We catch up with Manchester City’s 2006 FA Youth Cup final winners.
In 2006, Manchester City’s under-18 side triumphed over Chelsea to win the FA Youth Cup trophy.
After the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, nearly 20,000 supporters showed up at the City of Manchester Stadium witness the decisive tie. The Citizens secured a cup final victory with a 3-1 win over a Chelsea youth side – managed by current Swansea City boss Paul Clement.
Six players from City’s cup winning side are now plying their trade outside of English football.
Dedryck Boyata recently helped Celtic wrap up their sixth consecutive Scottish Premiership title. The Belgian international has featured in the Hoops’ last ten fixtures, scoring the winning goals against St Johnstone and Aberdeen.
Vladimir Weiss, who scored in the second leg of the final, plays in Qatar for Al-Gharafa. The winger had spells with Pescara and Olympiacos before moving to the Stars League with Lekhwiya in 2014. He now lines up alongside former Liverpool youngster Krisztian Nemeth and has bagged eight goals in sixteen appearances this season.
Fellow Slovakian international Robert Mak turns out for Russian side Zenit St Petersburg. The attacking midfielder has netted four league goals for Mircea Lucescu’s side this campaign.
Goalkeeper Greg Hartley has taken his talents stateside. The former City man has become a favourite for National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) club Chattanooga FC. Hartley won the NPSL Golden Glove award for the third season running last year after only conceding two league goals.
Abdi Ibrahim spent a few years in Greek football following his departure from Manchester in January of 2014. He has since moved to mid-table Norwegian side Viking. Meanwhile, midfielder Angelos Tsiaklis plays for Cypriot club Olympiakos Nicosia.
Four members of this Manchester City squad feature in League One.
Ryan McGivern and Andrew Tutte are locked in a battle against relegation. McGivern has found himself out-of-favour for 21st place Shrewsbury Town, while Tutte has largely been restricted to substitute appearances for Bury.
At the other end of the table, David Ball and Donal McDermott are looking to win promotion to the Championship. Ball’s Fleetwood Town still harbour faint hopes of catching Bolton Wanderers for an automatic spot. The forward has scored twelve goals in forty league outings for Uwe Rosler’s men.
McDermott’s Rochdale will need a strong finish to the season if they are to snatch a play-off place. The midfielder recently featured in their 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Port Vale.
Scott Kay now plays for FC United of Manchester. The 27-year-old had stints with Macclesfield Town, Huddersfield Town, Southport and Mossley following his release from City in 2011.
Three players from FA Youth Cup squad are still with Premier League clubs.
Ben Mee is currently a key clog in Sean Dyche’s Burnley defence. He used to play alongside Keiran Trippier at Turf Moor before the fullback was snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur in 2015.
Daniel Sturridge remains part of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team, although injuries have limited his first-team action.
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