The term 'shirt sales' should be viewed in a metaphorical, not literal sense.
The battle to elevate this club has had to have been fought on a number of fronts. Some people seem to forget how much this club has struggled for column inches down the years, even after the takeover to some extent. In spite of being the 'richest club in the world' we were never taken seriously.
That has all changed in the last two years. Manchester City Football Club is now one of the most talked about sporting entities on the planet. Is this down to one FA Cup and one Premier League title? To suggest so displays a complete failure to understand how the modern, digital world operates.
We have become a big story, not in spite of the egos but because of them and Mario has been the biggest ego and the biggest story of them all. He has helped accelerate our global presence and consequently our status within the game.
The struggle to make this club stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Barca and Real Madrid, itself a notion that would have been met with derision only a short time ago, has to be fought beyond the playing arena, for better or worse.
Mario's contribution on the pitch has been fitful at best but in his own way he has helped as much as any other player in making Sheikh Mansour's vision for Manchester City a reality.
He has helped make City truly 'Massive'.
