Man City 6-1 Man United: What happened to both lineups?
It's one of the most infamous results in Premier League history, but what happened to those who played in the game? 👀 Manchester City beat Manchester United 6-1 in 2004, one of the most iconic Premier League results of all time. The game marked a significant shift in the team's dominance over Manchester United. However, many players, including Joe Hart, who was once considered England's best goalkeeper, later retired due to injuries and a move to Aston Villa. Vincent Kompany, who had been at City for three years, went on to be one of City's greatest players, leading them to an array of silverware. Since retiring, Lescott has worked as a TV pundit and a football coach, currently working with the England U21 side. Gareth Barry, who made 175 appearances for City across four years, made more Premier League appearances than any other player.
Published : 2 years ago by Callum Altimas in Sports
It's been 12 years since Manchester City thrashed Manchester United 6-1 on their home turf at Old Trafford in what has become one of the most iconic Premier League results of all time. The game almost signalled a change in tides as the dominance that the Red Devils had held over Manchester for so long began to dwindle and City seized control of the city.
It was a shocking result and one that Sir Alex Ferguson called the absolute worst of his career. What happened to everyone that played that day, though? Well, we're here to tell you. Some became club legends, others faded into obscurity, but they'll all be remembered for their role in the infamous result, for better or for worse.
Without further ado, here's what happened to every player involved as Man City beat United 6-1.
Starting with the winners, we have Joe Hart in goal. The shot-stopper was once regarded as England's best goalkeeper, and it seemed like he'd remain a firm fixture in the Premier League for many years.
Unfortunately, the arrival of Pep Guardiola signalled the end of his City career as the former Barcelona manager wasn't convinced by him. After 12 years and close to 350 games for City, he was let go and after bouncing around a number of different clubs, he's settled in at Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Micah Richards was once one of the most promising right-backs in football and was a firm fixture in the Cityzens side when they thrashed United 6-1 at Old Trafford. He'd remain in the team for some time, but eventually fell out of favour and injuries eventually destroyed his career.
A move to Aston Villa did nothing to help him either, and he ended up retiring at just 31 years old. Fortunately, he's more popular than ever these days with his incredible work as a football pundit. His infectious personality is impossible to hate, and he's enjoying plenty of success away from the pitch.
Vincent Kompany had been at City for three years by the time they smashed United 6-1, and he had been a fantastic purchase so far. He went on to become one of the greatest players in the side's history, though, leading them to an array of silverware.
Few players had the impact on the club that the Belgian did and the fanbase and everyone involved with the club were devastated when he left to join Anderlecht in 2019. He's since retired and after a spell managing the Belgian club, he took charge of Burnley and has guided them to the Premier League.
The 2011-12 season was Joleon Lescott's best at the Etihad, and he was ever-present in the side as they claimed their first ever Premier League trophy. Having arrived from Everton in 2009, the Englishman was a solid choice at centre-back for several years at City, but eventually fell out of the lineup. He joined West Bromwich Albion in 2014 and after spells at Villa, AEK Athens and Sunderland, he retired in 2017.
Since hanging up his boots, Lescott has worked as both a TV pundit and as a football coach. He is currently working as the latter with the England U21 side.
Gael Clichy had only just joined City when they faced United. Off the back of several really impressive years with Arsenal, he was brought in during the summer of 2011 and slotted in on the left-hand side of defence seamlessly.
He spent six years at the Etihad and made over 200 appearances for the club in the process. In 2017, after Guardiola's first season in charge, he left to join Istanbul Basakhesir. He spent several years with the Turkish club, before a spell in Switzerland at Servette. Clichy hung his boots up this year and has since taken on the role of assistant manager for the French U21 side.
There have been midfielders in Premier League history as impressive as Yaya Toure. He truly was the definition of a box-to-box star, and he was vital during City's success during the 2010s. The former Ivory Coast international spent eight years at the Etihad and thrived in the middle of the park, but left in 2018 after a little falling out with Guardiola.
He moved to Olympiacos before spending a year at Qingdao Huanghai in China. He retired in 2019, just a year after leaving City and has since taken up a role as an assistant manager at Standard Liege in Belgium.
No one has made more Premier League appearances than Gareth Barry. The midfielder was a rock for numerous teams in the top flight throughout his career such as Aston Villa and Everton, but he also spent a large chunk of time at City. The Englishman made 175 appearances for the club across four years before leaving in 2013.
Barry spent several years at Goodison Park with the Toffees before moving on to West Brom in 2017. The midfielder retired in 2020 but left behind an incredible legacy. Not everyone can say they've played more Premier League games than anyone else, you know?
James Milner is one of the few players who played in the game that's still playing football. He's certainly the only one still playing at the highest level too. Milner's longevity is the stuff of legend, and he seems to somehow get better with age. After several years with City, he moved to Liverpool in 2015 and things he reached new heights under Jurgen Klopp.
He managed to win everything there was to win at Anfield and became a legend in his own right at the club. This summer, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion and has featured regularly for the club, showing he's still got plenty to offer in the top flight, despite being 37 years old.
In his prime, David Silva was an incredible attacking midfielder and is undeniably one of the most talented players to ever turn out for the club. The Spaniard's influence in the side was clear for all to see, and he was capable of absolute magic. He was in his second season at City when they faced United on the day and scored the fifth of the afternoon for them.
Silva spent a decade at the Etihad and etched his name in the club's all-time greats. He made over 400 appearances in total for the Cityzens, having an incredible tenure in England, but left in 2020 when he joined Real Sociedad.
One of the most controversial players in Premier League history, Mario Balotelli is largely remembered more for his outlandish antics than he is for his footballing ability. The Italian was once an incredibly promising prospect and joined City in 2010 after emerging as a serious talent at Inter Milan.
His career at the Etihad was pretty impressive too, and he scored twice during City's 6-1 thrashing against United, and it was his 'Why always me?' celebration that everyone remembers the most. His antics off the pitch eventually held him back, though, and he left City in 2013. He's since bounced around a number of different clubs including Liverpool, Marseille, Nice and Brescia. These days, he's playing for Adana Demirspor in Turkey.
Sergio Aguero's legacy at City is unmatched. His iconic goal that won them their first-ever Premier League title sealed his place as one of the side's greatest players ever, and he did that in his first season. From there, he spent a decade at the Etihad and scored over 250 goals before a move to Barcelona.
Heart problems cut his career short, and he retired shortly after moving to Spain. Still, he retired a City legend and while his one goal against United during this game wasn't what sealed the deal, it certainly didn't hurt.
Aleksandar Kolarov - The full-back had a decent run in England with City and spent seven years with the side before a move to AS Roma in 2017. After three years with the Italian club, he spent a further two seasons with Inter before retiring last year.
Samir Nasri - The Frenchman caused controversy when he left Arsenal for City in 2011, but it proved to be the right decision as he spent six years in Manchester, winning a number of trophies. He left in 2017 and after bouncing around several different clubs, hung his boots up for good in 2020.
Edin Dzeko - Coming off the bench to score two goals on the day, the forward had an underrated run in England and his goal-scoring feats often went overlooked. He left in 2016 to join Roma and became a goal-scoring machine for the club. He has continued that fine form in spells for both Inter Milan and Fenerbahce where he currently resides.
Signed that summer, David de Gea arrived at Old Trafford as an extremely promising goalkeeper and after a shaky start to life in England, turned things around and became a solid shot-stopper for United.
He spent over a decade with the Red Devils, making over 500 appearances for the side, and was their undeniable number-one keeper throughout the entire tenure, but left this summer when his contract expired. Inexplicably, he remains a free agent and has been without a club since June.
Despite being a natural centre-back, Chris Smalling was forced to play out on the right against City, but that was a testament to how versatile he was. Despite spending nine seasons at Old Trafford, he never quite managed to really become a star during that time. He played over 300 games for the club but was often considered a weak link.
He moved to Roma in 2019 and has truly found his feet with the Italian side. Over the last few seasons, he's been playing some of the best football of his career and remains at the Serie A side now.
One of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, the 6-1 loss wasn't one of Rio Ferdinand's high points during his illustrious United career. He became a legend at Old Trafford, though, over the course of 12-year run with the team and made over 450 appearances for the club.
He left in 2014, three years after this disastrous game and spent a year at Queens Park Rangers before retiring in 2015. He's since worked as a pundit for TNT Sports and is regularly involved in matchdays.
If you'd have asked around at the time, we're not sure many people would have predicted that Jonny Evans would be the only one still playing for either of these clubs 12 years later, but after time at West Brom and Leicester City, he made a shocking return to Old Trafford this summer.
His red card in the game against City was largely credited for the disastrous result by Ferguson as the centre-back was dismissed just minutes into the second half, but that didn't stop him from having a fine career with United. We're not sure about the decision to bring him back, though.
For our money, one of the very best left-backs in United history, Patrice Evra led the Red Devils as captain during their hammering by City, but that doesn't take away from the impressive legacy he had with the team. The Frenchman spent eight years with the club and played just under 400 times in the process.
He left in 2014, joining Juventus before he spent time at Marseille and West Ham United. He retired in 2018 after a brief stint with the Hammers, and these days, he's a part owner of Portuguese club C. F. Estrela da Amadora.
Initially thought to be Cristiano Ronaldo's successor, Nani never quite reached the heights that many expected of him at Old Trafford, but he still had a fine career at the club. The Portuguese man spent eight years with United before leaving in 2015.
He then spent years jumping between several different clubs such as Sporting CP, Fenerbahce, Orlando City and Lazio. These days he plays for Adana Demirspor in Turkey and has scored twice in his first eight games.
Often going underrated, Darren Fletcher was fine but never spectacular for United and as a result, his contributions to the club often went under the radar. Emerging for the side's academy, he spent 20 years in total at Old Trafford and made almost 350 appearances for the team.
He was never really a consistent fixture in the first team, though, and left in 2015 when he joined West Brom. He spent three years in the midlands with the side before moving to Stoke City in 2017. After two years at the Potters, the midfielder retired in 2019. Still, he scored the only goal for the Red Devils during the 6-1 thrashing.
When he first signed for United, Anderson was thought to be the next big thing. That's not quite how his career played out, though. He spent eight years at Old Trafford, but was very rarely featured in the side during his final few seasons. He never lived up to the hype and after bouncing around several different teams, he retired at Adana Demirspor in 2020.
He's since joined the Turkish side's coaching staff as an assistant manager and remains in the role to this day. It's not the career he'd have hoped for, but he's still involved in the game.
Initially signed to be an attacking force, Ashley Young's career saw him gradually drop further back on the pitch and he has eventually resided in a role as a full-back. He was an impressive talent at Old Trafford and joined the club in the summer of 2011. He had plenty to offer going forward during the 2011-12 season when they lost 6-1 to City.
Young spent nine years with the Red Devils before joining Inter in 2019. He spent two years in Italy before returning to the Premier League and rejoining Aston Villa. He left the Villans this summer, joining Sean Dyche at Everton where he's gotten off to a strong start with the Toffees.
Topics: European Football