On 27 September 2007, the legendary Argentinean footballer, Diego Maradona, said his fellow countryman, Carlos Tevez, would be a big success at Manchester United.
Written by John White
Branch Secretary
Carryduff Manchester United Supporters’ Club
Maradona said:
“He is a fantastic player. Very strong on the ball and amazing vision.”
On 13 May 2007, West Ham United visited Old Trafford in what was the last game of the season. West Ham United were in a fight for Premier League survival with Watford and Charlton Athletic already relegated and one of four other teams also facing the drop – Fulham, Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and West Ham United. Tevez scored the only goal of the game as the visitors won 1-0 and guaranteed themselves Premier League football in season 2007-08. In the end, Sheffield United also went down. Tevez must have been looking on with envy when the United captain, Gary Neville, lifted aloft the Premier League trophy in front of 75,927 fans and dreamt that one day of playing for us. He hadn’t long to wait as United had been chasing Tevez’s signature for some time and finally landed their man on 10 August 2007 after the 23-year old had become a free agent at the end of the 2006-07 season. Tevez’s registration as a Manchester United player brought the curtain down on a long-running saga, which began in April 2007 when West Ham United were fined for breaching Premier League rules when they signed Tevez and his Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano.
Now you either respect Tevez for what he did for United helping us to 2 Premier League titles, a League Cup success, a Community Shield victory, a Champions League win and winners of the FIFA Club World Cup or you dislike him for his move to Manchester City and for that stupid poster business.
After he signed for City (it was reported his management company received £47 million, a British transfer record at the time), Manchester City fans had a blue “Welcome to Manchester” billboard depicting Tevez celebrating after scoring a goal erected at the top of Deansgate in the city centre which leads to Salford and Trafford where Old Trafford is located outside the boundaries of Manchester.
You know the drill by now as the City fans harp on about how United fans are not even from Manchester. However, when his manager, Roberto Mancini, benched him for a Champions League tie away to FC Bayern Munich on 27 September 2011, Tevez apparently refused to come on as a substitute in the game which resulted in him being suspended by City pending an investigation.
According to City he was placed on gardening leave but with full pay! United fans wasted no time in winding Tevez up and paid for a digital poster which showed Tevez, an outcast at City by this time, sitting on the bench with the slogan “Welcome to Carlos Manchester.” The poster was paid for by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST). MUST said it was a “warm-hearted message, from some old friends.” Well done lads. Even West Ham United got in on the act and made a cheeky bid to sign Tevez on loan.
Anyone looking for a refresher on that infamous message then simply follow the link: You’re Welcome To Carlos Manchester United
Prior to the Manchester Derby game at Old Trafford on 23 October 2011, supporters of both clubs were given the chance by Betfair to discard their Carlos Tevez shirts by dumping them in a skip outside Old Trafford in exchange for a new club shirt. I was at the game (shush, we lost 6-1!) but I never owned a Tevez shirt otherwise it would have gone straight into that skip! Mind you that humiliating defeat did provide United fans with a new “City” song the following season which was: “You beat us 6-1, You beat us 6-1, 6 games in Europe and you couldn’t win 1! City were in the same Champions League group as Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid – winning 0, drawing 3 losing 3.
As for me I dislike Tevez for moving to City and I am more than happy to forget about his time with the world’s greatest club. His loss, not ours!
How do you feel about him?
Did You Know That?
Tevez became the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since Terry Cooke left United for City in 1999.
