Picking a Manchester City Cult Heroes XI
Manchester City have a number of cult heroes, players who are largely ignored outside of club circles but adored by a section of the Sky Blues' support.
The days spent languishing in the third tier of English football and the subsequent meteoric rise through the divisions were particularly fruitful in terms of unearthing cult stars, with the City fans' gallows humour used to turn despair into something altogether more positive.
But can we put together a full side containing players who have cult status at the club? Here's our all-time Manchester City cult heroes XI, and if you disagree with any of the choices, feel free to use the comments section below to make further suggestions.
Goalkeeper: Nicky Weaver
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Nicky Weaver will always be remembered fondly by the City fans after the integral role he played in the club’s rise from Division Two obscurity to the Premier League.
Signed from Mansfield Town for £210,000, his first full season as a regular was in the 1998/99 playoff-winning year when City got themselves out of the third tier and back into the division now known as the Championship. He kept 26 clean sheets, then a club record.
Weaver was superb, and he saved a penalty in the playoff final at Wembley that secured promotion. His mad dash around the pitch in celebration is one of the most memorable images from City’s recent past.
The following season, City were promoted again, with Weaver’s form better than ever before. It was a wonderful time for the club and Weaver personally, a high he would never quite capture again.
He remained in the side in the Premier League but eventually lost his place, with injuries ruining his time at City. He eventually left to try to secure first-team football elsewhere, leaving his indelible mark on the club and the fans.
Right-Back: Pablo Zabaleta
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Signed in 2008 by Mark Hughes, the rise of Pablo Zabaleta from hard-working, industrious fan favourite to one of the finest right-backs in Europe has been remarkable to observe.
He’s become a leader on and off the pitch, an adopted Mancunian whose love of the city has endeared him to the fans.
Rarely has a player been so widely acknowledged as a cult hero with his own fans. His attitude and desire to win every ball, as well as his brilliance, means he is adored by every fan in sky blue.
He is an FA Cup, League Cup and two-time Premier League winner, and his place in the pantheon of City greats is assured.
Centre-Back: Martin Demichelis
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Martin Demichelis’ time at City has been very interesting to observe. The Argentinian has turned his fortunes around more sharply than perhaps anyone before him, going from a player seen as a complete liability to a Premier League winner, World Cup finalist and firm fan favourite.
Those City fans who stuck by him during his early troubles have been handsomely rewarded. His performances in the last 12 months have been remarkable, making him the club’s best centre-back and ensuring him cult status.
Centre-Back: Andy Morrison
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Having been bereft of a leader since the exit of Keith Curle in 1996, Joe Royle set about trying to find a player capable of captaining the side and demanding more from those around him, and the £80,000 he paid to bring Andy Morrison in from Huddersfield Town could hardly have been better spent. City had themselves a leader of the highest order.
City’s 1998/99 Division Two campaign started badly, with the club down in midtable after defeats to the likes of Lincoln City. Morrison’s arrival changed everything. Suddenly there was dynamism and direction, and City, led by their captain, moved up the league and back into Division One.
Injuries the following season limited his impact. He only played 48 times for the club in total, but the role he played has never been forgotten. He’s now the club’s official fan ambassador, confirmation of the high regard he is held in by all those connected to the club.
Left-Back: Danny Tiatto
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Few on the list can lay claim to being quite as tenacious and hard-working as Danny Tiatto, a player whose all-action style made him a huge hit with supporters.
He played for the club from 1998 to 2004, a period defined by its turbulence. A series of promotions and relegations made for a testing ride, but Tiatto provide the fans with one constant. He gave the same kind of industry week in, week out, and that's an attribute that always goes down well with the City faithful.
Midfield: Shaun Wright-Phillips
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Academy graduates are nearly always embraced warmly by City fans, particularly if, like Shaun Wright-Phillips, they go on to play well for the first team.
Wright-Phillips, at his best, was superb for City, offering them wizardry on the wing the likes of which hadn’t been seen for many years.
Chelsea paid £21 million to take him to Stamford Bridge but, in truth, his career stalled. Whereas at City he was valued highly and comfortable at a club he’d been with for many years, at Chelsea he found things more difficult.
He returned to City in 2008, but his impact was nothing on what it had been first time around. He’s a player who will always be remembered, though.
Midfield: Georgi Kinkladze
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Georgi Kinkladze lit up an awful period in City's history and is considered one of the finest players to wear Manchester blue.
He suffered two relegations—in 1996 and 1998—and was therefore part of the club's darkest years. However, such was his level of skill and genius, he was held in high regard by all the fans.
Rarely has there been such a chasm between the quality of one player compared to the rest in his team. Kinkladze was the only thing City fans felt was worth watching for the years he was there.
Midfield: Ali Benarbia
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The signing of Ali Benarbia was shrouded in mystery in a way transfers today simply cannot be. He had been on trial with Sunderland, but then-boss Kevin Keegan swooped in to sign him after an injury to his other creative midfielder, Eyal Berkovic.
What followed was a period of wonderful attacking football, orchestrated by City's Algerian star. Touch, poise, balance, vision and skill—Benarbia had it all.
Striker: Uwe Rosler
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Uwe Rosler arrived initially on a three-month loan during the 1993/94 season as an unknown quantity, and very few could have predicted the long-term impact he would have.
He scored 64 times in 176 games for the club, with his arrival staving off relegation in 1994.
Striker: Mario Balotelli
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Mario Balotelli is treated with suspicion and contempt by much of the British press, but the City fans love him.
His mistreatment by members of the press, who overanalysed his every move, increased the adoration from the City supporters, who adopted a siege mentality where their Italian hero was concerned.
His goal and performance in the seismic 6-1 win at Old Trafford will live long in the memory, and his assist on the final day of the 2011/12 season was crucial.
Striker: Shaun Goater
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Arguably the most revered player on this list is Shaun Goater, a player who, much like Demichelis, turned the fans’ opinion of him around sharply.
Goater arrived with City moving inexorably towards relegation to the third tier, but his 21 goals the following season were the catalyst for City’s instant promotion.
The following season was probably his best at the club. He scored 29 times, and City were back in the Premier League.
Goater is adored by the fans to this day. He gets mobbed at every home game in his capacity as a radio pundit and remains a huge part of the club’s recent history.
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