Spare a thought for Joe Hart. When he turns up for work every day, there is not much chance to enjoy a cup of tea and a relaxing look at the papers. Sooner or later, he knows he will be facing an assembled strike force worth more than £120m. That would be enough to put anyone off their Oatibix.
Then again, it could be worse. If you were Sergio Agüero (£38m), Carlos Tevez (£32m), Edin Dzeko (£27m) or Mario Balotelli (£24m), you'd know you were up against all 6' 5" of one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but who cost just £600,000 when he signed from his previous club Shrewsbury Town. After training, Hart finds it easier to see the funny side. "You just have to laugh some days," he says with a smile. "It is frustrating sometimes, but even more rewarding when I get the better of them. It's definitely improved me as a 'keeper, though."
Just 19 when he arrived, unlike most of City's current team Hart was signed before the Abu Dhabi billions came into the club. Five years on and as well as City's first choice, he is also England's No.1 and is being mentioned as a possible captain of the national team. And none of this fazes him. "You are right. I'm not fazed, but that certainly doesn't mean I don't care. I'm not made of stone, but I get more excited than nervous because football means the world to me."
The hardest part, he says, is that, as a 'keeper in a great team, he doesn't always see much of the ball. So what does he think about when he is a spectator for much of a game? "You'd be surprised!" he says. "I laugh sometimes, with what goes through my head, because I'm not going to lie and say it's football, football, football. You know, a game is 90 minutes, 20 of those minutes the ball is out of play, and 60 of the other 90 we've got the ball. Maybe I'm involved for ten minutes. I just stay focused when I need to."
What Manchester City say about Mario
"Mario is a good guy… he's a funny guy. When you know him well he's such a fantastic person to have in the team. Sometimes he has a bad reaction to things because he's young, but I think he's learning more now and knows what people expect from him." - Yaya Touré
"I see Mario in training every day, sometimes playing with him, sometimes against him. And he is an incredible footballer. He is strong and intelligent, but he also does things you don't expect. For the opposition, he must be terrifying to play against." - Vincent Kompany
"Mario first played for me at 16. He is 21 now. He is very lucky to play and be so talented. He is an incredible talent, but he does not understand how good he can be… Mario is a good man, a kind man, but I do not always understand him. It feels as if I need my own special translator, just for Mario." - Roberto Mancini
"The first time I met Mario Balotelli, I didn't know what to expect because I had heard so many stories about him. But what really surprised me was the level of skill he had. And the more I play with him the more I understand him." - Sergio Agüero
"Yeah, Mario is mad. But he is also brilliant, and I love him. I'll tell you the one thing that is the key to Mario and that is he just does not give a f***! He just does stuff on the spur of the moment and he really doesn't care about the consequences." - Joe Hart
Vincent Kompany on Tevez, racism and the revolution in Belgian football
If you want to understand what Manchester City stand for in 2012, you only have to sit down with their captain, Vincent Kompany. Articulate, intelligent and unflinchingly honest, the 25-year-old defender is the club's most improved player and has witnessed the Abu Dhabi revolution at first hand. "When I signed, I sat down with Mark Hughes [the then manager] and he told me about the ambition of the club," he says. "There wasn't any talk of the new owners at that time, as it was just the month before, so I got to see it all from the very beginning."
What was the key to turning all your individual stars into a unified team? "I think competition has forced everyone to perform at their best. We have all evolved in a very competitive environment, and over the past three-and-half years that has brought the best out of everybody."
How can City avoid the pitfalls that seem to have befallen Chelsea? "The main thing I see happening at City is that a lot of money is being invested in the club as a whole. The outside world sees the big transfers and high wages, but there's a lot being invested in the people that actually make this club. We are building a future, not just one team."
Was it good or bad to have Carlos Tevez back in the squad? "Any team in the world should believe they would be stronger with Carlos in the team. If there's one thing you always get with Carlos, it's 100 per cent commitment when he's on the pitch."
'It was very common for me and other black players to be racially abused and it was never reported'
Much has been made of the racism issue in English football this season. What is your opinion on that? "First of all, I have never been abused in England. What makes me angry, is that a big deal is made out of one incident on the pitch [between Patrice Evra and Luis Suárez], but not enough is being done about racism in the sport as a whole. As a young footballer in Belgium, it was very common for me and other black players to be racially abused and it was never reported. I see it happening still in Europe, and if you don't take action in the lower leagues and at junior level, it will only be a matter of time before it spreads. That worries me a lot."
At City you have a lot of big players with big egos. Is that a problem? "We do have big players, but they are all good professionals. Everyone knows what they have to do: win trophies. That's all that matters and that belief shapes the team."
Do you think that City have that winning mentality now? "Of course, every single player has and if anyone doesn't then they have a problem with me."
Even Mario Balotelli would think twice about that.
