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Man City dedicate training pitch to Gundogan
theathletic.comManchester City have dedicated a training pitch to former captain Ilkay Gundogan as a tribute to his services for the club. Gundogan, who turns 33 today, was the first City captain to lift the Champions League trophy. He also won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups during a seven-year spell at the Etihad. A mosaic commemorating Gundogan's winning goal in the 2021-22 Premier League title decider against Aston Villa will also be displayed near the training pitch.Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “On behalf of his highness Sheikh Mansour, on behalf of everyone associated with Manchester City, it is really my privilege and honour to unveil this mosaic that is a tribute to every accomplishment you’ve made as part of this Manchester City family over the years. “You have been an important leader, an important pillar of a part of history – of the history of this club that will never be forgotten. “We are all so grateful, so thankful for the great memories you gave us – as the first Manchester City captain to lift the Champions League, as a player that’s lifted five Premier Leagues, so many trophies as part of his journey with the club. “But beyond these great accomplishments as a football player, your accomplishments as a leader, both in the club and in the community is never going to be forgotten. “Today I want to thank you on behalf of everyone associated with the club and this mosaic is our gift to you to keep you part of the history of this club, of this institution, a place that you can come and always know that you have left an important stamp that will be never forgotten.”
That’s a totally fair point. But the counter argument to that is the player whom the tribute is dedicated do won’t be able to appreciate it themselves if the club were to wait until he died in order to do so. And given that the point of a tribute is to honor the person it is for, I think the person being able to appreciate the tribute themselves is worth the risk of them doing something bad.
Also, if the person does do something insane like you mentioned, its always possible to strip them of their tribute. It’s just the name of a training pitch after all.