The Etihad Stadium lived up to what was an open secret in the run-up to the match. The English club preferred to look the other way because the initiative came from the fans located in the South Stand of the English stadium… and no one could stop it, not even UEFA, which gave approval hours before the match as it did not interpret any double meaning in the banner displayed when the 22 players took to the field. “Stop Crying your heart out”, read the message which was accompanied by a photograph of Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or.
‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ is one of Oasis’ most famous songs, closely related to Manchester City, but it seems a clear reference to the decision of Real Madrid, and also Vinicius, regarding the Ballon d’Or gala, which they did not attend after learning that the winner would not be the Brazilian and yes the Spanish midfielder, who is seriously injured and will not play the match. The lyrics refer to the fact that in difficult times, you have to get on with your life. Noel Gallagher, the group’s composer and lead guitarist, explained not long ago that the song was dedicated to “a friend who was going through a hard time with his kids and I wrote it with him in mind.”
The banner initiative, which was promoted by a group of ‘Sky Blue’ fans under the name ‘Weare1894’, caught Rodri by surprise, as he was in the stands at the Etihad to watch his teammates, and he did not hesitate to take out his mobile phone to record the detail of his fans after winning the Ballon d’Or for the best player of last season. A giant banner that was displayed for more than five minutes before the start of the Champions League playoff match and until the anthem of Europe’s top club competition had finished with the players already on the pitch.
Guardiola ignores the controversy
Both Guardiola and Ruben Dias were asked about this controversy in the pre-match press conference and both refused to get involved: “There is no resentment with them. Rodri won it and I am happy for him. Vinicius also had an extraordinary year and would have deserved it,” said the Spanish coach, while the Portuguese said: “I’m not going to waste a single second thinking about whether that was disrespectful. I was happy for Rodri as I think the whole club was. I don’t waste my time thinking about that,” to make it clear that the controversy generated around it was not with them.