“We see things they will never see!” – that was the cry of many Manchester City fans in view of their monumental treble success.
Oasis’ lyrics have become symbolic of City’s successes over the past few seasons and will be sung for the foreseeable future, especially now that the band is about to embark on a monumental reunion.
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One of those likely to be in attendance is Roma legend Daniele De Rossi, whose love for Oasis was one of the reasons he almost signed for City years ago.
Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher are lifelong City fans, with the latter regularly appearing on The Pitch Prospect to discuss his beloved team, and their influence can be felt around the Etihad on match days with their hit songs.
The club have signed the best players since winning the Abu Dhabi lottery and De Rossi was another player who almost joined. The midfielder spent 18 years at Roma but was linked with a £31 million transfer to City on a £130,000-a-week deal in 2012.
He ultimately turned down the transfer because, as he puts it, he is “a Roman,” but his love for Oasis came to mind when he considered the move.
De Rossi is considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. He is a master of the penalty area and is compared to Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane, both of whom he greatly admires.
He once said of Keane: “I wear number 16 because of him. He is the only person in the world I asked for a photo two years ago. With Maradona I was too embarrassed, but with him I couldn’t resist.”
Speaking to Roma’s website in 2016, he explained why he considered a move to the Etihad: “A few years ago there was a lot of talk about me moving to Manchester City, but I never wanted to leave Rome.”
“What excited me most about the prospect, however, was the fact that I could have met the Gallagher brothers.
“I grew up with them and know all their songs by heart,” added the 2006 world champion.
“I liked these guys, they were real characters. They weren’t always conventional or very accessible, but I liked the stereotype they represented – crazy rock stars.”
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De Rossi eventually left Roma in 2019 and joined Boca Juniors before announcing his retirement from football a year later.
He has won four trophies at club level, but could have added many more to his list of accolades had he joined City over a decade ago.
Since a move was linked, the Citizens have won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, six League Cups and now finally the Champions League.
As treble winners, City’s dominance in football has extended from England to the entire continent.
De Rossi could have been one of them, but as his musical heroes once said: “Don’t be ashamed.”
And now the legendary British band is ready to end their feud and play a series of stadium concerts as part of a monumental comeback.
The brothers made an announcement late Sunday when the band’s logo appeared on their social media and the date “08/27/24” flashed to show “8 a.m.” instead.
According to The Sun, dates are expected for Wembley and other locations in the UK in 2025, including Ireland, Manchester, Scotland and Wales.
For years, fans wanted to see the band reunite, but that seemed a long way off when Noel said of their split in 2009: “It is with some sadness and great relief that I have to tell you that I am leaving Oasis tonight. People can write and say what they want, but I just couldn’t work with Liam for another day.”
Now De Rossi and the others can get out their anoraks, because it seems like there is definitely no “maybe” in this regard.