People came to watch Messi, and left raving
IT’S unclear how popular the British gameshow Bullseye was around Las Ramblas, but for City executives on Wednesday night the arrival of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe had the potential to be as awkward as Jim Bowen introducing a speedboat.
Pep Guardiola had tried to sign Mbappe more than once since becoming City manager, quickly realising the potential of the worldclass player before he had exploded onto the world football stage. And there were genuine hopes that Messi one of the biggest brands in sport as well as one of its most iconic player could leave Barcelona last summer, with the Blues at the front of the queue before he decided to stay.
If the prospect of facing Mbappe, Messi and Neymar on the pitch is always daunting, the crowds that they attract are the envy of many commercial and social media departments across the game and City are no exception.
The buzz for the match was apparent for days before. It was a full house at the Etihad, despite ticket prices being on the extortionate side for what was ultimately a meaningless result given both teams qualified for the knockout round regardless.
People wanted to see the superstars they don’t normally get to watch every week and it is probably safe to say the young fan who ran onto the pitch at full-time was not looking for a City shirt, given the lack of pitch invasions for the Everton game or any other this season.
He walked off with Bernardo Silva’s though, with the best player on the pitch taking pity on the supporter after security had intercepted him and told him to clear off.
That summed up a night that went better than Ferran Soriano and others could have dreamed of: even if people came for Messi, they left raving about City.
In one of their most high-profile games for a while, Guardiola’s side produced some of their best football to thrill and entertain the 55,000 inside the ground as well as the millions more watching at home. It was a terrific night for the team, showing their quality as well as their resilience as they responded emphatically to going behind against the run of play when a draw or defeat would still have seen them through.
And that will have done wonders for the club. They may not have Messi to pull in the punters but showed what a display they can put on. A night that could have been tinged with regret instead became a celebration of everything good about City.