Manchester ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 552,000 at the 2021 census. It contributes to one of the largest metropolitan populations in the United Kingdom as a part of Greater Manchester, which has a population of approximately 2.92 million. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury and Salford.
Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894. The club's home ground is the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, to which they moved in 2003, having played at Maine Road since 1923. Manchester City adopted their sky blue home shirts in 1894, the first season with the current name. The club has won 10 league titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle. Widely considered one of the best players of his generation, Rooney is the record goalscorer for Manchester United, and was the record goalscorer for the England national team from 2015 to 2023. He has also made more appearances for England than any other outfield player. Rooney spent most of his playing career as a forward, but was also used in various midfield roles.
Patrick Paul Vieira is a French professional football manager and former player. He was named in the FIFA 100 of greatest living footballers in 2004.
Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann EK OBE BVO was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964.
The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of association football in England. Arsenal completed the season without losing a league match, becoming Premier League champions in the process. Leeds United avoided going into administration, but were unable to avoid relegation and lost their place in the Premier League - along with Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Colin Bell was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Bell, known for his thirteen-year spell at Manchester City, is regarded as one of the club's greatest-ever players, and was part of the Bell–Lee–Summerbee trio in the late 1960s and 1970s. Bell made 48 appearances for the England national football team; he was an unused squad member at UEFA Euro 1968 and played in three matches at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.
Carlos Alberto Tevez is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a winger, as a supporting forward, or as an attacking midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Primera División club Independiente.
Early Doors is a BBC sitcom written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey. Both writers appear in the series, playing the characters Joe and Duffy, who are best friends. Early Doors is set at The Grapes, a small public house in Heaton Norris, Stockport, where daily life revolves around comical issues of love, loneliness and blocked urinals.
John Joseph Henshaw is an English actor, best known for his roles as Ken Dixon the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. Often associated with characters who are "hard men", he played John Prescott in the 2007 ITV drama Confessions of a Diary Secretary.
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who currently works as the head coach for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. A centre-back, he played for Manchester City for 11 seasons, eight of which he spent as captain. Kompany also represented Belgium for 15 years, seven as captain.
Kenneth Brown is an English former football player and manager. As player, he made more than 400 appearances in the Football League representing West Ham United, where he spent the majority of his career, and Torquay United, and was capped once for the England national team. As manager, he took charge of Norwich City, Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth Argyle.
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, also known as Jimmy Grimble, is a 2000 British sports drama film directed by John Hay, starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Lewis McKenzie, Gina McKee, Ben Miller and Samia Ghadie. Set in Greater Manchester Jimmy is a young aspiring footballer who plays for his school team and after receiving a pair of old football boots that once belonged to one of Manchester City's greatest ever players begins to see his skills on the field change.
David Josué Jiménez Silva is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but also played as a winger or second striker. His passing ability and possession-retaining qualities earned him the nicknames Merlin and El Mago from his teammates and fans. He is considered one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and one of Manchester City's and the Premier League's greatest ever players.
Roy Paul was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a half-back for Swansea Town and Manchester City. He also represented the Welsh national team over 30 times and is regarded as one of Wales' best ever players.
Mohammed Afzal Khan, is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester Rusholme since the 2024 general election. He previously served as the MP for Manchester Gorton from 2017 until 2024.
Kenneth Herbert Barnes was an English footballer. He played as a half back for Manchester City and Wrexham. On the books of Birmingham City as a youth, Barnes began his football career at amateur level. Upon completion of his national service in 1947 he joined semi-pro Stafford Rangers.
The 1956 FA Cup final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 5 May 1956. Two-time winners Manchester City were appearing in their sixth final, whereas Birmingham City were seeking to win the competition for the first time, having lost their only previous final in 1931.
Kenneth John Mulhearn was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Stockport County, Manchester City, Shrewsbury Town and Crewe Alexandra.
