Back before Abu Dhabi rolled into town, Manchester City had established themselves as a Premier League mainstay following a period in the Football League.
City had their fair share of cult heroes at the time – your Richard Dunne’s and Elano’s. And a young 21-year-old Greek striker, Georgios Samaras, was about to join them.
“I felt the conversations with them were so positive, and at that stage in my career, I felt like what they had planned for their immediate future really matched what I wanted to achieve,” Samaras admitted when speaking exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone.
“They were going to grow as a club and I wanted to be a part of it. I also knew I was going to go there and play, and so I liked the idea of myself and the club growing together.”
He added: “I didn’t feel like it was the right step for my development at that stage to go and sign for a bigger club in the Premier League. Let’s be honest, Man City, at that point, were a mid-table club.
“I was afraid, or at least I didn’t feel comfortable, going to a bigger club because I knew I wouldn’t get the minutes I wanted. I was a national player who was trying to keep his position, so I had to consider that, and I just liked what was presented to me at City.
Samaras spent two years in Manchester, moving to Celtic in 2008, and despite being young and in a foreign city, he admitted he found the transition easy.
“I felt no pressure at all in the first 18 months with Man City, to be honest with you,” he admitted, adding the biggest challenge was working under three boards during his time in the blue half of the city. Over that period Samaras made 64 appearances for City, netting 12 goals.
Samaras left as the Abu Dhabi riches rolled in, but he returned to the Premier League in 2014, spending one season with West Brom. However, his second spell in England was largely underwhelming, failing to find the net in eight appearances.
The Greek star, now 39, hung up his boots in 2018 after a spell with Turkish side Samsunspor.
