So last weekend I’m chatting football with mates at the pub, right? We’re arguing about who’s the absolute top dog in Manchester City’s history. Proper heated! Everyone kept shouting names, but nobody had actual proof – just pure nostalgia and beer talking. Got me thinking: Why not put this to bed once and for all? Settle it properly.
Digging Through Dusty Boxes First
Started simple. Rummaged through my old stuff – bins full of football magazines, ticket stubs from Maine Road, even some dodgy VHS tapes of classic matches. Found pics of me as a kid in a gigantic Colin Bell shirt. Remembered how silky he was – nonstop running, pure class. Wrote his name down immediately. But just memories ain’t enough proof for a proper list.
Turning into a Stats Monster
Got obsessed. Spent three whole days glued to my laptop instead of doing laundry. Pulled up:
- Prem apps & goals going back to the 60s
- Trophy lists – League, FA Cup, Europe
- Fan vote stuff from forums
- YouTube compilations (grainy ones!)
Made spreadsheets? Nah, too fancy. Just scribbled mad notes across ten A4 pages. Coffee stains and all. Crossed out names, argued with myself out loud – felt proper mad comparing Yaya Touré’s brute force midfield dominance to Mike Summerbee’s old-school wing wizardry. Different eras! How do you even?
The Brutal Shortlist Shuffle
My kitchen table looked like a madman’s pinboard. Stuck player names on post-its, shuffled endlessly. Gutted leaving legends out. Tough choices got brutal:
- David Silva or Kinkladze for pure magic? Silva won stuff… but Kinkladze kept us alive!
- Vincent Kompany’s leadership vs Bert Trautmann playing with a broken neck? Madness!
- Where does Sergio Agüero’s 93:20 moment rank? Goosebumps every replay.
Felt personal. Almost binned the whole list ’cause comparing Bell to modern players like De Bruyne felt wrong. KDB’s passing is insane, but Bell… he WAS City for generations.
Finally Accepting It’s Messy
Realised there’s no perfect list. Too much history, too many heroes. My final shout got messy fast:
- Colin Bell (My King)
- Sergio Agüero (Goals. Just goals)
- Vincent Kompany (Captain. Rocks. That Leicester goal)
- David Silva (Merlin. Made football look easy)
- Bert Trautmann (Broken neck hero – respect!)
Had Yaya and Kev scratching at the door too. Heart over head sometimes. That’s football though! Spent hours arguing online with fans after posting it. Proper chaos, just like I wanted.
Big Takeaway? Nostalgia Beats Stats
Started wanting cold facts, ended up neck-deep in feelings. Numbers help, sure. But football legends stick ’cause they made you scream, cry, believe. Found myself defending Uwe Rosler based on ONE volley! Trying to be “objective” about heroes is pointless… and frankly boring. Just embrace the noise!
