Sports
Man City Message Spotted As Erling Haaland Photo Gets With Khabib
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov visited Manchester City as they prepare for their upcoming Premier League game against Brighton. But the contents of his photo with Erling Haaland has got rival fans talking online.
Pep Guardiola’s side are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. Although the Blues had recently parted ways with Enzo Maresca, meaning that under-21 head coach Callum McFarlane was in the dugout at the Etihad, a late goal from Enzo Fernandez was enough to cancel out Tijjani Reijnders’ opener.
The stalemate left City six points behind league leaders Arsenal, giving Mikel Arteta’s side a big advantage heading into the business end of the 2025/26 season. Any less than three points against Brighton on Wednesday evening could be disastrous for the Cityzens, especially if their title rivals go on to beat Liverpool.
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What Was in Background of Haaland and Khabib’s Photo
It seems as though Guardiola is pulling out all the stops to get his team back on track as they bid for top flight success this term. But it wasn’t by bringing in former UFC champion Nurmagomedov for motivational speaking during his visit to City’s training ground.
Instead, the six-time Premier League champions are seemingly hoping to inspire their players through words. People could see a note in the background of Nurmagomedov’s photo with Haaland, and the contents of said message have since been decoded.
According to Sky Sports, it reads: “The pressure. The chase. The difficulties. We’ve been here before, pushed to the absolute limit and still taking everything.
“That has always been our spirit. We don’t fold. We don’t panic. We don’t quit. We adapt. We respond. We turn setbacks into solutions. We change situations, because that’s what we do.
“We are not weaklings, we are Manchester City Football Club.”
Check Out the Photo and Message Below:
It has since been confirmed that the message came from a fan account, @GeronimoMorgans, who responded to City featuring his message on social media. He said: “Dear @ErlingHaaland, dear Manchester City players – thank you for receiving my message. Thank you. I’m incredible proud of what I’ve done. I’m genuinely in tears right now. Thank you, man. Truly.”
Rival Fans Mock Man City Message
However, not everyone has found the message to be inspirational, with supporters of rival clubs, particularly those of an Arsenal persuasion, choosing to mock its use by City. One fan wrote: “City took some random bloke’s meltdown tweet and screenshotted it as a last ditch attempt for inspiration. They’re absolutely gone psychologically.”
Another added: “Tears, Arteta turns Pep into a motivational speaker now.” To which one more said: “Imagine the reaction if Arteta did this.”
A fellow fan questioned the use of the message, stating: “Not so sure about this chief.” And an Arsenal fan believes it shows the Gunners have the upper hand in the title race, writing: “They are rattled beyond belief.”
One final Arsenal supporter wrote: “Loooool this is how I know they aren’t winning the league. All this over a measly 6 point gap.”
