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Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha discusses being a young player
Manchester City former defender Nedum Onuoha has revealed what it was like being a young player at the club while it endured a tough period.
The 35-year-old who retired in 2021, came through the Man City academy and went on to make 116 appearances for the club.
However, he played in a much different Man City team compared to the one we see winning back-to-back Premier League titles today.
Onuoha said on the Talk Your Talk Podcast on YouTube: “There was a time in 2007 when we didn’t score a goal at home for four months in the Premier League.
“The club went from being at Maine Road and having 70 to 100 full-time staff, to now having 1,000 staff members today.
“We didn’t have money, and we were buying older players while investing in younger players like myself.
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“So it wasn’t enjoyable in terms of results but it was good to play for and some really good people I worked with plus the fans were amazing with us.”
The old Man City
It may be hard for some people to remember the old Man City pre-takeover, but the club was completely unrecognisable to what it is nowadays.
The Citizens used to be a mid-table team at best and in the past, they have been relegated from the top-flight eleven times, most recently in 1996.
During the time Onuoha was making his way into the team, he was part of a crop of Man City players that helped phase in the Man City revolution, and helped the club become what it is today.
The likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards, and Joe Hart all played for the Sky Blues at the same time as the former QPR defender, and they epitomise a different era of the club.
An era where the club was not as financially dominant, and did not win half of the trophies they currently do.
However, as Onuoha said, the spirit of Maine Road lives on, and no matter how successful the club becomes, diehard Man City fans will never forget the roots of its club,
In other Man City news, Nedum Onuoha has also discussed the difficulties of making it in football.