What Makes a City Legend?

What makes a club legend?

In this period of success, a small handful of players have undeniably established themselves as club legends, joining the likes of Colin Bell, Francis Lee, and Mike Summerbee as the club’s greatest, most beloved representatives ever. Players like Vincent Kompany, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero are the obvious, mutual shouts from City fans and rivals alike, as they were integral to our emergence in the post-takeover era and have the defining moments on the pitch to back it up. But for the rest, where is the line drawn? 

Should all players involved in our first league title since the 1967–68 season be considered legends? The Centurions? The treble winners? A valid, if not somewhat complicated question to answer, with responses varying depending on who you might ask. 

So.. what exactly makes a City legend? 

What’s become clear to me is that the title of legend is mostly a subjective one.. until it isn’t. The number one way to tell if someone is a bonafide club legend is when their status is largely unanimous. Bell? Kompany? Lee? Aguero? You won’t find a single City fan that debates their status in the annals of our history. Ability and accolades follow as the most obvious criteria to consider while players like Yaya Touré and Raheem Sterling come to mind. On the pitch, absolutely dynamic players who won titles and dazzled with their individual ability. But some would say their antics off the pitch deny them of the title of legend. Essentially, optics matter as well. Others value longevity, loyalty, or consistency. Players like Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez, who won the lot and carried our team in spells, might not have been at City long enough or weren’t consistent enough to be considered bonafide club legends by some.

In the midst of all these great players and potential legends, one, somewhat under the radar, not often mentioned choice shines as the prime example of what being a City legend is all about: Pablo Zabaleta. 

He wasn’t a big money, takeover buy. Matter of fact, Zabaleta, affectionately referred to as “Zaba” by his fans, arrived at City in 2008 from Spanish side Espanyol for a modest 7m signing fee. He scored brownie points with City fans before arriving by rejecting Juventus as City’s last signing before Sheikh Mansour purchased the club. 

He was a competitor who never complained and ALWAYS fought for his place. Homegrown talent “bursting onto the scene” in Micah Richards? Brazilian star and World Cup winner Maicon? League rival and perennial top performer in Bacary Sagna? All split time with Zaba because he never gave up on this club and always gave his all. 

He was an overachiever. A traditional, no-nonsense defender who manned the right side of our defense for roughly a decade, Zaba was not particularly fast like Walker. Nor did he possess the pinpoint, lethal ability Kolarov possessed with favored left foot. He wasn’t as silky as Cancelo nor was he a local lad breaking through like Rico Lewis. But his heart, work ethic, and passion quickly won City fans over.

He was a tireless warrior. He never gave up on his team and he never gave up on us. Countless times he would put his body on the line on defense, bloodied and bruised while tirelessly running forward and offering an outlet on the right flank. For Zaba, if there was time on the clock, it meant there was time for him to give more for this club. 

He was a leader and had his fair share of big moments. Captaining City on more than one occasion, scoring away at Roma when we needed a result to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League (which Vinny, Yaya, and Sergio were out injured), and scoring possibly the least talked about big goal in the history of our club when he opened the scoring in that win over QPR. Was it as iconic as Sergio’s winner? No. But without it, 93:20 wouldn’t exist. 

He was beyond proud to represent our club and knew what it meant to beat our rivals, fondly referring to the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester United as one of his proudest moments in a City shirt. Making 333 appearances for our club over roughly a decade, Zaba’s commitment to City cannot be denied.

Rival fans love to say “you call anyone legends.” But the truth is, how would they know? If you ask any City fan about Zaba, you’ll see their faces light up. An immediate smile followed by glowing praise. And essentially, this is the key ingredient in the making of a legend. It’s not just what they accomplished but how they did it. Not so much about their ability as it is about how they made the fans feel. A sense of pride that this player represented us, fought for us, and gave his blood, sweat, and tears to elevate our team. 

As proud as he is to call this club his own, I think we can all agree, we are and will always be as proud to call Pablo Zabaleta one of our own as well. A true, undeniable, City legend that represented us with class and dignity. The best of what it means to be City in every way. This is what it means to be a City legend. 

Written by: SHEIKH