‘True warrior and Man City legend’: Pablo Zabaleta, a player defined by his own defiance and indomitable spirit

Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta announced before Saturday's Premier League game against Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium he will leave the club in the summer. Jason Cairnduff / Reuters

As captain, Vincent Kompany can speak for the Manchester City dressing room. He contrived to voice the feelings of the fan base as well on Saturday when news of Pablo Zabaleta’s summer departure was announced.

“True warrior and Man City legend,” the Belgian tweeted. Pep Guardiola had reached for the same word, too: legend.

Right-back tended to be that least feted of roles and there may not be too many legendary right-backs. But, as they will tell you at the Etihad Stadium, there are not too many like Pablo Zabaleta. There have been greater players in the era of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the Argentine himself would nominate David Silva, but City have had no better servants over the past decade.

__________________________________

Read more

■ Premier League team of the week: Kane gives White Hart Lane a fitting finale

■ In pictures: Carli Lloyd on target in Manchester City's Women's FA Cup final win

__________________________________

Zabaleta was signed weeks before the 2008 takeover. He might have been swept aside by the winds of change. Instead, he showed dogged determination, loyalty and longevity. Nouveaux riche clubs are accused of being all about the money, but City had soul whenever Zabaleta took the field. His selfless dedication is why tributes have been so heartfelt and why Tuesday’s game against West Bromwich Albion will be such an emotional farewell to the Etihad.

He has been a one-man rebuttal of the theory that imports can be mercenaries who form no bonds. Zabaleta embraced the language, the country and the city. He referred to his son as "a little Mancunian" before he was born. His wife did work experience at the Manchester Evening News. He did interviews aplenty because many of his fellow Spanish speakers made less effort to learn English. In a sign of the affection for him, Silva even recorded a tribute to Zabaleta in his second tongue.

Normally, though, he did his teammates’ talking and their running. At his peak, complete commitment was allied with remarkable physicality. Zabaleta went from goal-line to goal-line, hurtling past the midfield on overlaps or, occasionally, underlaps in a way that made a system without wingers work. If he has cut a diminished figure of late, it is little wonder. A huge workload has taken its toll on a player whose power helped account for his success.

But so did his character. An indomitable spirit accounted for Zabaleta’s last great City performance. In November, Guardiola had resigned himself to facing Barcelona without a specialist right-back. Zabaleta had not trained for two weeks until the day before the game. On the morning of it, he pronounced himself fit to play. He rolled back the years, stifling Neymar (“Guys ... Neymar,” Guardiola marvelled later) as City won 3-1. The sight of Zabaleta bouncing off teammates afterwards, pointing to friends in the crowd in pumped-up delight, was one of the indelible images of his City career.

Over nine years and 332 appearances, he created plenty of others. He was the man Roberto Mancini tended to drag out for the tougher tests, using him at left-back at times when a man-marker was required. He was one of the catalysts for the surge to the title in 2012, coming into the side for the last six weeks of the season, playing like a man possessed in the derby win over Manchester United and scoring the opening goal in the final-day victory over Queens Park Rangers.

In the following season, the awkward campaign of 2012/13, as others’ standards slipped, Zabaleta raised his game. He became stand-in captain, talisman, a player defined by his defiance. It was then he peaked. He won a second title in 2013/14, but Manuel Pellegrini demoted him from the vice-captaincy. Zabaleta, a man who gave far more than he asked for in return, responded uncomplainingly. But now it is time for colleagues and supporters alike to celebrate Zabaleta: the warrior, the legend.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport