Son of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal to the name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. His second name Ronaldo was given to him by his father, who was a great admirer of U.S. president Ronald Regan. The youngest of four children, Cristiano Ronaldo has three siblings; an older brother Hugo and two sisters; Elma and Liliana Cátia who works as a singer in Portugal by the stage name Ronalda.

The Portuguese footballer who plays for Barclays Premier League 2006-2007, 2007-2008 Champions and winner of the 2007-2008 Champions League; Manchester United. Wearing the number 7 shirt, he plays as a winger, a central attacker and as a second forward. His passion for football was seen as early as age three and by age six when he started primary school this passion became even more obvious. His football career started at age eight when he first played for an amateur team Andorinha, for which his father was the kit man. In 1995 at just ten years old, his reputation grew in Portugal, this saw the two top teams in Madeira, in CS Marítimo and CD Nacional showing a keen interest in signing the youngster. He signed for CD Nacional and after a title winning season; he went on a three day trial at Sporting who immediately signed him for an undisclosed sum of money.

While at Sporting the Portuguese winger trained at the club’s football factory, the Alcochete; where his skills were nurtured. Though his progression at the club was obstructed by his growth, Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player in the club’s history to represent the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B team and first-team all in the same season. He scored two goals on his debut for Sporting against Moreirense and featured in Portugal’s Under 17 team for the UEFA Under 17 Championships. His appearance for Portugal at these championships sparked the interest of Liverpool’s then manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16 but Houllier refused to sign him because he was deemed too young.

However, in 2003 the winger caught the eye of Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson when Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in a match that marked the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. With the departure of David Beckham, Manchester needed a right winger and he was signed for a fee of £12.24 million, becoming the Manchester United’s first Portuguese player ever. The Portuguese winger made his first appearance for the Red Devils at Old Trafford in a 4-0 win. He scored his first goal for Manchester United in the 2004 FA Cup Final against Millwall FC, the winger also scored Manchester United’s 1000th goal in a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in October 2005. At the end of the season, he had a tally of 10 goals and was voted by fans to be FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, an award he also won in 2006.

In the summer of 2006, the Portugal winger was at the center of a controversy with fellow Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney; when both teams met in the world cup quarter finals. The incident saw Rooney being shown a red card and the resulting elimination of England from the world cup on penalties; the last of which was taken by the winger. Despite the incident both players remained friends and in November 2006, he won the Barclays Player of the Month award again an award he also won in December 2006. He scored his 50th goal for Manchester United which proved to be the decisive goal that gave Manchester United their first Premiership title in four years against rivals Manchester City.

In April 2007, the Portuguese national signed a new five year deal worth £120,000 a week, making him the highest paid player in Manchester United’s history. Among his accolades, the Portuguese footballer won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the PFA Young Player of the Year awards, the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, the Football Writers’ Association Award and 2007 Portuguese Footballer of the Year at the end of his 2006-2007 season at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2007-2008 season for the Barclays Premier League Champions saw him exceeding George Best’s forty year old record for the most goals scored by a midfielder in a season, at 32 goals by scoring 42 goals in all competitions helping Manchester United to back to back Premiership titles and the coveted UEFA Champions League title. Ronaldo who also placed third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007 will be looking to place first in the same awards this year as he has proven to be the best player on the planet, with this season’s stellar performances. Cristiano Ronaldo however had a very disappointing Euro 2008 campaign with Portugal, which saw him scoring only one goal for his country that was eliminated by Germany in the quarter finals. He has also been linked to a lucrative transfer deal worth approximately EUR100 million euros to La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Named for its origins in the east, the Asian handicap can be summed up in the simplest of terms as the practice of point spread betting in soccer matches. Although this betting model has been used in hockey for years, it is relatively new to soccer. It has gained considerable popularity largely due to the fact that it has an increased probability for winning, in contrast to traditional wagering practices such as 1X2. Bookmakers always offer higher odds on Asian handicap, routinely paying out at rates between 97-99%, as compared to traditional betting where the payout ranges normally between 89-94%.     

Where the Asian handicap matrix differs from traditional fixed odds betting is that it eliminates a tie from the equation, using a handicap to force a winner, thereby reducing the maximum number of possible outcomes from three to two. This format offers two betting scenarios that each offer a 50% chance of winning, making it similar to the odds you would expect from a baseball or basketball game, games in which a tie is an impossibility. 

The system in its application is simple enough. The bookies designate a handicap or “line” for the weakest team in the match in order to bring the odds for each team as close as possible to dead even. The parameters of designating Asian handicap lines begin at 0 and go as high as 3. The handicap is determined by the disparity in the odds each team has of winning the match. The principle of the system in this context can best be expressed with the following example.  

You want to bet the Asian handicap on a match between Manchester United and Fulham. The handicap is 1.5 to Fulham and you take the points. For betting purposes this means that Fulham is essentially starting the game with a 1 1/2 goal lead over Manchester United. If the final score of the match is Manchester United 3-2 Fulham then you would win, as the final score with the handicap would be Manchester United 3-3.5 Fulham.  

A vast majority of the matches that are handicapped using the Asian matrix are given lines in intervals of 1/4 and 1/2 points, both of which  eliminate the possibility of a push as no team will ever win on the scoreboard by a fraction of a goal. With the fractional handicap, there is always a winner. Of course that means there is always a losing bet as well.   

We have seen an example of the 1/2 point bet, now let’s look at the 1/4 point bet. The 1/4 bet performs a bit differently from the ½ bet in that it splits the difference between the nearest half point intervals and distributes half of your bet to each one. To see this in practical terms we can go back to our Manchester United vs. Fulham example. 

In this example you have Fulham with 1 1/4 points and you are betting $500. With the fractional handicap of 1 1/4, you’re splitting your bet in this manner: $250 at 1 point and $250 at 1.5 points. Our final score was Manchester United 3-2 Fulham, which means that the bet tied ($250 at 1 with a final score of 3-3) and won ($250 at 1.5 with a final score of 3-3.5). In this example you would get back $750 from your original $500 bet. On the flip side of that equation, you can also tie and lose.  

From our example if we place the same $500 bet with a line of 1 3/4 and give Manchester United another goal we would have an example of a tie and lose bet. The final score on the scoreboard is Manchester United 4-2 Fulham, making the line score Manchester United 4-3.75 Fulham. You would tie ($250 at 2 with a final score of 4-4) and lose ($250 at 1.5 with a final score of 4-3.5). In this example, you would lose half of your $500 bet and be refunded the other half. 

Some Asian handicap bets will use whole numbers, which can result in a tie. However, the tie is administered as a push, meaning your full bet is refunded and there is no winner or loser.

Overall the Asian handicap is extremely attractive for the increased odds it offers and has a variety of betting options that will payout even money or better. 

There has been lots of speculations recently surrounding Christiano Ronaldo’s future in. There are rumours that he will be heading to sunny Spain to join the Spanish champions, Real Madrid.

The rumours intensified after Manchester United’s champions league triumph over Chealsea in Moscow. Ronaldo was reported saying that he would not promise anyone as regards his future. He said he would not promise his mother, Sir Alex Fergusson or Manchester United’s fans.

I strongly believe Christiano Ronaldo will be at Old Trafford next season and why not? Manchester United are the champions of Europe and arguably the best team on the entire planet. Why would he want to move to Real Madrid that crumbled when they faced Roma in the champions league.

That is the same Roma team Manchester United walloped seven goals to one at Old Trafford in 2007 and also did a double over them in 2008.

Gone are the days when we believed that the only way to win continental laurels is by playing in Real Madrid and AC Milan. Milan won’t even be playing in the Uefa champions league next season after they finish 5th in the Italian league.

Back to Christiano Ronaldo.

The only thing that can make Ronaldo leave Old Trafford this summer is if he has an out of this world tournament at Euro 2008 and a club comes in with 100 million pounds to temp Manchester. No club can turn down such a tantalizing offer.

Anything apart from that, I’m certain he will remain at Sir Matt Busby way.

Manchester United fans however know that Ronaldo is not a play for them forever. He will still leave to play in another country. He’ll probably play about 2 more seasons. That will take his number of years at Old Trafford to seven.

I’m not sure one can complain about the loyalty of a player (foreigner) that served for seven years.

Of all the cities of Europe, Manchester is the most progressive, and after London the most important city in England. Socially, there is an motivational energy in Manchester that is a driving force socially and culturally. Manchester has embraced the realities of the social changes of the 21st century in an open manner. This is so for two reasons. There are five universities and five colleges in Manchester, and the resulting youthful dynamic this provides has considerable influence. Yet this influence is in complete harmony with and magnifies the long tradition of the Mancunian propensity to challenge the status quo, to be the vanguard of social change, and in being pro-active in civil liberties and civil rights. This has created a very different English city in tone, demeanor, and appearance than what Americans may expect.

The Rebuilding

Because of extensive bombing during World War II, there was a considerable amount of rebuilding, and with the Mancunian penchant for innovation, instead of rebuilding the old they constructed buildings of contemporary design. So the look and feel of Manchester is that of a dynamic city that is definitely quirky, but also modern and impressive.

Madchester

This dynamicism has been a magnet for creative young artists and musicians from across Britain, and this has created a very active cultural climate in the fine arts and in the performing arts. Manchester is home of the ‘musical revolution’ that brought about the Hallé symphony orchestra and progressive music groups such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, Happy Mondays, the Inspiral Carpets, James, and hundreds more. Manchester’s music revolution was even dramatised in the 2002 film, “24 Hour Party People”, a 3½ star digital-video depicting the punk era through the late-’80s “Madchester” era. The music scene in Manchester is a source of local pride and is representative of the spirit of this great city.

Youthful Adventures

With such a large and vibrant uni student population in Manchester, that means a lot of uni student life, and nightlife. If you want a night out on any night of the week, that’s no problem. There is always a cheap club to get in with no dress code, packed pubs with happy hours, lots of cheap food including ‘takeaway’ (takeout food), and places to meet girls, places to meet guys, places to meet girls and guys, whatever you want.

First, head on down to the section of the city called Studentville. It’s the Oxford Road area and it is packed with pubs, bars less picky about dress style, and it’s active most of the time.

The Northern Quarter is in Manchester City Centre between Shudehill and Victoria Station. This is a bohemian and offbeat alternative lifestyle area with a lot of cafés, pubs, bars, music shops, art galleries, clothes boutiques, and emporiums. In the Northern Quarter you can find all sorts of weird, delightful, and wonderful stuff. The pubs and bars are located mostly on High Street and Oldham Street. There is also a bazaar in Affleck’s Palace, which use to be a department store. Some cafés morph into nightlife with various music venues.

The Gay Village is a unique centre for the large and flourishing gay community. The Gay Village is in the Canal Street and Chorlton Street area and includes Sackville, Whitworth, and Princess Streets. Across the canal is Sackville Gardens and Manchester College. Canal street is a pedestrian street lined with is lined with gay bars and restaurants.

Manchester Pride is a yearly ten-day LGBT event that takes place in mid-to-late August. It includes a Pride Fringe festival, film showings, a colorful parade that makes their way across the city and ending in the Gay Village, and a weekend celebration called ‘The Big Weekend’. This is a ticketed three-day program of outdoor entertainment in the Gay Village during the August bank holiday weekend. It all ends with a Candlelit Vigil in Sackville Gardens.

Free Things to Do

Here is a partial list of free things to do around Manchester.

• The John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester at 150 Deansgate, south of Bridge Street, is unusual and beautiful on the inside. It is a masterwork of Victorian Gothic (or Neo-Gothic) architecture. There is a collection in the library of magnificent medieval manuscripts.
• Museum of Science and Industry or MOSI, on Liverpool Road aims to make science and industry inspirational and enjoyable. Well, that depends what part of this huge museum you are in. However, there are trains you can actually ride, a Planetarium, and a 4D cinema (you do pay for a fairly old short film, about £5.50, which is generally rated as fair). The airplane display is near the end of the entire exhibit area and since the place is really big, don’t wear out too early because the planes are rather cool. Just quickly walk pass the boring story-board exhibits. Some people be delirious about this place. I don’t know why, but the planes, planetarium, and trains are def. There is a decent restaurant and coffee shop in the museum.
• Heaton Park, four miles north of the city centre in Prestwich, offers huge green lawns with good views of Manchester, row boats on the lake, footpaths to walk through the woods, cycle paths as well, a beautiful and quirky 18th century mansion, Smithy Lodge, open to the public with period furniture, and a farm with farm animals and beekeeping to see.
• Whitworth Art Gallery on Oxford Road next to Whitworth Park at Manchester University is especially known for their collection of British watercolours and modern and historic prints. Of course there are also drawings, paintings and sculptures. There is a summer program of events to check out.
• City Airport & Heliport‘s Art Deco control tower is open to the public, free, and you can observe the planes and helicopters landing and taking off. City Airport is on Liverpool Road in Eccles and is not to be confused with the Manchester International Airport on the other side of town.

Other places to visit include the Manchester Art Gallery, The Lowry, National Football Museum, Peoples History Museum, Manchester Museum, and Manchester Cathedral.

Like the rest of England, there are a list of festivals as well as local events in Manchester that occur during the warm months. These include such things as the Manchester Picnic, various displays and “thought provoking experiences” at Tatton Park, the Float-In Movie, Harry Potter Day, and Canal Festival. Check the local tourist office for details on festivals the occur during your visit.

I’ve been a Manchester City fan since 1970. I chose to support them as all my friends were either Leeds United or Manchester United fans, and Manchester City were an attractive footballing alternative who were having a bit of success at the time, winning the league and the FA Cup in consecutive years. However, just as I formed my allegiance to them their success dried up and apart from a couple of cup runs they remained relatively unsuccessful until 2011. You know what it’s like though – once you’ve made your choice of team it’s incumbent upon you to stick with them through thick and thin. After all that’s what supporting a football team is all about; you make your choice, and for better or worse you remain loyal to them whatever happens.

Just imagine though if I’d been prepared to switch my support between different teams over the years based on their performance, rather than simply sticking with Manchester City? Had I for example, switched to a blend of Liverpool and Leeds Utd in the 70’s, Liverpool and Everton or Arsenal in the 80’s and Manchester Utd and Arsenal in the 90’s and noughties before reverting to Manchester City, I would have enjoyed way more success as a result. Between them they were either first or second in the league every year throughout that period, winning numerous cups along the way too.

And it would have been quite possible to choose those clubs based on their results, coupled with a bit of football nouse. Indeed, the pundits have only failed to predict all the top teams in a couple of the last 40 plus years, most recently when Leicester surprised everyone by winning the league in 2016. In virtually all other seasons the top three or four teams have been easily identifiable by those with the experience and expertise to pick them out.

Now, being a football supporter is an entirely emotive decision, which is why we tend to stay loyal to one particular club. So why do many of us behave like football fans when it comes to choosing Fund Managers to look after our investments? That shouldn’t be an emotive decision at all, yet far too often we hold off moving our money when results are not going the way they should and there are better alternatives available.

Now, I do understand that everyone can go through a bit of a lean period, and sometimes it is better to give your incumbent the benefit of the doubt for a time. Clearly that is not always the case, as the recent fall from grace of the one time darling of the investment world, Neil Woodford, is a timely reminder.

So when it comes to your money surely the key is to make evidence backed, emotion free informed decisions about switching, and on a regular basis? Of course, not all of us have the time or the expertise to do this which is why many of us chose an adviser to do it for us.

Choosing an adviser wisely is clearly important, as they will of course charge for this service, but it is not all about the cost; it’s about value for money. Look for an adviser with a dedicated investment department, with full time, daily focus on the investment performance of their panel funds. Get them to give you testimonials from satisfied customers along with the number and scoring of verified reviews they’ve had from clients, and ask them about their recent investment performance. They should also be prepared to back up their claims about investment success with hard facts which clearly demonstrate they are indeed followers of the latest winners and not blindly loyal, or just plain lazy.

And choosing winners works whether you’re a fan of active or passive funds, so this sort of support can work whatever your investment philosophy. Check out the following link for more information https://www.ellisbates.com/individuals/investments/

Of course, being a Manchester City fan is now much more enjoyable than it was 30 years ago, but one thing I have learnt in the past 50 years is that I can’t and won’t take their recent success for granted and I know it won’t last for ever. I am enjoying it whilst it does though!

Ellis Bates Financial Advisers are independent financial advisers with offices across the United Kingdom. They specialise in active investment management of over £1 billion of assets on behalf of clients, who have given them a 4.9/5.00 score with Trustist.

As Manchester City return to the muddy waters of European football for the first time since the season 1975 – 76, let us reflect on City’s European exploits from the distant past in less salubrious surroundings, when they plyed their trade at the Maine Road stadium.

Entry into the old UEFA cup in season ’75- ’76 was courtesy of Dennis Tueart’s spectacular bicycle kick winning goal in the 1975 League Cup final at the expense of hapless Newcastle, who incidentally are still searching for the holy grail despite recent near misses in the FA Cup and who can ever forget Kevin Keegan’s rant with his wrath directed towards poor old Fergie, as Cantona’s goal at St James’ Park, set in motion the clawing back of a twelve point deficit. ‘I would love to see them get beat’ was Keegan’s battle cry, but it would all end in tears!

It is a fitting juncture in which to embark on a nostalgic journey down memory lane, as the millionaires of the Ethiad stadium, or should that be billionaires, have the ultimate European pot of gold in their sights somewhere over the rainbow, thanks to the wizardry of Silva and Aguero.

Picture the scene. On an ordinary April evening in Vienna (Wednesday, 29 April 1970), Malcolm Allison rekindled fond memories of his association with this fine city of heritage, during his three year national service stint, between 1945 and 1948. As Allison and his fellow conscripts reported for duty, much of it would be spent in Austria and the most important part of Big Mal’s military education would come at the Prater Stadium in Vienna. Here he admiringly witnessed the training sessions of the dedicated youngsters of the Austrian national team – particularly the elegant midfield supremo Ernst Ocwrik.

Later this enlightening experience would prompt Allison to utter the words “I liked the way they enslaved the ball. They made it do all the hard work. They were neat and controlled. There was nothing haphazard or crude about their work and I thought to myself, ‘Surely this is the wave of the future. This is what we have to do in England.’

In a strange twist of irony, Vienna’s Prater Stadium nearly a quarter of a century later was to provide the backdrop to one of his greatest moments of success, as he led his flamboyant Manchester City side on to the hallowed turf to contest the now sadly defunct European Cup Winners cup, against the Polish side Gornik Zabrze.

Within three years Polish football would be catapulted into the limelight on an anxious September evening for English fans, dreaming about conquering the world again and rubbing West German noses in it, in their own back yard at Munich’s Olympic stadium. However the heroic Polish keeper Jan Tomaszewski referred infamously by the great Brian Clough as “the clown!” and the goal scorer Domarski forgot to read the script, and despite Kevin Hector’s scrambled effort in unison with Brian Moore’s desperate pleas, on what was to be Hector’s only England appearance, England were dumped unceremoniously and evicted from World football’s top table.

Incidentally the Polish clowns proved to be no mugs as they followed their gold medal success at the Munich Olympics in 1972, with a third place spot at the 1974 World Cup in the old West Germany, coming close to embarrassing the hosts West Germany at the latter stages, in a narrow 1-0 defeat on a paddy field like pitch. Names like Lubanski, Deyna and Lato still roll off the tongue.

It is interesting to reflect that the West Germans had already been humiliated at the group stage, when communism was given an almighty shot in the arm when Jurgen Sparvasser fired the winner for their poor neighbours East Germany. World order was restored when the highly entertaining Dutch, thanks to the silky skills of Cruyff, Neeskens and Rep were beaten 2-1 in the final by the mighty West Germans, thanks to the goal scoring machine that was Gerd Muller.

However, let’s return to Big Mal and his European antics. As a result of another fluent performance, Man City reigned supreme thanks to goals from Neil Young and Francis Lee in a 2-1 win. Ironically it was during this month that the talented pop duo Peters and Lee appeared on the scene and just like City when opportunity knocked, they duly obliged. ‘Welcome Home’ was to be their greatest hit and the gladiators from the forgotten part of the city were assured of their own version of welcome home!

Big Mal the coach, even though playing second fiddle to the wily old fox Joe Mercer, had secured his own grand slam to add to his recent success in winning the old First Division League Title, FA Cup and League Cup. It was time for lavish celebrations in the classical surroundings of Vienna, in the true style that was second nature for the main man at Maine Road.

However the publicity that Big Mal craved for with an insatiable appetite, was to be denied in this his greatest hour of glory! In these days of almost daily live coverage thanks to the might of Sky followed by the poor relations at the BBC and ITV, even the first amateur clubs that Monsieur Allison managed, namely Cambridge University and Bath would fall under the glare of the cameras in the event of a semi heroic FA Cup run.

No such luck for the ebullient Mal, as this great European success passed virtually unnoticed! Could it be due to a not to be missed episode of Coronation Street I hear you ask, or a James Bond film?

Ironically it was thanks to their arch enemies from the other side of the Pennines. Don Revie’s footballing aristocrats were in action on the same night, against the city slickers from the King’s Road in the shape of Chelsea, in the 1970 F A Cup reply. Thanks to the hapless Leeds goalkeeper of Welsh origin, Gary Sprake and his fumbling error at Wembley during their first encounter, Chelsea were given a second bite at the cherry and duly obliged with a 2-1 win, thanks to goals by Osgood and Webb.

And while a huge television audience of 29 million witnessed one of Chelsea’s finest hours under the stewardship of Dave Sexton thanks to the BBC and ITV’s simultaneous live coverage, Big Mal’s heroics on the other side of the continent went virtually un-noticed. To rub salt into the wound, not many people saw City’s clash with Gornik Zabrze in person either. Only a meagre 10,000 audience gathered at the stadium designed to accommodate 80,000 people. 3,000 of them being City fans.

By a cruel ironic fate, this was to be the second time that Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer’s miracles on behalf of the blue side of the city, was to be overshadowed by their illustrious neighbours. As the light blues soaked up the glory of winning the old First Division League Title in their version of the spring uprising of 1968, the red half of the city would get the last laugh thanks to Best, Charlton, Law and Kidd when they pulverised the great Benfica to capture European football’s ultimate club prize.

Finally for all those die hard City fans with nostalgic memories of those glorious days and nights at Maine Road, I will allow you the pleasure of drooling over the Man City line up on that famous evening in Vienna, when Gornik Zabrze were pole axed by Young and Lee:

Corrigan, Book, Pardoe, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Heslop, Bell, Lee, Young, Towers.

Incidentally the legend Mike Summerbee was condemned to the side lines, due to injury.

So the question remains will it be third time lucky for Mancini’s maestros come next May, when they finally emerge from the shadows and eclipse their illustrious neighbours. How sweet would be the smell of success with Big Mal looking down from heaven, as Vincent Kompany hoists aloft the holy grail of European club football at the Allianz Arena in Munich, joining elite company and being acknowledged accordingly.

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We are pros within the mortgage industry and we always offer a helping hand to get you through any mortgage process, no matter how complicated it is.

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Here at Manchestermoneyman, we always go above and beyond for every customer that comes our way. We like to provide an amazing service that the customer will remember, hoping that they return to us in the future as it is always good to check up every three years to see how you are doing financially with your mortgage.

At the end of they day, our job is to deliver you expert help and guidance to ensure that you get through the mortgage process and come out with the best deal possible for your individual situation. Our mortgage advisors will search through thousands of purchase/remortgage deals on your behalf till you are happy with one. This makes the mortgage process easy and stress-free as we will sort everything for you rather than you are doing it on your own.

Being responsive, open, honest and delivering a fast and friendly service is what we do best. In Manchester, we know exactly how to save your time and your money, which is exactly what you want. We want you to come out of the process with a huge smile on your face knowing that we have found the best deal for you!

We love hearing back from our customers in Manchester, whether this means on our reviews page or them coming in to see their advisor who has got them through the mortgage process. The feedback we get is always excellent and it really shows why you should use us as your Mortgage Broker in Manchester. Here are some of our outstanding reviews at Manchestermoneyman:

“I cannot recommend Manchestermoneyman enough! As a first time buyer, I didn’t know much about everything that is involved in a mortgage application, so I decided to contact a mortgage broker. MMM was my first choice because of their amazing reviews. My point of contact was Paul. With his expertise and calm manner, Paul supported the process every step of the way and he answered my questions promptly. Paul also kindly arranged suitable insurance for me and suggested a conveyancer. Amazing service! Big thank you to Paul and Kayleigh for helping me secure a mortgage so quickly and taking the stress of the process off my shoulders. I will recommend you to all my friends, your service and value for money are excellent!” – Corina-Larisa N

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These reviews show how far we go for our customers and how we really do want them to receive a great customer experienced that they will never forget. As a trusted mortgage broker in Manchester, we work with you and you only. We want the best for you, and we love helping you.

Speak to one of our advisors for expert Mortgage Advice in Manchester and receive a Free Mortgage Consultation today. You can transact with us through phone, email, or through our online enquiry sheet, its completely up to you! Don’t hesitate to get in touch, our team is amazing 8am-10pm, 7 days a week, so make sure to speak to your local expert Mortgage Broker in Manchester today!

On the 27 May, Manchester United will battle with Barcelona in the final of this season UEFA Champions League at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. Both teams have the credential and fire power to become this season European Champion. Manchester United can become the first team in 19 years to retain the trophy they won last year. Ac Milan was the last team to win back-to-back European Champion Club’s Cup (the name for the previous version of UEFA Champions League) in 1989 and 1990.

Both teams will be missing key players in the final through suspension and injury. Barcelona will be without Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves. Abidal was red carded in the second-leg semifinal against Chelsea, while Alves received his third yellow cards of the tournament in London. Darren Fletcher of Manchester United will miss the final after collecting a red card for a foul on Cesc Fabregas in the second-leg semifinal against Arsenal. Barcelona Rafael Marques is definitely rule out of the final due to injury on his left knee. However, Andreas Iniesta and Theiry Henry look set to miss out as well. Iniesta picked up a thigh injury in his side’s 3-3 draw at home to Villarreal. Henry is fighting to be fit after picking up a ligament injury in the game against Real Madrid.

Pep Guardiola, Barcelona’s manager, faces some difficult selection choice in defence due to injury and suspension. Alex Ferguson has fewer headaches among the two managers as he has almost a full squad at his disposal. Daren Fletcher being the only set back but he has enough quality in his squad to replace Fletcher.

This game will also feature a battle between two of the best footballer in the world at the moment, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Messi has been the key factor for the rise of Barcelona this season. Ronaldo maintained his momentum from last season to help Manchester United in winning several trophies this season. But for this season, the ultimate prize which both really wants is the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester City first played Everton, from the city of Liverpool, two days before Christmas and just a few days before the end of the nineteenth century.

The two sides met in League Division One at City’s Hyde Road ground in Manchester on 23rd December, 1899. Everton won the match 2.1. Inside-right Jimmy Settle scored one of Everton’s goals that day. Settle could also play as a winger and was considered to be so fast that he could have had a successful sprinting career had he not concentrated on football.

Settle played six times for England and scored their goal in a 1.0 win over Scotland on 5th April, 1902. However, this match does not appear in official international football records, rather it was a tragic example of back page match reports becoming front page headlines. The match was played at Ibrox Stadium, home of Glasgow Rangers. After heavy rain during the previous night the wooden West Tribune stand collapsed, killing 25 football supporters and injuring 517. The first major incident of its kind in British football, it will be forever known as the ‘First Ibrox Disaster.’

City had been founded nineteen years earlier, as St Mark’s Church in West Gorton. In 1887 St Mark’s evolved into Ardwick A.F.C. and moved to Hyde Road. Hyde Road was destroyed by fire in 1923 and the club moved to Maine Road where they remained until they moved again to the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003, now more commonly known as Etihad Stadium or simply ‘The Etihad.’

Ardwick were founder members of the new Second Division of the Football League in 1892 before going bankrupt and being reformed as Manchester City in 1894. This was the same year that the Manchester Ship Canal – also known as the ‘Big Ditch’ – was opened confirming Manchester as the world’s first inland port. Although a great commercial rivalry already existed between the cities, many cite the building of the Canal and the maritime business and jobs that subsequently moved to Manchester from Liverpool as the source of such fierce competition which still exists today on the football field in derby matches between Liverpool and Manchester United, and Everton and Manchester City.

Manchester City were promoted to the First Division in 1898-99 and so faced Everton in the league for the first time the following season. All of the league meetings between these two teams have taken place in the top tier of English football – League Division One of the Football League until 1992 and the Premier League since then.

Everton were originally founded two years earlier than Manchester City, in 1878 as St Domingo’s (after the local Methodist Church), changing their name a year later to Everton F.C. They were founder members of the world’s first football league – The Football League – in 1888, were league champions in 1890-91 and moved to the new Goodison Park a year later – one of the first purpose-built football grounds in the world. They had also finished as runners-up twice by the time they played City. Certainly they would have been seen as the ‘Grand Old Team’ when they first encountered these ‘upstarts’ from Manchester, though both sides were well established as the Victorian Age drew to a close.

Everton also won the corresponding away league fixture – and first of the new century – at Goodison Park, 4.0 on 28th April, 1900

Manchester City won their first match against Everton later that year. A First Division match, they won 1.0 on 13th October, 1900 in front of 15,000 at Hyde Road. The winner was scored by Scottish forward ‘Jim’ Cassidy who had previously played for Newton Heath – the team from the other side of town and destined to become Manchester United in 1902.

Manchester City’s first league game against Everton at Maine Road occurred on 15th December, 1923 in the First Division. City won 2.1 in front of an attendance of 35,000. Horace Barnes and Frank Roberts scored the goals for the home team.

Everton’s biggest win in the fixture came just under six years later when they beat City 9.1 at Goodison Park on 3rd September, 1906. Settle scored two more goals and Scottish striker Alex ‘Sandy’ Young scored four of Everton’s goals that day. Young had scored Everton’s FA Cup Final winner against Newcastle United the previous April and would go on to also play for Manchester City for a season in 1911-12. With 125 goals, he is fourth in the all-time list of top Everton goalscorers. His life after football was far less glorious with him being certified as mentally unstable and dying in 1959 in an Edinburgh mental asylum.

The Toffees put a further six goals past Manchester City two years later, on 26th September, 1908, again at Goodison in a 6.3 league win in which Sandy Young also scored a hat-trick.

They repeated the feat between the wars and, again, just before Christmas in a 6.1 league win at Goodison Park, a week after that inaugural game between the teams at Maine Road. Scorer of four goals on 22nd December, 1923 was ‘Wilf’ Chadwick who would go on to amass an impressive fifty goals in 102 league appearances in his three years at Everton.

Manchester City also scored six of their own – the highest number of goals they have ever put past Everton – for the first time on 15th September, 1928. City had been relegated at the end of the 1925-26 season but promoted back to the First Division in 1928 and so this was the first time they had played Everton for two and a half years. They certainly celebrated their return in style, winning 6.2 at Goodison Park in front of 47,871 astonished fans. Forward Tommy Johnson scored five of City’s goals that day and would go on to achieve the record for the most goals scored by a Manchester City player in a single season with 38 in that campaign. Like Jimmy Settle he would also play for the other club, joining Everton in 1930.

City were certainly back in the top flight with a vengeance – certainly as far as Everton were concerned – as they went on to win the corresponding fixture in Manchester 5.1 on 26th January, 1929. ‘Fred’ Tilson scored two of City’s goals that day. A one-team player he would compete for Manchester City up until the outbreak of WWII which included him scoring the two goals which helped Manchester City to beat Portsmouth in the 1934 FA Cup Final 2.1.

The Citizens would win 6.2 again on 7th December, 1957 – this time at Maine Road. Captain Ken Barnes scored a hat-trick – this time all penalties. He was only the third player to achieve this in the top flight of English football and, as designated penalty-taker for City, scored eleven in total during that season.

As well as in that 1929 match, Manchester City have scored five goals against Everton on three other occasions: 5.2 at Goodison on 19th April, 1958; 5.0 at home on 9th December, 2000 and 5.1 at home on 15th May, 2004.

The match in 2000 provided Manchester City’s highest margin of victory in these matches and, a bit like in 1928, was their first encounter with Everton after City had been relegated and even slipped into the third-tier before successive promotions saw them regain their Premier League status. Paulo Wanchope scored one of City’s goals that day and added two more in the 5.1 victory in 2004 which was the first time the fixture had been played at City’s new home.

The highest scoring draw in this fixture came fairly early on – a 4.4 draw on 19th September, 1925 at Maine Road. One of Everton’s goals came from legendary striker Dixie Dean while Tommy Browell – who had formed a lethal goalscoring partnership with Horace Barnes – scored all four of City’s goals as their season promised much and then fell apart at the end. They reached the 1926 FA Cup Final via some huge victories such as an 11.4 win against Crystal Palace and 3.0 against Manchester United in the semi-final. However, they lost in the Final 1.0 to Bolton Wanderers. As we have seen, they were also relegated at the end of the season after a 3.2 defeat on the final day of the season at Newcastle United.

These two sides have met seven times in the FA Cup and on two occasions the winners of those ties have gone on to the Final: Everton who beat Sheffield Wednesday 3.2 in 1966, and City who lost in that dramatic FA Cup Replay of 1981, also 3.2, to Tottenham Hotspur.

They have only met three times in the Football League Cup. A 2.0 victory in the fourth round at Maine Road on 14th October, with goals by City stalwarts of the time Colin Bell and Francis Lee, again helped them to reach the Final in 1970 in which they beat West Bromwich Albion 2.1. Everton got their revenge on 20th January, 1988 when a crowd of more than 40,000 at Goodison Park saw them win by the same score in that year’s quarter-final: Adrian Heath and Graeme Sharp got the Everton goals.

The last time they met in this competition came in the two-legged semi-final of 2015-16 and a period of three games between the sides in a three-week period in January 2016. Everton won the first leg 2.1 at Goodison Park. There then followed a goalless draw at The Etihad before the teams met again in Manchester on 27th January, 2016 with City winning 3.1 with goals from Fernandinho, De Bruyne and Aguero to progress to the Final where, once again, they won the trophy by beating Liverpool on penalties 3.1 after the match had finished 1.1.

Table toppers Manchester City take on Arsenal in match week 16 of the Premier League when the teams clash on Sunday, December 18, 2011.

Man City suffered their first loss of the league season when they went down 2-1 away at Chelsea, in match week 15. Lampard became an instant hero for the home side when he came off the bench to score the match winner seven minutes before time. The sides were locked at 1-1 after Balotelli’s early lead for City was neutralised shortly before the interval on the back of Raul Meireles’ strike. City began explosively with waves of attack in the first half hour to exploit Chelsea’s porous defence. It culminated in Balotelli’s goal, when Aguero cut in from the right to relay the ball past Terry to Aguero who in turn passed it to Balotelli to do the rest. At the end of the day, City would have rued their many missed scoring opportunities in the first half when the home side’s defence was all at sea, trying to cope with the marauding City attack.

In match week 15, Arsenal registered a 1-0 victory over Everton, in a match hosted by Gunners at the Emirates. Robin Van Persie – who else – scored the only goal of the game to give Arsenal something to celebrate their 125th anniversary by. Van Persie’s spectacular volley on 71 minutes brought relief to home fans who were frustrated by the home side’s many missed chances.

Head to head, in the last 10 years, Man City and Arsenal have met in 20 league games, with Arsenal winning on 14 occasions and City on 3, with the remaining games ending in stalemates. The last time these teams met was in January 2011; that match played at the Emirates ended in a goalless stalemate.

Man City have won 8, and drawn and lost 1 each of their last 10 league matches, while Arsenal have identically won 8 and drawn and lost 1 each of their last 10 games.

Currently at the top of the table, City have hosted 7 home games, this season, winning all 7; the Gunners who are 5th placed on the league table have had 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses, in their 7 away games.

With Chelsea causing City’s title bid a mild jolt in match week 15, the Manchester squad will have a point or more to prove against the Gunners whose ramshackle defence could be put to its stiffest test yet.

Man City’s starting eleven against Chelsea: Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Joleon Lescott, Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, James Milner, Gnegneri Toure Yaya, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli.

Arsenal’s starting eleven against Everton: Wojciech Szczesny, Johan Djourou, Per Metresacker, Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Yao Gervinho, Robin Van Persie.