It has emerged that Carlos Tevez used his experience at Manchester United to play a key role in Manchester City’s rise to success. During his two-year loan spell at Old Trafford, Tevez won multiple titles, including two Premier League trophies and the Champions League.
After his controversial move to City in 2009, he was keen to share the knowledge he gained under Sir Alex Ferguson at United with his new team-mates. Tevez believed that adopting a similar approach to United’s was crucial in ending City’s trophy drought, using his former club as a benchmark for success. Yaya Toure, who joined City from Barcelona in 2010, revealed that Tevez was instrumental in trying to replicate United’s winning culture. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, presented by Qatar Airways, Toure explained: “Because Tevez was already there. And Tevez, as well, was someone… Of course, in training, he was not the best. But he was the one with the mentality.
“He was like, ‘Guys, when I was…’ Because he was always saying that. ‘Guys, when I was with Man United, the players like [Nemanja] Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, all that. Well, that’s what they do. Yeah, guys, we have to do more’.
“And that’s training, even in the games. And everywhere, even in the dressing room where we sat, we had a meal together after the training. It was like dedication. It was application and discipline.
“Because, of course, when the clubs have to come in, the clubs, before coming to that period, we have a lot of things going through. We have players who are not focused enough. We have players who are not competing enough.”
Despite some turbulence with manager Roberto Mancini, Tevez made some huge contributions to City, skippering the team to their first major trophy in over 30 years in the 2011 FA Cup final, a game in which Toure notched the decisive strike against Stoke City. This achievement laid the foundations for further City triumphs to come.
In the following season, Tevez played a small role as they clinched the Premier League title in thrilling fashion on the final day of the campaign. This sealed City’s first league triumph since 1968 and shattered United’s title ambitions.
Tevez seemed to revel in adding fuel to the fire of the bitter rivalry that brewed between the Manchester clubs as City grew ever closer to challenging the dominance of Sir Alex’s United. When City paraded the infamous ‘Welcome to Manchester’ billboard after securing Tevez’s signing, Ferguson wasn’t pleased, proclaiming: “All they can talk about is Manchester United.
“They can’t get away from it. That arrogance will be rewarded. It is a go at us, that’s the one thing it is. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff.”
Upon signing for City, Tevez made his ambitions crystal clear. “The objective is to win the league, that is what we have talked about and I’m here to make my contribution to the cause on a daily basis,” the striker said.
“I’m here to win things and I make that pledge now to my team-mates and our fans. I will give everything to help City become one of the biggest and most important clubs in England – and win some trophies.”
His decision paid dividends, as he scored 73 times in 148 appearances for City over four years, which was a step up from his 34 goals in 99 matches for United. Tevez later continued his career with Juventus in 2013.
Listen to the full Rio Meets Yaya Touré interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
