How City and United players bond over barbecues
THEY might be rivals on the pitch but off it Manchester United and Manchester City’s Argentinian players are the closest of friends.
Willy Caballero, Pablo Zabaleta, Nicolas Otamendi, Sergio Aguero, Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo have all been pictured together before enjoying a New Year’s Eve party and heading out for food in Manchester.
And now they have revealed that they all regularly meet up for Argentinian ‘asados’ (barbecues) to remind them of home.
In an interview with Argentine newspaper La Nacion, via Sport Witness, they all give an insight into their get togethers, with each player having a different task.
Zabaleta, who will leave City at the end of the season, revealed he is tasked with getting the meats and cheeses but isn’t trusted to cook it.
That task falls to Otamendi, he explained: “I cannot tell my secrets, hands.”
But Zabaleta didn’t want his teammate getting too overconfident, he responded: “You can’t tell him a lot because he gets cocky, but he’s very good.”
The barbecues are a regular occurrence for the group of friends but only Aguero and Otamendi host them because they’re the only ones to have a proper barbecue.
Caballero is tasked with bringing the firewood but the wet Manchester climate doesn’t help him.
He explained: “If we do, it’s all wet. I have no choice but to do it with coal, but I do it well.” Romero revealed his role isn’t as important, he said: “What do I do? Nothing! I bring a good mood.
“We are far from Argentina, far from family and friends. Barbecues it’s all in the griller’s are a way to feel close to home.” The City and United stars are also regularly joined by Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori and with Zabaleta leaving City it will remain to be seen if he will still make the effort to attend their parties. The right back explained: “Almost always we do the barbecues when we are alone and we have time to make it long. When we are with the families it’s a bit more complicated. “We try to be all together. If someone can’t come, no worries.” The Argentinian internationals admit that their close knit friendship makes it easier being away from home. Otamendi said: “The truth is that we have a great time together. “We are fortunate to be in the same city and get along together.” Nicolas Otamendi