio of former teammates outisde the Ethiad?
And for the rising stars of the game wondering whether Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or City is their best option, the idea that only one of them offers the chance of being immortalized in bronze is no doubt thrown into the mix.
The absence of a Yaya Toure statue also serves as a warning of what will happen to star players who allow their agents to rock the boat (or is that ‘ship’?).
But as Pep continually reminds us, football is all about continuous improvement. So maybe in the coming years it will be time to take the idea to a new level.
Because the statue I want to see outside the Etihad is this one.
But not your standard Vinny, David or Sergio size. Oh, no. I’m talking ‘Christ the Redeemer’ proportions: 98ft high, with arms stretching 92ft wide. Fuck it, make it 100ft wide. We are the Centurians after all.
Jack the Redeemer—the Angel of the North West—spotlit in blue throughout the night. And resting on a giant base, so it’s visible wherever you are in Manchester.
And Trafford, of course.
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