Interview: Geovanni on Manchester derby winner, City memories, Sven and Pep | OneFootball

We caught up with our former Brazilian midfielder, Geovanni, this week as he recalled fondly his Manchester derby winner against United from 2008 in a season when we did the double over Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils.

Geovanni also looked back at his short but sweet career in sky blue, his former boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and the current era of success under Pep Guardiola.

You can check out his thoughts below.

Hi Geovanni, you joined Manchester City in the summer of 2007 – what are your memories of playing for City?

Good afternoon.

I have good memories from 2007. It was a pleasure to play for City. And it was a dream to play in England. It was a club that marked my life and opened the doors for me.

It’s wonderful football in the Premier League, something that I used to watch and City was the club who opened those doors for me.

So I’m very happy and grateful to City, because it was the accomplishment of a dream.

What a start…a goal on your debut in a 2-0 win over West Ham – what do you remember of that game?

The first match was away against West Ham yes.

I was on the bench. I remember that I came on, 1-0, tight game, and I had the joy to dribble past a player and shoot, scoring our second goal.

I remember that I celebrated with our fans who were behind the goal.

It was a very special moment for me - a beautiful thing that happened.

Then the big one – against Manchester United – how excited were you about the game and did you know how important the game was in Manchester?

I remember that very special day.

I was very prepared. I’d slept well and on the day of the match I heard I was going to play.

And I had always enjoyed derbies in Brazil. I had played a few in Portugal and when I went to Manchester I knew this derby was a game where I could write a story.

And it was what happened. We won 1-0, I scored the goal, and it was a very special day for the fans, the blue side of Manchester.

After the match we went to a restaurant, Elano as well, and people gave us a standing ovation.

A long time without beating our rival so that day we made the City fans happy.

Talk to us about the goal – great strike and finish?

That shot outside the area was very pretty.

Elano got the ball on the left side and he saw me, he had such good vision on the pitch, a friend I made, a brilliant player.

He passed me the ball and from far away I hit the shot, I think it touched someone from their team on the way and Edwin van der Sar couldn’t get it.

So it was a very special match and that goal, a very beautiful one, put smiles on the faces of all our fans.

Amazing feeling to win that derby game – what was atmosphere like?

The atmosphere was amazing that day.

And after our first goal, Manchester United began to attack us, the City fans pushing us, shouting, encouraging us.

And it was a beautiful atmosphere, the end of the match as well, all that followed.

The fans screamed the players' names, that euphoria, it was something that stuck with me, that scream of ‘we beat our rivals’.

That day our fans could celebrate and release that scream of joy. It was a very special afternoon.

How much do you look back on that game and smile now?

When I remember that match, it brings good memories from everything that happened that day. It was a very tight and tough game.

United had a wonderful team, a squad with great players and who played good football, and we faced them at our home, we were not afraid and we managed to get that victory that was very special for us.

You then won at Old Trafford later that season to do the double over United – not usual at that time…

Exactly, we beat them at their home and City began to show that it was going to be City from that day on.

And it all began that 2007/08 season, so I’m very happy to have participated in that cycle, that I could write my name at City.

It was a privilege to play for the club and the season beating United at home and away.

So this sparkled a light and City became what it is today.

Sven-Goran Eriksson – there’s a great picture of you celebrating with him at the final whistle in the Manchester derby - what was he like as a manager?

With Sven, I want to always be clear about my gratitude and affection for him.

It was him who took me to City, who gave me the opportunity.

Since he had managed Benfica and had lots of friends there, people talked about me and he accepted me without thinking twice.

So it was a manager who helped me a lot. I learned a lot from him, he was very polite, understood football, and was very experienced.

So I had the privilege to work with him, someone who gave me the chance I wanted in England. So I am very grateful to him for everything he did for me while I was in England.

How sad were you when you heard about his passing?

All of us who had the chance to work with him, and saw the news that he had passed away, were very sad. I knew he had been fighting against cancer for a long time.

I was very sad, but I know how important he was for English football, the legacy he left, in other countries as well, national teams he managed, other clubs.

And I believe he left an important legacy for his family - as a father, as a husband, as a grandfather, that’s all that matters, the legacy people leave here.

He helped me a lot and I’m very grateful to him.

What do you think of City now under Pep Guardiola?

City today, with Pep Guardiola, I’m very happy to see it.

I always watch their games, and it’s a true joy to see City, from the day I began to the level that they have reached today.

So I was part of that history, I was there, other players arrived, City won trophies such as the Champions League, something that had never happened before, so I’m very glad.

Pep, he is one of the best managers in the world, with the best players, the fans, the structure. People are really smiling at the trophies.

I’m here in Brazil, but I’m a City fan, a very special club, I love Manchester, always when I can I go to Manchester. My sons learned English in Manchester, today they speak so well, the time we were there this City took us in. For three years, even when I played at Hull City I lived in Manchester.

I am very grateful to City for everything they gave that season I played there, very happy to have played for that European giant called Manchester City.