City and Portugal's connection with the club

[AlgarveBlu]

I was speaking to one of the bank managers I work with today and he said that he was supporting City like most Portuguese as a Portuguese person helped create City - I thought he was taking the piss but he said that there had been quite a few articles in the local press recently about it because of the game so he sent me the link which I have posted below - you need to translate it.

I was especially surprised about the supposed origins of our club colours being a direct link to the Portuguese flag (monarch one) extract copied below -

In a short time, Carlos Silva and his associates raised £5,000 for the club's constitution and later began building Manchester City. In this construction of Manchester City, Carlos Silva made the strength for the club to have a bit of his Portugal, so that the sportmen himself glimpse, in each city player, his country. When the discussion was followed for what the newly created club's equipment should look like, Carlos Silva proposed that the colors of the Portuguese flag be used, that is, blue and white. It should be noted that we lived in this time in the Monarchy, whose flag had the colors mentioned.

Source: The Sports -August 2, 1926, p. 1. "When we discussed what the Manchester City team should be, it was accepted that the colors of the Flag of Portugal in it were represented: the sky blue jersey and the white shorts" "Every time I saw a Manchester player I saw a little bit of the flag of the Fatherland."


Texto retirado do zerozero.pt

A história do português que terá fundado o Manchester City :: zerozero.pt

Nos dias que correm, no relvado do Etihad Stadium brilha um português chamado Bernardo Silva, que contribuiu no passado recente para a conquista de muitos títulos do Manchester City. Outrora, nos finais do século XIX, outro Silva ajudou os Citizens a darem os primeiros passos no desporto inglês.

www.zerozero.pt

If the contents of the article are true I have to admit I never had a scooby about any of this! Are there any historians or posters on here that can corroborate the article especially the origins of our strip colours?

Either way it seems like the locals are on the sky blues for this one...

 

[Mr.Banks]

Interesting. @Gary James anything on this please.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Full translation ...

Nowadays, on the pitch of Etihad Stadium shines a Portuguese called Bernardo Silva, who has contributed in the recent past to winning many Manchester City titles. In the late 19th century, another Silva helped the Citizens to take their first steps in English sport.

Carlos Silva, Portuguese as a gem, as his surname does not leave a lie, emigrated to England in the late 19th century, more specifically to Manchester, in search of better living conditions. Manchester played a major role in the Industrial Revolution and, therefore, attracted many people who wanted jobs and a better life. Apparently, in the eyes of the reader, nothing new. Now, in these years in England, a sport had conquered its space in the heart of English society, which already had in their leisure routines the attendance at football stadiums. So much was the advance of football in England that the professionalism of footballers was already a reality and there were those who lived on this sport, not with the principled salaries of current English football, much less the City of Guardiola, but with significant amounts. At the age of 19, Carlos Silva landed in England and fell in love with football, with which most likely in Portugal he had never had contact. But, as Arawick Green's right defender, he quickly stood out for having the technicality and "southern restlessness" that would later characterize the Portuguese footballer.

Manchester City's embryo club Arawick Green was, at this stage, a poor club that had a hard time paying its professionals in the eleven. In other words, it was not yet an entirely professional club as many other English clubs were. In fact, according to the interview with the late newspaper Sports in 1926, the club had so many difficulties that at the end of the games the managers and amateurs who played would ask the spectators for money to pay the salaries.

Later, Carlos Silva, together with some friends, began to sketch what would become Manchester City. It is interesting to note that this is a kind of history on the contrary in the context of the time, due to the fact that football in Portugal was brought by the English. Despite the importance of Portuguese names like the brothers Pinto Bastos and Carlos Vilar, who helped to build Portuguese football, they were deeply influenced by the English and not the other way around. In fact, English clubs in Portugal dominated the first phase of the sport (Carcavelos, CIF…) and even in the press and in the football world in Portugal it was common to use sports vocabulary of Anglo-Saxon origin, such as goalkeeper, half-back , forward, shoot, kick and trucs

In a short time, Carlos Silva and his associates collected £ 5,000 for the formation of the club and subsequently began to build Manchester City. In this construction of Manchester City, Carlos Silva forced the club to have a little of its Portugal, so that the sportmen themselves could see, in each City player, their country. When the discussion on how the equipment of the newly created club should have happened, Carlos Silva proposed that the colors of the Portuguese flag be used, that is, blue and white. It is important to note that we lived in the Monarchy at this time, whose flag had the colors mentioned. This new club, which had little resemblance to the former Arawick Green, quickly grew and hired players of great fame, as was the case with Meredith, a former Welsh international. According to this historic interview, the club soon acquired large proportions and their games were earning fabulous amounts. But, as in the present day, City was punished for not complying with the regulations. In fact, the Manchester club, for having players who received above the salary cap established by the English Association, suffered heavy financial and sporting damages. As a result of this controversy, the Citzens' players were forced to leave the club, as well as the governing body, which led them to almost sporting and financial ruin. A lesson in history with a Lusitanian stamp for posterity.

It's mentioned that he says he played for Ardwick Green but Canadian Walter Bowman was the first non British/Irish player recorded to play for a football league team in England (Accrington Stanley 1892 and for Ardwick and City not long after), so if this is true then this fella must have been with Ardwick as an amateur before the 1891/2 season when the club were admitted to the league. I'm just not sure the comments about professionals and collecting for their salaries sits right for this era.

And £5000 in 1894 is over £500k in today's money. If the £5k was an updated value in 1926 (the date of the interview) then it's still over £300k. Think we'd know about it myself.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Really interesting info. There was a Benfica fan at my old job who had a soft spot for because we have so many of their former players - that may help too?

 

[AlgarveBlu]

Full translation ...


It's mentioned that he says he played for Ardwick Green but Canadian Walter Bowman was the first non British/Irish player recorded to play for a football league team in England (Accrington Stanley 1892 and for Ardwick Green and City not long after), so if this is true then this fella must have been with Ardwick as an amateur before the 1891/2 season when the club were admitted to the league. I'm just not sure the comments about professionals and collecting for their salaries sits right for this era.

And £5000 in 1894 is over £500k in today's money. If the £5k was an updated value in 1926 (the date of the interview) then it's still over £300k. Think we'd know about it myself.

Yes the whole article is intriguing as you would think their would be some records of this somewhere. Strange having people tell me City was founded by a Portuguese person.

The origins of our club colours would be a good story if true, linked to the historic Royal house of Portugal which had the below colours (did we ever play in this shade of blue?) . Either way I am looking at this as a good omen - City are going back to some of their roots to bring the CL home!

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Yes the whole article is intriguing as you would think their would be some records of this somewhere. Strange having people tell me City was founded by a Portuguese person.

The origins of our club colours would be a good story if true, linked to the historic Royal house of Portugal which had the below colours (did we ever play in this shade of blue?) . Either way I am looking at this as a good omen - City are going back to some of their roots to bring the CL home!


View attachment 18064

When Gorton AFC became Ardwick AFC they reportedly wore royal blue and white half and half shirts* but that doesn't fit with the chronology in the article. And everywhere else I've read of that period say light blue and white. It's all very mysterious.

*According to this site ...

History - St Marks (West Gorton) Ltd

stmarkswestgorton.com

 

[Chi-town blues]

ffs vasco dagama

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Full translation ...


It's mentioned that he says he played for Ardwick Green but Canadian Walter Bowman was the first non British/Irish player recorded to play for a football league team in England (Accrington Stanley 1892 and for Ardwick and City not long after), so if this is true then this fella must have been with Ardwick as an amateur before the 1891/2 season when the club were admitted to the league. I'm just not sure the comments about professionals and collecting for their salaries sits right for this era.

And £5000 in 1894 is over £500k in today's money. If the £5k was an updated value in 1926 (the date of the interview) then it's still over £300k. Think we'd know about it myself.

Maybe he changed his name to Carl Silver haha.

I must say, I’ve never heard of this before. But the colours of Ardwick do make sense with the old Portuguese flag.




But surely we’d know about this?

 

[KS55]

Can't be true, we have no istree, see.

 

[mat]

Might as well be...(Insert club name here)