It used to be the case that many people around the world would refer to Manchester United simply as ‘Manchester’.While United’s local rivals Man City were a historic club in their own right, they weren’t really on the radar of many, some might call them, ‘casual’ fans around the globe.But of course, that’s changed completely over the past decade. City became one of European football’s powerhouses after they were purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 and continue to go from strength to strength.Since then, City have won a host of major honours including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups.They boast one of the most expensive squads on the planet while Pep Guardiola, one of the world’s most revered coaches, is the team’s manager.
But despite their rise to international prominence, City still managed to escape the attention of a certain Mike Tyson.The legendary boxer was interviewed by Claire Balding alongside Ricky Hatton several years ago and was left scratching his head after learning of Man City’s existence there and then.Interrupting Hatton, a die-hard City fan, Tyson said: “It’s funny that you said that because I’ve been in Manchester for long periods of time and I’ve never heard of Manchester City.“It’s the first time I’m hearing about Manchester City rather than Manchester United.”
It must have felt like a body-blow for Hatton, who chuckled after hearing Tyson’s remark about his beloved football club.Balding, meanwhile, let out a shocked gasp at Tyson's admission.Watch the funny clip here…
Tyson had visited Manchester on several occasions in the past but wasn’t aware there were two football clubs in the city.
Iron Mike was photographed posing with a Man Utd shirt around the turn of the century…
Perhaps he’ll receive an invite to visit the Etihad Stadium one day in the not-too-distant future.