“SHEIKH Mansour went to Spain, in a Lamborghini, brought us back a manager, Manuel Pellegrini...” Don’t ever dream of going to the Etihad Stadium claiming to be a Manchester City fan if you don’t know this chant by heart.
Chants such as this, along with their other equally famous “cousins”, like Naa Naa Naa City (sung to the tune of the Beatles’ Hey Jude), are a serious ritual every match day.
Some mock the opponents, but the chants are normally in praise of a team that used to be the whipping boys of the English Premier League but transformed by oil money into a global football brand.
Billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour has shown the world that even the famous Fab Four can’t hit the right note all the time.
His money, it seems, can buy love, as aptly demonstrated by the global adulation outside England that has come along with the success of expensively-assembled “instant” squads.
The Citizens no longer live in the shadows of their more illustrious and less noisy neighbours, Manchester United.
The hatred for each other, however, has, rather mercifully, remained intact.
This absence of love was on full display at the derby match on March 20 for nine winners of the Dashing Goes Man City contest, as well as members of the Malaysian media, to soak in.
It was a monumentally significant journey for the winners and fans - even if City were defeated 1-0.
Muhammad Khairul Razali, 29, was overwhelmed with emotions when interviewed on his feelings watching his favourite team in action at the Etihad that he choked on his words.
“I had never dreamt of coming to Etihad, let alone watch my favourite team in action.
I was just lost for words,” said Khairul, who works as a machine operator in Petaling Jaya, after regaining his composure.
Khairul, coincidentally, is the Selangor Manchester City Malaysia fan club secretary. He recalled first watching a Manchester City match on the telly with his dad in 2008.
“They played a different brand of football. I had never bought a jersey in my life but went out to get one immediately after that match. It was the blue colours of Man City.”
Prior to the match, the winners were treated to a Blue Carpet experience of greeting the first team players as they arrived to enter the stadium.
A day before, the winners were taken on a tour of the stadium, which has a capacity of just above 60,000.
They also visited the players’ workout area, lounge, dressing room, the home and away teams’ dugouts, as well as the megastore, among others.
The entourage also took part in a three-day football camp, facilitated by three coaches at the City Football Academy, Built at a staggering RM1.14 billion, the academy boasts of 16outdoor pitches, including the main Academy Stadium pitch, a protected first-team pitch for set-piece work and 14 other playing surfaces, plus two half-pitches for goalkeeper training.
They have three different grass surfaces to allow players to acclimatise to their opponents’ different types of pitches.
State-of-the-art gyms, ultra-sound rooms, physio and massage rooms, as well as a hydrotherapy area that includes six different pools, are among its other facilities.
The pools assist in aiding their players’ recovery from injury.
Little wonder that Lionel Messi was so impressed with the academy when he trained with the Argentina squad for a friendly back in December 2014.
During the football camp, the Dashing winners, as well as the media representatives, were put through the routines that all Man City teams - first, reserve, women’s and juniors-go through.
Ball control, attacking and defending organisation, formations, mastering feigns, dribbling, positional play and awareness were among the skills taught.
The entourage also had a chance to visit the impressive 56-seat auditorium, where Pellegrini, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola, and his coaching staff show the players video clips from matches or training and go through analysis with the squad.
The winners were also given the opportunity to become “managers” by using the facilities at the auditorium to analyse matches.
Dashing marketing manager Rishi Pahwa said Dashing, Manchester City’s official partner in Malaysia, had held a six-month contest that required buyers of Dashing or Elite products to send SMS entries to win the six-day-five-night trip.
It was the second edition of the Dashing Goes Man City contest.
“In this second season contest, the once in a lifetime VIP experience is heightened with the opportunity to train like a Manchester City player in an exclusive 3-day football camp conducted by the Manchester City FC.”
Eleven winners were chosen but two could not make it for the trip that kick started on Aug 17.
But for Pandiayadevan Shamugam from Selangor, the visit was special despite his being unable to take part in the football camp. The car technician was involved in a serious accident that caused injuries rendering him unable to undertake heavy or rigorous tasks.
But his team spirit was evident as he cheered on and watched the rest of the winners take part in the camp.
“Manchester City is in my blood. I am delighted to be on this trip and will never forget it.”