Manchester City have picked up plenty of exciting new signings ahead of the hotly-anticipated 2022/23 season, and three of them have already been put to the test.
And we don’t mean on the training pitch!
Erling Haaland is one of the most talked-about men in football right now, having signed for the Blues this summer for just £51 million.
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The club’s most recent signing, ex-Leeds United midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, replaced Fernandinho at the start of July.
Meanwhile, young Argentine forward Julián Álvarez is linking up with the squad for pre-season after joining City in January for a reported fee of just £14 million, having spent several months back on loan with old club River Plate.
Like many clubs, the City squad seem to have a tradition when it comes to initiating new signings - a rite of passage that involves singing a popular song karaoke style.
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Thanks to Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom, City fans now have an insight into the songs these three signings performed to solidify themselves as members of the team.
Norway striker Haaland picked ‘Hero’ by Enrique Iglesias.
A fitting choice for a man many City fans believe will lead the club to Champions League glory.
Phillips, who sang compatriot George Ezra’s ‘Budapest’, lauded Haaland’s vocals, saying, “He was good to be fair. He was really good!".
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Álvarez, of course, had no problem rhyming his way through Justin Bieber’s hit remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito’ - with most of the lyrics written in his native Spanish.
If that wasn’t enough, the trio were then voted on by their teammates and ranked from best to worse.
Phillips’ praise of Haaland may have been natural modesty, as the Yorkshire-born midfielder came first in the vote.
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City’s new #9 was second best, while Álvarez brought up the rear of the pack.
Of course, it will be hard for even an Ezra-esque Phillips to live up the vocal brilliance of ex-City fullback Aleksandar Kolarov’s Christmas performances, but it’s good to know that the art of song is alive and well in Pep Guardiola’s dressing room.
While there’s no word of what new goalkeeper Stefan Ortega sang, if anything, he’s expected to be put through his paces on the field soon.
Given Pep Guardiola’s tendency to use his backup shot-stopper in the Community Shield, Ortega is probably in line for a start against Liverpool on July 30th.
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City fans will be eager to see their new men in action when the team face Mexican side Club América in a friendly at 01:30 BST on Thursday morning, the first match in their American tour.
Topics: Manchester City, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips
Nathan Allen