Manchester City fans born into the current era will not know what it is like to find a hero in an overall rubbish side, but Ricky Hatton’s own childhood icons were all cut from that mould.
A far cry from the all-conquering side that has featured genuine global stars like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne over the past 15 years, young Manchester City supporters in the 1990s like Hatton had to make do with rather more modest childhood heroes.
Anyone that grew up on a less-than-stellar football diet will tell you that those players remain undiminished regardless how much bigger and better things get from there. Former boxing champion Hatton is no different, picking out Georgian flying winger Georgi Kinkladze as his absolute favourite as a kid.
Ricky Hatton: 'Manchester City didn’t have much to be excited about but Georgi Kinkladze was magic'
A flair player with a touch of exoticism at a time just before masses of foreign imports became the norm, Kinkladze shone for City even as they were relegated from the top flight in his first season at the club in 1995-96.
A second relegation to the third tier followed two years later – after which Kinkladze understandably took up the offer of a move to Ajax. But he still holds a special place in Hatton’s heart, as told us in the latest edition of FourFourTwo magazine.
“I had a load of heroes – Ian Brightwell, Andy Morrison, Paul Lake, Paul Dickov, players like that,” he said.
“But I’d have to say that it was a player who I’ve been fortunate enough to become really good friends with now: Georgi Kinkladze.
“He was brilliant. City didn’t have much to be excited about during the time that Georgi was playing for us, but when he got on the ball, he was magic. Seeing him running at defenders was something else.”
Of course, even Hatton can’t look past Aguero when it comes to the greatest goal he’s ever seen live.
“I have to say AGUEROOOOOOOO in 2012,” he said, referring (in case you’ve suffered amnesia) to the Argentinian’s injury-time goal on the final day against Queens Park Rangers that stole the Premier League title out of Manchester United’s hands.
“That’s the most important goal – I feel very proud of that day and pipping United to the title. It will never happen again like that.
“But in terms of skill, Georgi Kinkladze scored an incredible goal against Southampton in 1996 where he pretty much ran through their whole team from near the halfway line. He got to their goalie and just dinked it over him.”
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