 "Watch: Manchester City enjoy historic treble with bus parade despite rain")
Manchester was literally bathed in blue on Monday as even a thunder storm and torrential rain could not stop thousands of Manchester City fans celebrating a treble with the players and staff. City became just the second team to win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season after beating Inter Milan 1-0 to become European champions for the first time. The last English team to do the treble were their city rivals Manchester United in 1999. Man City’s celebrations were delayed by stormy weather. Despite that, the streets of the city centre were crammed to pay tribute to manager Pep Guardiola and his players.
“What a parade,” said Guardiola. “It has to be like that, no sunshine. We want rain. The perfect way.” Erling Haaland, the prolific striker who the club signed in the summer, danced shirtless atop the bus. Meanwhile, England duo Jack Grealish and Kalvin Philips appeared to be suffering from the effects of 48 hours of celebration.
“I’ve had the best 24 hours, day and night,” said Grealish. “I don’t think I’ve slept.” After the euphoria in Istanbul, the City delegation jetted returned to Manchester on Sunday. But many members of the squad immediately headed off on a private jet to Ibiza, Spain for a second night of partying.
The blue half of Manchester lived in the shadow of their neighbours, Manchester United, for decades as Alex Ferguson built a dynasty at Old Trafford between 1986 and 2013. But an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of Manchester City in 2008 turned the tables on the rivalry. Ever since Pep Guardiola’s arrival, City have become the team to beat. They’ve claimed five Premier League titles in six seasons to become the dominant force of English football. “How times have changed,” said office worker Sarah Morris, 27. “This is like the dream. I could never have imagined this.” [caption id=“attachment_12730142” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]
Manchester City’s Ruben Dias (top left) and Erling Haaland during the bus parade to celebrate Manchester City’s treble success. AP[/caption] Even those not old enough to remember United’s treble think it may never get any better for City having finally ended their wait for Champions League glory. “I’m 21, but it can’t get any better than this. It’s all downhill from here”, said student Tom Kennedy, bedecked in a City bucket hat and shirt. For the older generation, there is still disbelief at how City have gone on to conquer Europe. When United had done their treble 24 years ago, City were in the third tier of English football.
“It’s unbelievable,” said retired fan Gary Henley, 63. “We’ve been down the leagues, we’ve been there when we didn’t win anything for ages. “We went 35 years without a trophy. Now we’ve won the treble. It’s unreal.” (with inputs from AFP) Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .