It was the moment Manchester City fans have spent years waiting for and not even the torrential rain could dampen their spirits as they welcomed their treble-winning heroes home.
Manchester was transformed into a sea of blue on Monday night as thousands lined the streets to celebrate City’s success at gaining the treble.
Saturday's Champions League final win over Inter Milan meant Pep Guardiola's side had completed the treble, having already secured the Premier League title and FA Cup – a feat only Manchester rivals United had managed in England before.
Fans climbed on bus shelters and signs in a bid to catch a glimpse of the team as they toured the city on their victory parade.
The players, including Erling Haaland, jumped up and down and partied on the open-top bus, with some throwing their shirts into the crowd.
The celebrations were initially delayed after storms hit the city and officials feared a lightning strike would hit.
But despite getting soaked, fans braved the weather and their roars and cheers thundered across the city.
When the main stage was finally opened to the public, swarms of fans ran to get a prime place at the front as Oasis’s Supersonic boomed into the crowd.
As Queen’s We are the Champions rang out, the players emerged on to the city centre stage proudly holding their three trophies.
Midfielder Phil Foden waved the Champions League trophy, while manager Guardiola took in the joy on the faces of fans and the players.
“We had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise it is not Manchester,” Guardiola said to the delight of the waiting crowd.
“We don't want sunshine, we want rain, so it was perfect. They [the fans] are used to the rain.”
City captain Ilkay Gundogan praised the fans for their support as cannons of blue and white confetti were fired into the air.
“Thank you very much for all of the support during the whole season,” the midfielder told the crowd.
“It has been incredible and we got three trophies.”
Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne and Gundogan, who scored twice against United to claim the FA Cup title nine days ago, each showed off one of the trophies they won.
City and England midfielder Jack Grealish said: “For the past 24 hours, I have had the best day and night. To be fair, I don't think I have slept.”
He’s not the only one – fans have been celebrating since City completed the treble on Saturday night with victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Oscar Field told The National he has hardly slept.
“We are over the ‘blue’ moon,” the 16-year-old student said.
“It has been a long time coming. When the final whistle blew on Saturday, I could finally relax.
“It still doesn’t seem real. I’ve hardly slept since. I came to Manchester early with my friends to see the team. I’m just utterly ecstatic.”
RAF pilot Ben Kinder travelled from Cambridge to see the parade.
“I’ve been a City fan all my life, I came home to Rochdale to watch it with my friends and then after they won I managed to book two days off work so I could come and see the parade,” he said.
“It is still surreal. I’ve supported them through thick and thin and to see this today is just magical. I still can’t believe they’ve done it.”
Cameron McMulland, 17, arrived early to get a good vantage point to watch the players.
“My friends and I came early to get a good spot to see them,” he said. “We are still buzzing over them getting the treble. It’s just overwhelming.”
Hoang Truong says the feeling of winning the Champions League still has not yet sunk in.
“I think Pep has really learnt to adapt to the Champions League,” he told the BBC.
“It is such a hard tournament to win. This is something I won't take for granted.
“I think they want to keep the standards going into the next season. They don't want to stop, why not go for another one?”
For the older generation, there was still a sense of disbelief at City's success.
“It's unbelievable,” said retired fan Gary Henley, 63. “We've been down the leagues, we've been there when we didn't win anything for ages.
“We went 35 years without a trophy. Now we've won the treble. It's unreal.”
As the players left the stage, the celebrations seemed far from over for the City fans, who continued to sing and dance.
“I really don't want this to end,” fan Gemma Golding said.
“This has honestly been the best year of my life.”
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
%3Cp%3ETotal%20trade%20in%20goods%20and%20services%20(exports%20plus%20imports)%20between%20the%20UK%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202022%20was%20%C2%A321.6%20billion%20(Dh98%20billion).%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20an%20increase%20of%2063.0%20per%20cent%20or%20%C2%A38.3%20billion%20in%20current%20prices%20from%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20was%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%2019th%20largest%20trading%20partner%20in%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%20Q4%202022%20accounting%20for%201.3%20per%20cent%20of%20total%20UK%20trade.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The five pillars of Islam
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Race card
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
