Ricky Hatton was a life long Cityzens supporter and his team did him proud when they defeated their main rivals Manchester United 3-0.
There is no doubt that Hatton would have been rapt at the result and the club paid tribute to him after his passing was reported on the weekend.
READ MORE: Ricky Hatton dies at age 46 – Manc Sport
The devastating news about the former champion was sadly announced just hours before the 197th Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 14 September. The entire ground reportedly observed a ‘minute of appreciation’ before kick-off.
City gaffer Pep Guardiola looked visibly emotional when the camera panned to him applauding the boxer’s memory, and there were plenty of other tributes to ‘The Pride of Hyde’ spotted in both the home and away ends.
Several famous City faces took to social media after full-time to share their own tributes to Hatton.
One of the most moving tributes came from Pep himself, who has always immersed himselfthe community outside of just football, as per The Manc.
After the match, the Catalan coach and former athlete himself said to media: “I’ve been here for ten years, [seen/heard] a lot of minute [silences/applauses], and I don’t remember one so, so intense like today.
“I want to say thank you so much to the Man United fans because they behaved and applauded. I know he was a World Champion in boxing. It was a special, special moment. There are no words that can contain the pain that the family can feel right now for this loss, but we are close.
“It was an experience I will always remember because I felt in every applause of every person in the stadium the gratitude for what he has done professionally and being a massive, massive City fan.
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“I know how much of an incredible Man City fan [he was]. He lived the bad moments and the good moments in the last 10/15 years. I know for the fans how close he was [held]. The moment of applause was unbelievable.”
Feature image: http://flickr.com/photo/49303724@N07/460603654 Wikimedia Commons
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