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Memphis Depay will be there to give each and every Manchester football fan a glimpse of what they’re missing when they step out into their hero’s old playground on Saturday night.
Depay, the impetuous 26-year-old Dutchman who grew up idolening Cristiano Ronaldo, didn’t live up to expectations when he won Manchester United’s famous No.7 shirt in 2015.
It lasted 18 months after his arrival of 25 million pounds from PSV Eindhoven before being loaned to Lyon and then sold to the French club at low prices.
The united’s defeat The Lyon victory, but Depay spent enough time in Manchester to be informed that red and blue do not combine well in the city.
After Lyon beat Pep Guardiola’s men in the Champions League two seasons ago, he turned to social media to convince City fans.
He hopes to do the same after the two face off at sporting’s José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon.
Depay, who scored the penalty that eliminated Juventus from Ronaldo in home goals in the last 16 games, said: “Cristiano has been my hero. It represents the world class.
“As a player, no one has invested more in himself than Cristiano, so he must continue to play at an incredibly higher level.
“Even commercially, it is the example for all footballers. Even at PSV Eindhoven, I did two hundred abs a day and all kinds of aerobic exercises.
“I think a solid structure would help me as a player and help me get smart business at the same time.
“Christian aware of this long before anyone in football.”
Former Dutch coach Dick Advocaat rushed to use Depay’s admiration for Ronaldo to the extreme as a player when working in combination at PSV and the national team.
Advcaat said: “He had noticed an article in the paper with Edwin van der Sar talking about how Cristiano Ronaldo prepared for the big games when he was at United and how he trained.
“According to Edwin, this explains how Ronaldo is a world superstar.
“I cut the article and gave it to Memphis. I said, ‘That’s what it takes for world class.'”
“Memphis enjoyed and enjoyed running with him. The kid’s obsessed with the game.
“He needs a lot of exercise, he’s completely crazy about football. And he still has nothing on his mind for one of the biggest stars in the world.”
Only Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund have scored more in the Champions League than Depay this season.
And the Dutch metal nerves in Turin to score on a penalty in panenka.
Especially since he hit the bar with a similar effort when he was a young man fighting for PSV’s goals.
Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum The Captain of Eindhoven that day and remembers: “At halftime we face him. Not just me as captain, but several guys tried.
“If you score, everyone will jump on you. But if you fail, we’ll give you the full load.
“It’s the result of a penalty like that. Memphis accepted what we said.
“But Memphis is a player who cares at all to have friends.
“All he cares about is the games.”
Depay has a huge photo of a lion tattooed on his back. The city hopes they may not be bitten.