173felt like kissing the badge I would, because it’s the team
that matters. And for a team that’s given everything for
you, of course I’d kiss the badge. But it’s like anything:
everyone’s got ambitions, this club has ambitions... I
remember my agent and I had a conversation, I can’t
remember exactly how old I was, and he just told me,
“This is a brutal sport at times. When you were 14 the
coach didn’t have to give you a contract. When you were
16... What about the other kids that didn’t get their
contract? How do you think they feel? So if you have the
opportunity and you think it’s right for you to leave a
club and that’s your dream, do it. Because if it’s the other
way around, the club would do the exact same thing to
you without thinking twice. They’re doing it for their
best interests. So if there are points in your career that
you really want to do something you feel, that’s what
you’ve got to do.”It’s amazing you’re still only 24. To keep improving, do you
think you’ve got to be setting yourself new goals and new
horizons?
Yeah, for sure. Every season it’s trying to do something
better than last. We didn’t make it to the Champions
League final but that’s something at this club we really
want to do, so every year there have always got to begoals and from a young age I set out what I wanted to
do.Is there part of you that is starting to think about expanding
into business and even what you do after you stop playing?
Yeah, I’m loving my properties and loving that side
of it. I was saying to Vinny, how can there be so many
football players and you don’t really hear any of them
being billionaires or putting their money together and
doing stuff?What do you make of the impact that social media is having
on your world, football, and the world more generally?
It’s good to be able to have that platform if you use it in
the right way.What do you think it says about the world that people think
they can just abuse people like you or me or anyone else
and now it’s out there instantly? Does it worry you?
Yeah, it is cruel. And I think if there is an issue with
people saying that then social media needs to protect
their users more. If people are getting abused they need
to do more for sure. There are a lot of young kids on
there as well who see stuff they probably shouldn’t. I
know I’m going to get stick. As long as it’s not malicious
I’m fine with the normal, regular jokes. But it’s when it
gets malicious...How important is your faith?
Massive. Massive. Massive to me. I always give thanks
for my life, always give thanks for my family’s life, and
I’m just really grateful for the position I’m in.If your body is a temple, why do you cover it with all these
tattoos?
[Laughs] Yeah, for sure! As I said, everyone has their
choice, and everyone makes good choices and everyone
makes bad choices. My mum despises some of these. The
majority of my tattoos I finished before I was 19. The last
couple were in the last year or so. It’s something she’s
not happy with. It’s like alcohol – even tasting alcohol,
she’s not happy. I remember for about six months she
didn’t speak to me.When you drank?
Yeah. I got bullied into drinking. I won’t say the player’s
name, but I don’t think I’d have drunk if it wasn’t for
that player. But, yeah, she didn’t speak to me for six
months.Because you drank?
Yeah. No one in my family drinks, apart from my uncle.You don’t drink at all?
Not regularly.How many City players don’t have tattoos? It’s become a
massive thing in football, hasn’t it?
I think quite a few, though. Gundogan doesn’t have one.
Vinny doesn’t have any. Quite a few actually. If I could
go back, then I wouldn’t have any. It’s another thing that
when you’ve started you can’t stop. If you get one, you
get another one.GROOMING:JOHNNY CARUSO. PHOTO ASSISTANTS: ISRAEL VEINTIDOS, SHADI BEST. PROP STYLIST: ERIC MESTMAN. PRODUCTION: JES LEVY
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