Obviously, derby day has always been a big deal for the supporters of Manchester United and Manchester City.
In recent years though, since City’s pockets were lines with a few billion quid from Abu Dhabi, the fixture has drawn even greater interest from around the world.
Many United fans have found it difficult to watch the transformation that City have been through in the space of the last decade, especially during the post-Ferguson years in which United have failed to mount a serious title threat. While United’s illustrious history and world-famous name are enough to attract some of the biggest names in the game, City have undoubtedly made some serious ground on them.
Just like any derby day in any city around the world, Manchester’s version sees supporters of the two clubs fire a few digs at each other ahead of the game. Because of the events of the last few years, United fans have spent their recent derby days reminding their neighbours of the difference in size and stature that remains between their two clubs.
Without fail, the last few derbies have seen a certain quote attributed to Paul Scholes do the rounds on social media. In it, the former United midfielder downplays the significance of the derby, claiming that City aren’t even as big a club as the Haçienda, the legendary nightclub based in the city that enjoyed its heyday during the eighties and nineties.
The quote is, of course, bollocks. The work of Twitter’s @WeahsCousin, it has once again been widely circulated in the run in to the final derby of the 2016/17 season.
Just because you’ve seen it on the internet, it doesn’t mean it’s real.