Bad food, frequent rain, and cloudy weather are the things that make many players quickly leave Manchester United and Manchester City, even though they are the two top clubs in the world.
For example, Brazilian player Dani Alves is ready to join Manchester City in the summer of 2017. He is excited to reunite with his old teacher Pep Guardiola, even having lunch with him to discuss the new season.
The Brazilian also tried to convince Juventus to terminate his contract early so that he could quickly join Man City. Everything is very favorable for this deal ‘Here we go’. But then, Alves ‘turned the car’, then put pen to paper to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, and that infuriated Guardiola.
The reason? At that time, Alves’ wife, Joana Sanz, did not want to live in Manchester. She wants to live in the “City of Light” instead of moving to the industrial city of England.
Angel Di Maria, Carlos Tevez, and Nolito are also players “bored” of Manchester. Most recently, Ilkay Gundogan decided to leave Man City to come to Barcelona with the reason said that he wanted to change his living space and move to a warmer place.
With the transfer window in full swing, many players come and go at both Manchester clubs, and we’re looking at some of the reasons why foreign players don’t like living in the city.
Can’t compare Manchester to Barcelona
But for players like Alves and Di Maria, who have become superstars and won the Champions League before that, factors off the pitch are important. This is no exception for Gundogan, who spent seven years at Man City and has just helped the club win the treble.
But Gundogan won all the titles and was in Manchester for 7 years. He wants new challenges. As a champion, is there any reason to continue in a place with gray skies and no good sushi?
At that time, the city will be a place for a player to consider whether to move or not. You cannot compare Manchester to a place like Barcelona. There, the food is delicious, it’s sunny all day, and there’s even a beach. Who wouldn’t want to live there. No other city in the UK can offer you such an experience.
But in terms of food, that is the minus point of Manchester. Although the situation has improved, Manchester cannot compare with Paris, Barcelona or even London.
Missing good food in Manchester!
The lack of good food in Manchester is a common complaint of many footballers’ wives and girlfriends.
David de Gea’s new wife, Edurne Garcia, doesn’t even live full-time in Manchester, although the Spain goalkeeper has been at Old Trafford since 2011. She also says the couple have had a hard time finding good eats. in Manchester. Even the best restaurants here can’t compare to Spain.
Similarly, Gundogan’s wife, Sara Arfaoui, complains about the lack of quality restaurants. “I tried so hard to find a good restaurant but the food here is terrible. Maybe London has good restaurants, but Manchester doesn’t. Sorry to admit that,” Sara Arfaoui said.
Nolito was obsessed with the gray sky
The heavy rains and overcast skies of Manchester were included in many jokes. But actually, this city only ranks 16th in terms of rainfall in Europe. Milan, Munich and Lyon all receive more rainfall, but weather is rarely mentioned.
Former Man City winger Nolito once complained that life without sunshine in Manchester had caused his daughter’s skin to change color. The girl seemed to have “lived in a cave” and was ordered by the doctor to take more vitamin D.
Nolito has joined City from Celta Vigo, the rainiest city in Spain with an average of 5.8mm of rain per day compared to 3.2mm in Manchester. Therefore, rain and wind with him is a very normal thing. However, the striker has problems with the winter in Manchester. He told The Guardian: “We couldn’t adapt. It was dusk at 5pm and 6pm was like 10pm. I started to feel tired and thought, ‘Oh my god, it’s only 6. now!’”.
Legend is also lonely!
Nolito did not have much time to adjust to life in Manchester as he only played for City for one season before returning to Spain to join Sevilla. Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero has spent a decade at Man City, the club’s all-time top scorer with 275 goals, winning five Premier Leagues, six League Cups, one FA Cup and three Super Cups. English Cup.
Despite being very popular with Man City fans, the Argentinian player does not seem to have integrated much into the culture here. In the documentary “All or Nothing” released in 2018, Aguero said that he is lonely, spending most of his free time for himself, except when his son and siblings visit.
Aguero also barely speaks English and during the Champions League final reported on BT Sport, the former striker spoke in Spanish, and Cesc Fabregas had to act as his translator.
Tevez: ‘Manchester has nothing’
But Aguero has never complained about life in Manchester, unlike compatriot Carlos Tevez. This player plays for both Man Utd and Man City. He became a ‘black sheep’ at Etihad in the 2011-2012 season, when he refused to come on from the bench in the Champions League match against Bayern.
This is not the only incident that has outraged Man City fans. In 2011, having lived in Manchester for four years, Tevez said the city had “nothing” and admitted that he had not made new friends since moving in.
“I will never go back, not even on vacation, not for anything,” Tevez said.
Hated Manchester since before I moved in
Another Argentinian player who finds it difficult to enjoy life in Manchester is Di Maria – the midfielder arrived at Man Utd for a record transfer fee in 2014. But after only a year, he left due to a dispute with the coach. Louis van Gaal.
Di Maria’s house was once broken into. His wife, Jorgelina Cardoso, admitted to hating Manchester even before they got there. “I am friends with Gianinna Maradona, Aguero’s ex-wife. We flew from Madrid to his house in Manchester when Di Maria was released by Real,” Jorgelina said.
“It’s all horrible! As I left, I told Di Maria to go anywhere but England. And yet, a year later, we went to Manchester and it was horrible.”
Mata is attached to Manchester because of art
On the contrary, there are also some foreign players who prefer to live in Manchester, most notably Juan Mata – midfielder who joined Man Utd in 2014.
The Spaniard has been blogging about his experiences since he was in London. When he arrived in Manchester, Mata spoke with wings about the city’s exhibitions and art works.
Despite arriving in Galatasaray in 2022, Mata still maintains ties with the city. The 35-year-old midfielder once returned to Manchester to open an art exhibition called The Trequartista: Art and Football United, featuring a piece of performance art alongside German artist Tino Sehgal.
Mata told the Manchester Evening News: “Manchester is my home and I have a lot of people I know here. I’m sure they’ll be happy I’m back. I also look forward to coming back to visit many friends. It’s a great city!”
Kompany as son-in-law of Manchester
Another Manchester overseas champion is Vincent Kompany. The former Man City captain has carried out numerous campaigns against homelessness in the city, launching his charity Tackle4MCR to raise money and raise awareness for the community.
He was praised by Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. Kompany is also married to Carla Higg, a Manchester-born and loyal Manchester City fan.