ALL THE WAY FOR MEMPHIS
Ex-United flop keen to punish City in the last-eight showdown
MEMPHIS DEPAY will be out to give every Mancunian football fan a glimpse of what they are missing when he steps out on to his hero’s old stomping ground tomorrow night.
Depay, the brash 26-year-old Dutchman who grew up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo, failed to live up to the hype when he was handed the famous Manchester United No.7 shirt back in 2015.
He lasted just 18 months following his £25million arrival from PSV Eindhoven before being loaned to Lyon and then sold to the French club on the cheap.
United’s loss has been Lyon’s gain – but Depay spent long enough in Manchester to learn that red and blue do not mix well in the city.
After helping Lyon beat Pep Guardiola’s men in the Champions League two seasons ago he took to social media to wind up City’s fans.
He will be hoping to do the same after the two clubs have clashed in Sporting Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Depay (left), who scored the penalty that knocked out Ronaldo’s Juventus on away goals in the last 16, said: “Cristiano has always been my hero. He stands for world class.
“As a player nobody has invested more in himself than Cristiano, which is why he is able to keep playing at an extremely high level.
“Even in commercial ways he is the top example to every footballer. Even at PSV Eindhoven, I was doing 200 situps a day and all kinds of cardio stuff.
“I always had it in my mind that a strong body would help me as a player and would help me to get good commercial deals at the same time.
“Cristiano was aware of that well before anyone else in football.”
Former Holland boss Dick Advocaat was quick to use Depay’s admiration for Ronaldo to improve the winger as a player when they worked together at both PSV and the national team. Advocaat said: “I had seen an article in the paper with Edwin van der Sar talking about the way Cristiano Ronaldo prepared for big matches when he was at United and about the way he trained.
“According to Edwin, it explained how Ronaldo has become a world superstar.
“I cut the article out and gave it to Memphis. I said to him, ‘This is what it takes to become world class’.
“Memphis loved it and I loved working with him. The boy is obsessed with the game.
“He wants to train hard, he is totally crazy about football. And he has nothing else on his mind than becoming one of the biggest stars in the world.”
Only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund have scored more Champions League goals than Depay this season.
And the Dutchman demonstrated nerves of steel in Turin to score a ‘Panenka’-style penalty.
Especially as he hit the bar with a similar effort when he was a youngster struggling for goals at PSV.
Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum was the Eindhoven captain that day and he recalled: “At half-time we tackled him.
Not just me as captain, but several lads had a go.
“If you score, everyone jumps on you. But if you miss, we will give you the full load.
“That is the consequence of wanting to take a penalty like that. Memphis accepted what we said.
“But Memphis is not a player who is at all bothered about having friends.
“All he cares about is winning matches.”
Depay has a huge picture of a lion tattooed on his back. City will hope they don’t get bitten.