Zaba deserves a legendary Blues send-off

THERE will not be a dry eye in the house when Pablo Zabaleta says a fond farewell to City tonight.

The tough, amiable Argentinian has become an icon among the fans, and they have taken him to their hearts like few others in the club’s history.

Maybe it was the fact he has literally given blood for the cause, as well as gallons of sweat.

Maybe it was the fact he remained a normal man, untrammelled by the trappings of stardom, as he lived in a Didsbury flat and visited his local chippy from time to time.

And maybe it was the fact that, when City have performed badly, when they fell below expectations, Zabaleta has always refused to shy away from speaking to the fans, via the media.

There are players who queue up to give their thoughts on glorious trophy wins, or 5-0 whippings, but it takes a real man to speak up when the team has been poor.

Zabaleta is one of only two players signed before the 2008 takeover to have survived the transformation of the club, the other being Vincent Kompany.

Zabaleta signed the day before Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, but he was joining a mid-table team – he was not being tempted by megamoney or the chance of glory.

He has that in common with those fans who sing his name at every game, whether he plays or not, and who will continue to sing it long after he has gone.

Zabaleta will be on the pitch to say his farewells to the fans after the game against West Brom whether he plays or not. There may be others who will play at the Etihad Stadium for the final time tonight as well – including Yaya Toure – but their futures have not been resolved as yet, so the club is not planning to parade them.

Zaba will take some replacing, and not just as a stubborn, clever, aggressive player with a technical ability which is often underestimated.

The fact he was bought for a mid-table team and yet has played 332 times for a club which very quickly became one of the English elite speaks of his ability as well as his character.

He is a classic City warrior, laying his body on the line on the field, and yet gentle off it.

These are the reasons Blues fans have taken them to their hearts, and the sight of his blood-stained, stitched head, or the thigh studded by Paul Scholes’ boot at Wembley, or the black eye from Marouane Fellaini’s stray elbow, will remain as his testament.

That and, of course, a couple of Premier League winner’s medals, two League Cups and an FA Cup.

It will be emotional tonight, so farewell Zaba. As the song goes, “You are the **** ing man.”