Manchester City celebrate historic Treble despite heavy rain

Thousands of fans gathered in Manchester city centre to celebrate Manchester City’s historic Treble-winning season, despite heavy rain. The team secured their first-ever Champions League title on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul, adding to their Premier League and FA Cup triumphs earlier in the season. This achievement makes them the first English club to win all three trophies since Manchester United in 1999.

Initially, access to the stage show site on St Peter’s Square was delayed due to adverse weather conditions and lightning storms. However, the parade eventually began at 7pm from Beetham Tower on Deansgate. The team took the tram to St Peter’s Square, where four open-top buses set off down Deansgate and onto Cross Street, before continuing via King Street, Brown Street, and Booth Street, with the parade scheduled to finish at Nicholas Street.

Defender Nathan Ake held aloft the Premier League trophy, delighting the blue-shirted fans who braved the rain. Many of them followed the parade on foot towards the stage celebrations once the route was clear. Midfielder Phil Foden waved the Champions League trophy, while manager Pep Guardiola puffed on a cigar, taking in the scenes.

The players arrived on stage just after 8pm, with the wet weather failing to dampen spirits. Guardiola addressed the crowd, saying, “It had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise it is not Manchester. We don’t want sunshine, we want rain, so it was perfect. They (fans) are used to the rain.”

City captain Ilkay Gundogan brought the trophies out onto the stage, expressing his gratitude to the fans for their support throughout the season. He said, “It has been incredible, and we got three trophies.”

The players and City staff continued to lead the celebrations on stage alongside their hard-earned silverware. City and England midfielder Jack Grealish shared his excitement, stating, “For the past 24 hours, I have had the best day and night. To be fair, I don’t think I have slept.”