SimplyAbuDhabi VII

8 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Premier League season of 2011/2012 has been lauded as the greatest season in English football history. Two clubs from the same city – Manchester – were locked in a battle for supremacy. And it ended with a finale that even the most imaginative of minds would have failed to craft. With a fairytale finish on the pitch and an extraordinary outpouring of emotion from supporters, there is no doubt this marked a watershed moment for Manchester City Football Club, both inManchester and the home of the owner, Abu Dhabi. Manchester City had been crowned English Premier League champions, but not for the first time since His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s overhaul of the English Club had begun, they made the footballing world sit up and take note that a new power had emerged. As the Chairman, HE Khaldoon Al Mubarak, said when it was all over: “This is a new team, a new era and this is a club that wants to win more than anything.” Back in August, City’s players started the season in tremendous fashion, with a string of wins that put them at the summit of the league alongside neighbours Manchester United. They played some tantalising football, with goals coming from all parts of the pitch and a defensive unit that gave almost nothing away. Inside the Etihad Stadium, fans could hardly wait for games to start, and began to dream of their first league title in 44 years. Manchester City owner His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) during a Barclays Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.