Monday 19 December 2011

The Sky Blue View Christmas Special: Number 7

At Number 7, you have chosen a more recent footballer as one of our top ten cult heroes...

Ali Bernarbia
After the choice of Neil Young yesterday, we go a bit more low key as Ali Bernarbia makes an appearance at Number 7. The longevity of Ali's career at Maine Road was significantly less than Neil's, and many will argue his impact upon our history is minimal compared to Young's, but he will always have a place in folklore as his performances under Kevin Keegan helped to bring us back to where we belong, and has led to us being in the position that we are now.

Of course, Ali was signed up as a free transfer in 2001 by Kevin Keegan and helped to stir a revolution which took City back to the Premier League after a poor couple of decades for the side. Keegan signed him due to his performances for Monaco against a Newcastle United side managed by Keegan, against whom he scored two goals against.

The 5ft7 trickster became a fans favourite immediately, playing a major part in helping the club achieve promotion back to the Premiership, where he won player of the year and was also named in the Division's best eleven.

His performances in the First Division led to Keegan making him team captain, but his lack of pace at an older age meant he struggled in the Premier League and was much less influential.

His final game in a City shirt came in the opening of the City of Manchester Stadium, when City beat Barcelona 2-1.

Although he was at the club for a short period of time, Ali became an instant hero and will always be remembered for his time at City

Come back later for Number 6 in our Festive cult heroes list

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