Where Every Player From Man City 6-1 Manchester United is Now

Highlights

• In 2011, Manchester City thrashed local rivals Manchester United 6-1 in one of the Premier League’s most shocking games.
• The result was called the worst of Sir Alex Ferguson’s career by the legendary Man Utd boss himself.
• The players involved on the day have all gone on to have very different careers.

In 2011, Manchester City thrashed Manchester United 6-1 on their home turf at Old Trafford in what has become one of the most iconic Premier League results of all time. The game almost signalled a change in tides as the dominance that the Red Devils had held over Manchester for so long began to dwindle, with City seizing control.

It’s hard to overstate what a shocking event this was at the time. It’s a result that Sir Alex Ferguson called the absolute worst of his career. But what happened to everyone that played that afternoon? Some became club legends, others faded into obscurity, but they’ll all be remembered for their role in the infamous match – for better or worse.

Manchester City

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Starting with the winners on the day, Man City, we have Joe Hart in goal. The shot-stopper was once regarded as England’s best goalkeeper, and it seemed like he’d remain a firm fixture in the Premier League for many years.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Pep Guardiola signalled the end of his City career as the former Barcelona manager wasn’t convinced by him from the start. After 12 years and close to 350 games for City, he was let go and, after bouncing around a number of different clubs, he settled in at Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. He’s since announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Right-back: Micah Richards

Micah Richards was once one of the most promising right-backs in football and was a firm fixture in the Citizens side when they thrashed United 6-1 at Old Trafford. He’d remain in the team for some time, but eventually fell out of favour and injuries ultimately destroyed his career.

A move to Aston Villa did nothing to help him either, and he ended up retiring at just 31 years old. Fortunately, he’s more popular than ever these days with his incredible work as a football pundit. His infectious personality is impossible to hate, and he’s enjoying plenty of success away from the pitch.

Centre-back: Vincent Kompany

Vincent Kompany had been at City for three years by the time they smashed United 6-1, and he’d already cemented his status as a fantastic signing by this point. He went on to become one of the greatest players in the side’s history, though, leading them to an array of silverware.

Few players had the impact on the club that the Belgian did, which meant the fan base and everyone involved with the club were devastated when he left to join Anderlecht in 2019. He’s since retired and, after a spell managing the Belgian club, he took charge of Burnley and guided them back to the Premier League. Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly in the top flight, though.

Centre-back: Joleon Lescott

The 2011-12 season was Joleon Lescott’s best at the Etihad Stadium and he was ever-present in the side as they claimed their first-ever Premier League trophy. Having arrived from Everton in 2009, the Englishman was a solid choice at centre-back for several years at City but eventually lost his place in the line-up. He joined West Brom in 2014 and, after spells at Villa, AEK Athens and Sunderland, retired in 2017.

Since hanging up his boots, Lescott has worked as both a TV pundit and as a football coach. He is currently working as the latter with the England Under-21s.

Left-back: Gael Clichy

Gael Clichy had only just joined City when they faced United. Off the back of several really impressive years with Arsenal, he was brought in during the summer of 2011 and slotted in on the left-hand side of defence seamlessly.

He spent six years at the Etihad and made over 200 appearances for the club in the process. In 2017, after Guardiola’s first season in charge, he left to join Istanbul Basakhesir. He spent several years with the Turkish club, before a spell in Switzerland at Servette. Clichy hung his boots up in 2023 and has since taken on the role of assistant manager for the French Under-21 side.

Central midfield: Yaya Toure

There have been few midfielders in Premier League history as impressive as Yaya Toure. He was the definition of a box-to-box star and was pivotal during City’s success during the 2010s. The former Ivory Coast international spent eight years at the Etihad Stadium and thrived in the middle of the park, but left in 2018 after failing to convince Guardiola.

He moved to Olympiacos before spending a year at Qingdao Huanghai in China. He retired in 2019, just a year after leaving City, and has slowly worked his way into a coaching career, with assistant manager jobs at numerous teams. These days, he’s working under his former coach Roberto Mancini as his assistant with the Saudi Arabian national team.

Central midfield: Gareth Barry

No player has made more Premier League appearances than Gareth Barry. The midfielder was a rock for numerous teams in the top flight throughout his career, including Aston Villa and Everton, but he also spent a decent chunk of time at City. The Englishman made 175 appearances for the club across four years before leaving in 2013.

Barry spent several years at Goodison Park with the Toffees before moving on to West Brom in 2017. The midfielder retired in 2020 but left behind an incredible legacy. Only the next man on this list, James Milner, may eventually overtake Barry’s all-time Premier League appearances record in the short-term.

Right-wing: James Milner

James Milner is one of the few players who played in this fixture that’s still playing football. He’s certainly the only one still playing at the highest level, too. Milner’s longevity is the stuff of legend and, like a fine wine, he seemed to get better with age. After several years with City, he moved to Liverpool in 2015 and his career reached new heights under Jurgen Klopp.

He managed to win everything at Anfield and became a legend in his own right at the club. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023 and has featured regularly for the club, showing he’s still got plenty to offer in the top flight, despite being 38 years old.

Attacking midfield: David Silva

In his prime, David Silva was an incredible attacking midfielder and is undeniably one of the most talented players to ever turn out for Manchester City. The Spaniard’s influence in the side was clear for all to see and he was capable of absolute magic on the pitch. He was in his second season at City when they faced United on the day and scored the fifth of the afternoon for the visitors.

Silva spent a decade at the Etihad Stadium and etched his name among the club’s all-time greats. He made over 400 appearances in total for the Citizens during a remarkable tenure in England, but left in 2020 in order to return to Spain with Real Sociedad. He retired in the summer of 2023, bringing an end to an incredible career.

Left-wing: Mario Balotelli

One of the most controversial players in Premier League history, Mario Balotelli is largely remembered more for his outlandish antics than for his footballing ability. The Italian was once an incredibly promising prospect and joined City in 2010 after emerging as a serious talent at Inter Milan.

His career at the Etihad Stadium was reasonably impressive, too. He scored twice during City’s 6-1 thrashing against United and it was his ‘Why Always Me?’ t-shirt celebration that everyone remembers the most. His antics off the pitch eventually held him back, though, and he left City in 2013. He’s since bounced around a number of different clubs including Liverpool, Marseille, Nice and Brescia. These days, he’s playing for Adana Demirspor in Turkey.

Striker: Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero’s legacy at City is unmatched. His iconic goal that won them their first-ever Premier League title sealed his place as one of the side’s greatest players ever, and he did that in his first season. From there, he spent a decade at the Etihad Stadium and scored over 250 goals before a move to Barcelona.

Heart problems cut his career short, and he retired shortly after moving to Spain. Still, he retired a City legend and while his one goal against United during this game wasn’t what sealed the deal, it certainly didn’t hurt.

Substitutions

Aleksandar Kolarov: The full-back had a decent run in England with City and spent seven years with the side before a move to AS Roma in 2017. After three years with the Italian club, he spent a further two seasons with Inter before retiring last year.

Samir Nasri: The Frenchman caused controversy when he left Arsenal for City in 2011, but it proved to be the right decision as he spent six years in Manchester, winning a number of trophies. He left in 2017 and, after bouncing around several different clubs, hung his boots up for good in 2020.

Edin Dzeko: Coming off the bench to score two goals on the day, the forward had an underrated run in England and his goalscoring feats often went overlooked. He left in 2016 to join AS Roma and became a goalscoring machine for the club. He’s continued that fine form in spells for both Inter Milan and Fenerbahce where he currently resides.

Manchester United

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

Signed in the summer of 2011, David de Gea arrived at Old Trafford as an extremely promising goalkeeper and, after a shaky start to life in England, turned things around to become an extremely solid shot-stopper for United.

He spent over a decade with the Red Devils, making over 500 appearances for the side, and was their undisputed number-one keeper throughout most of his tenure, but left last summer when his contract expired. Inexplicably, he remains a free agent and has been without a club since June 2023.

Right-back: Chris Smalling

Despite being a natural centre-back, Chris Smalling was forced to play out on the right against City, but that was a testament to how versatile he was. Despite spending nine seasons at Old Trafford, he never quite managed to really become a star during that time. He played over 300 games for the club but was often considered a weak link.

He moved to Roma in 2019 and it didn’t take long for him to find his feet with the Italian side. Over the past few seasons, he’s been playing some of the best football of his career and is still playing with the Serie A outfit now.

Centre-back: Rio Ferdinand

One of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, the 6-1 loss certainly wasn’t one of Rio Ferdinand’s high points during his illustrious United career. He became a legend at Old Trafford, though, over the course of a 12-year run with the team and made over 450 appearances for the club.

He left in 2014, three years after this disastrous game, and spent a year at Queens Park Rangers before retiring in 2015. He’s since worked as a pundit for TNT Sports and is regularly involved on match days as the broadcaster’s lead analyst.

Centre-back: Jonny Evans

If you’d asked fans in 2011, we’re not sure many – if any – would have predicted that Jonny Evans would be the only footballer still playing for either of these clubs 12 years later. But after time at West Brom and Leicester City, he made a shocking return to Old Trafford last summer.

His red card in the game against City was cited as a contributing factor for the disastrous result by Ferguson as the centre-back was dismissed just minutes into the second half; however, that didn’t stop him from having a fine career with United. Whether it was right to bring him back to Old Trafford, though, is another question.

Left-back: Patrice Evra

One of the very best left-backs in Manchester United’s history, Patrice Evra led the Red Devils as captain during their hammering by City, but that doesn’t take away from the impressive legacy he had with the team. The Frenchman spent eight years with the club and played just under 400 times in the process.

He left in 2014, joining Juventus, before he spent time at Marseille and West Ham United. He retired in 2018 after a brief stint with the Hammers, and these days, he’s a part owner of Portuguese club C. F. Estrela da Amadora. He also regularly pops up on various TV and YouTube channels.

Right midfielder: Nani

Initially thought to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor, Nani never quite reached the heights that many expected of him at Old Trafford, but he still had a fine career at the club. The tricky Portuguese winger spent eight years with United before leaving in 2015.

He then had a few years jumping between several different clubs, including Sporting CP, Fenerbahce, Orlando City and Lazio. These days, he plays for Adana Demirspor in Turkey, where he’s now teammates with former City man, Balotelli.

Central midfield: Darren Fletcher

Often underrated, Darren Fletcher was fine but never spectacular for United and, as a result, his contributions to the club went under the radar to an extent. Emerging for the side’s academy, he spent 20 years in total at Old Trafford and made almost 350 appearances for the team.

He wasn’t always a consistent fixture in the first team, though, and left in 2015 when he joined West Brom. He spent three years in the Midlands with the side before moving to Stoke City in 2017. After two years at the Potters, the midfielder retired in 2019. Still, he scored the only goal for the Red Devils during the 6-1 thrashing – and what a goal it was, by the way.

Central midfield: Anderson

When he first signed for United, Anderson was thought to be the next big thing. That’s not quite how his career played out, though. He spent eight years at Old Trafford, but was very rarely featured in the side during his final few seasons. He never lived up to the hype and after bouncing around several different teams, he retired at Adana Demirspor in 2020.

He’s since joined the Turkish side’s coaching staff as an assistant manager and remains in the role to this day. It’s not the career he’d have hoped for, but he’s still involved in the game.

Left midfield: Ashley Young

Initially signed to be an attacking force, Ashley Young’s career saw him gradually drop further back on the pitch until he eventually resided in a role as a full-back. He was always a committed player at Old Trafford after joining the club in the summer of 2011. He had plenty to offer going forward during the 2011-12 season when Man Utd lost 6-1 to City.

Young spent nine years with the Red Devils before joining Inter in 2019. He had two years in Italy before returning to the Premier League and rejoining Aston Villa. He left the Villans in 2023, joining Sean Dyche at Everton, and he’s been a solid addition to the Toffees side.

Striker: Wayne Rooney

United’s all-time leading goalscorer, Wayne Rooney is a bonafide legend at Old Trafford after an extraordinary spell with the Premier League giants. He might have dropped deeper as his career progressed, but he was leading the front-line for the Red Devils in 2011 and was still an electric goalscorer.

Over 13 years, he scored for fun and made over 550 appearances for the club in that time. He left in 2017, rejoining boyhood club Everton for a year, before moving on to DC United in the United States. He eventually retired after a spell at Derby County and has since become a manager, coaching the Rams, DC United and Birmingham City, but hasn’t found much success with any of them and is currently unemployed.

Striker: Danny Welbeck

Injuries largely held Danny Welbeck back over the years and prevented him from becoming a real leading man at United. Having come from the side’s academy, he spent six years in the first team, but the 2011-12 season was his very first as a regular member of the first team.

He only spent three full years as a regular fixture of the side, though, leaving in 2014 to join Arsenal. His time with the Gunners was pretty forgetful and after spending five seasons at the Emirates, he moved to Watford for a year before moving to Brighton in 2020. He’s been at the Seagulls ever since and is arguably having the best run of his career so far.

Substitutions

Phil Jones: Signed as a major prospect from Blackburn Rovers, many thought Phil Jones would go on to become one of England’s greatest centre-backs, but it didn’t happen like that. Instead, injuries destroyed his career and he barely played for the club during his final few years. Jones was released last summer and decided to retire. He’s since returned to Old Trafford as a coach.

Javier Hernandez: An underrated striker, Javier Hernandez quickly became known as a super-sub at United. He had a solid run with the team but spent just five years with the team. He eventually left for Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has since had spells with West Ham and Sevilla before joining LA Galaxy in 2020. He spent four years with the club but moved on to Guadalajara and returned to his native Mexico in early 2020.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.