Let’s see which top clubs have a passion for monuments.
Manchester City is so used to strengthening itself on all fronts that it does not forget to replenish its squad near its stadium. We’re talking about the club legends who fill the space around the Etihad. The latest additions are in the triple digits.
The reigning Premier League champions have erected statues of three of their legends from the 1960s and 1970s – Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee. The trio were part of the powerful City team that won the First Division in 1968. Bell, Lee and Summerbee combined to make over 1,000 appearances and score nearly 300 goals for the club, playing an important role in the 1969 FA Cup, of the 1970 League and in the Cup Winners’ Cup. of UEFA 1970
But that’s not even what attracts attention. And the fact that City formally became the leader among the best European clubs in the number of footballers who installed statues near their home stadium. Formally, these three are a composition. But even with this count, there are already five such figures at the Etihad Stadium, and if you count the people, then seven, which is a record. Who else is immortalized in this arena and with whom do the “citizens” compete in such an unusual discipline?
The first statue installed at the Etihad was awarded to the team’s former goalkeeper Bert Trautmann. The German became a legend mainly thanks to his heroism in the 1956 FA Cup final, when he saved his teammates several times in the match against Birmingham (3: 1), although he spent the last 17 minutes with a fracture.
Three other figures come from the modern and glorious era of the City. David Silva was the first new star with the statue of him at the Etihad. He spent ten colorful years there and was honored with a statue upon his departure in 2020. Furthermore, he is the only one of the statue players to have not yet completed his career. But Vincent Kompany is already busy coaching in the Premier League. He must be keen to look at the statue of him when he and Burnley finish at the Etihad. The Belgian was immortalized alongside Silva in 2021. A year later, a statue of Sergio Aguero was unveiled in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Argentine’s league title goal for the “Citizens”. He also brought City their first title nuclear submarine and ushered in a new era of domination.
“Manchester United”
To see another statue-filled stadium, you don’t have to leave Manchester. Also, the fans Manchester United It can be argued that City have the most immortalized players. The fact is that at Old Trafford there is a sculpture that has already become legendary in itself – the famous “Holy Trinity”, consisting of the recently deceased figures of Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law.
In front of the “Holy Trinity” is the figure of Sir Matt Busby. He drove Manchester United in the 50s and 60s. The statue depicts him with a soccer ball tucked casually under his arm. Busby won 13 awards with the club. United also erected a statue to Jimmy Murphy, who helped the club survive the worst moments in its history. The Welshman was appointed interim manager after the Munich plane crash, which killed 23 people, including eight Manchester players. Murphy managed to get the team out of a terrible crisis and even reached the FA Cup final three months after the tragedy.
Finally, how Manchester United could leave Sir Alex Ferguson without a statue in his lifetime? His statue was unveiled near Old Trafford in 2012. The most successful manager in the club’s history won almost everything during his 26 years in charge of the team. This is especially interesting Manchester United immortalizes his former managers rather than his players, as City do.
But what follows is a moot point. U Manchester United there is also a fifth sculpture. In terms of numbers they appear to be on par with City. However, this fifth sculpture depicts Denis Law, who is already in the composition of the Holy Trinity. It turns out that he also has two monuments. The individual is located inside the stadium, on the terrace in front of which he scored many of his goals during his 11-year career with the club.
“Arsenal”
If we talk about individual compositions, the Gunners will take the lead. In 2011, a statue of Ken Friar, who began working for Arsenal at the age of 12 and dedicated his entire life to the club, was erected near the Emirates Stadium. He rose to the status of board member and director of the club and in 2020 was promoted to honorary president. The statue recreates a photograph of Friar taken in 1945 showing a young man playing football in the street near the club’s old Highbury ground.
As part of Arsenal’s 125th anniversary celebrations, three statues were unveiled outside the Emirates on the same day in December 2011. Honoring three of the most influential people in the club’s history. Of course there is also the figure of Thierry Henry, pictured celebrating a goal against Tottenham in 2002. And Tony Adams, whose figure is also here, spent 19 years at Arsenal and became the second most successful player in the team history. He became Gunner as a schoolboy and at the age of 22 was already the team captain. He won ten major trophies with the Gunners. The statue depicts him celebrating a goal against Everton in 1998. He went on to win the championship title.
The third figure discovered on the same day was Herbert Chapman. He is a former Gunners manager who brought an innovative approach to fitness and tactics that revolutionized the club between 1925 and 1935. During this period, the team won four championships in five years.
In 2014, a statue of Dennis Bergkamp was unveiled. The Dutchman spent 11 years with the team and scored 120 goals in 423 games, winning three league titles and four FA Cups. Finally, in the summer of 2023, the Emirates had the figure of Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman led the team for 22 years, won three championships with it and experienced a lot, becoming its symbol for a long time. Thus, at the Arsenal stadium there are six figures of footballers and coaches, made in separate compositions.
Not formed
But in this unique competition there are participants who are difficult to place in any ranking. For example, Boca Juniors boasts statues of a total of 24 football players. But they are not all isolated figures in the stadium, but are included in the exhibition of the club’s museum, even if it is located under the arena.
And Yerevan “Ararat” has the figures of 21 football players in the stadium. The sculpture is a tribute to the famous team that thundered twice in 1973. But formally this is a single composition: all its participants are holding hands. So decide for yourself whether to take this approach into account in this unusual competition.
