Manchester City has unveiled a permanent tribute to legendary trio Colin Bell, Francis Lee, and Mike Summerbee outside the Etihad Stadium, commemorating their combined 30 years of football service to the Club.
Celebrating Manchester City’s success of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the bronze artwork of the men on a single plinth captures three of the most popular players in the Club’s history in dynamic poses that are characteristic of their styles of play.
In a further celebration of the era in which City famously won the First Division title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup, the names of all 29 players who contributed to this trophy-winning period are inscribed on a bronze plate that sits atop the statue’s plinth.
The installation was conceived and created by world-renowned sculptor David Williams-Ellis, and measures almost 4.5 metres high (14.5 feet) and four metres wide (13 feet), with an approximate weight of 2,000 kilos (4,409 pounds).
Positioned on the west side of the stadium, in proximity to the Colin Bell stand, City’s current players and fans will be reminded of the Club’s rich history, of which they are a part, every time they enter the stadium grounds on match day.
Located in a newly-landscaped garden area, this statue is the latest in a series of tributes to key figures forming the Club’s legacy project, first announced in 2019 and directed by Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
Manchester City’s Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak said:
“This statue honours three players who are unquestionably City legends and have deservedly earned a special place in the history of the Club and hearts of the whole City family.
“The artist’s decision to feature the three men in motion on a single plinth, as well as include the 29 names of their teammates, gives us the opportunity to acknowledge a trophy-winning era of City football history that has, and will, resonate for generations to come.”
Fans attending this evening’s Champions’ League game versus RB Leipzig will be among the first to enjoy the statue in person.
