Premier League champions Manchester City have given local youngsters the surprise of a lifetime during a tour of the Etihad Stadium.
The football-mad 11 and 12-year-olds from Mellands Specialist School in neighbouring Gorton were waking in a Blues wonderland as they met four international stars, got to lift the Premier League trophy and got changed in the first team dressing room.
After being met by the regular tour guides the youngsters bumped into defender Micah Richards as they got out of the lift on the way to the Press Conference room and then heard their names read out on the team sheet left by Roberto Mancini.
They then met another England star, midfielder James Milner, who had the silverware with him before the party entered the inner sanctum of the home dressing room where shirts bearing their names were hanging on the pegs used by the City superstars.
The surprises didn’t end there though as Santa Mario Balotelli popped in to distribute presents and then the whole afternoon concluded with a penalty shoot-out against England number one Joe Hart and photos all around.
“It was great to see the joy on the kids’ faces,” said Micah. “They were so excited. The plan was to make the day as memorable as possible for them and I am sure they enjoyed it. As players you don’t often get the chance to interact like that.
“It was all for the young children,” added Mario. “They really appreciated meeting all the players and we appreciated meeting them too. I hope we made their day and gave them an afternoon they will never forget. We all enjoyed it.”