From York City to Istanbul - Man City one win from remarkable Treble
- Published
Ben Richardson outside Wembley with his wife Katie after Manchester City's FA Cup win over Manchester United
Ben Richardson still remembers the pain of watching his beloved Manchester City lose at York City.
Richardson was 10 years old when Joe Royle's City were defeated 2-1 at Bootham Crescent in the third tier of English football in 1998.
On Saturday, he was at Wembley to watch Pep Guardiola's side defeat Manchester United to win the FA Cup - and next Saturday he will be in Istanbul for the Champions League final to see if the Premier League champions can win a remarkable Treble.
"I couldn't have dreamed of this back when I was a kid," Ben, from Ashton-under-Lyne, told BBC Sport outside Wembley after the 2-1 win over the Red Devils.
"Twenty-five years ago I was going to places like York. Now I'm going to the Champions League final where hopefully we can win the Treble."
City fans chanted 'Istanbul' as they streamed out of Wembley to begin their celebrations.
"It's the stuff of dreams," added Ben.
"Relief is the main emotion because we had everything to lose against United with the Treble at stake.
"I was at Wembley in 1999 for the Second Division play-off win against Gillingham. If we win our next game, we've won the Treble. It's incredible."
'Scream until I'm sick'
Max Shaulis is also heading to Istanbul as City look to match United's feat of 1999 when Sir Alex Ferguson's team became the first, and so far only, English side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in one season.
"I'm enormously proud of supporting this club," Max, who travelled from Dubai to be at Wembley, said after City won the FA Cup for the seventh time.
"I'm going to scream until I'm sick in Istanbul.
"These are very special times. I don't know if I enjoyed the [FA Cup] final but our quality shone in the end and I felt we were the better side."
Although City will be confident of winning a first Champions League title when they meet Inter Milan in Turkey, Max is taking nothing for granted.
"It's football, anything can happen," he says.
Max Shaulis with his sister Alex (right) and mum Raju outside Wembley after the FA Cup triumph
Twins on opposing sides
There were divided loyalties for some families at the first all-Manchester final in the competition's history.
Twin sisters Talia and Alexis were on opposing sides at Wembley.
"I'll be in tears if City lose," Talia, 12, from Bury, said.
In the end it was Alexis who was crestfallen at the final whistle.
Twin sisters Talia (left) and Alexis were on opposing sides at Wembley
Next stop: Istanbul
Pratik Sheth is wary about City's 'favourites' tag against Inter Milan next weekend.
"It's 50/50, Inter are a very good side defensively," he said.
"It's the best feeling to beat Manchester United at Wembley. They're our arch-rivals and I was nervous playing them because you don't want them to stop us from winning the Treble.
"Now it's all eyes on Istanbul. It's great to be in this position."
Pratik Sheth celebrates Manchester City's FA Cup win with his four-year-old son Nihit
The Man City fans who missed out
Not all City fans who arrived for the FA Cup final got to see their team win their latest trophy.
Mazem and his wife Arouba travelled from Lebanon in the Middle East in the hope of securing tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"My dream is to watch City play at Wembley," Mazem said.
Unfortunately, they were left disappointed after failing to secure seats.
However, the couple made sure they left Wembley with a souvenir photograph to remember their trip.
Manchester City fan Mazem and his wife Arouba pose outside Wembley
Our coverage of Manchester City is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
