Yaya Toure was still basking in the glory of defeating an 'unbeatable' Manchester United in the Champions League final when one of his toughest opponents flashed up on his TV.
Carlos Tevez, last seen in Rome trying to stop that glorious Barcelona side with Toure in central defence, was on his way to Manchester City. It was a deal that enraged Sir Alex Ferguson - particularly after the 'Welcome to Manchester' poster - as much as it delighted the newly-minted Blues, and also caught the attention of a squad as decorated as Barcelona's.
Toure paid attention to the power dynamic in Manchester when he saw Tevez had signed for United's closest rivals, and noted how badly Ferguson reacted to the news. A year later, he would join Tevez at the Etihad to end United's long reign and usher in a decade of extraordinary success for City.
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"Tevez was one of the biggest players and to take him from a big rival and bring him to you, you can maybe understand why Ferguson was frustrated and p*****," he said. "Tevez was incredible in that period.
"I was at Barcelona then but I remember being away at the time and seeing it on Sky and it was a big thing: ‘Tevez switches from United to City’. It was incredible.
"What we care about as players is what’s going to happen on the field. When a manager starts to talk about someone or other clubs it means he’s scared. It means he feels something going on there that is important. You don’t talk about someone like that if you don’t fear him.
"We just focused on ourselves and tried to do our best. Tevez had been someone who was so important in the reign of United. [Dimitar] Berbatov, [Wayne] Rooney, [Ryan] Giggs - this team was unbeatable. It was top. So to see one of their talismans go to their rival like that is something - you could see something was changing."
Tevez's switch to City did not stop United winning their 11th Premier League title in 2010, and Toure's move that year could not prevent a 12th title for Ferguson's winning machine. In the six meetings between the clubs from September 2009 to February 2011, the only City victory came in the first leg of a league cup semi-final where they ended up losing the tie at Old Trafford.
Then came the FA Cup semi-final in April 2011. United were on their way to surpassing Liverpool's record of league titles but a one-off match gave City the opportunity to show their neighbours quite how noisy they had become.
Patrick Vieira, one of the most experienced heads in the squad, gave a team talk before the game and then Toure had words after a difficult first half. A second-half strike from the Ivorian midfielder proved to be the game's only goal and Toure remembers the celebrations from that game being bigger than when they beat Stoke in the final to win the club's first trophy in 35 years.
"When you go back to that game, in the first half they were battering us. I remember that chance they missed a yard from goal, it was open - Berbatov," he said.
"After that Joe Hart’s save from Nani. First half they were dominant. I remember getting into the dressing room at half-time and saying ‘Look, we’re too passive’. If you want to dream about being in finals we have to put up a great fight and be ourselves.
"We were respecting United too much. When we got into the dressing room we were quiet for two or three minutes, I have to be honest with you, but we knew what was going on - we were getting battered. They were dominant in all aspects - defensively, offensively, all over the field, it was tough.
"Whereas the second half we knew we had to change the mentality and go for it. Because after that it’s going to be so noisy the city. And after that everything went in the right way.
"I think we celebrated more then that actually winning the final! Even on the train back we were still celebrating. It was a mark of the change that was happening.
"There was a big celebration - not only the players. The executives were on the train with us, they came into the dressing room to share our happiness. They were feeling like: ‘This is it now, change is coming now at Man City’.
"The fans realised it as well. Everyone around the city started to realise it. I remember when I went to the shops or supermarkets and even United fans would say: ‘Oh Yaya, you guys, jeez’.
"People started to understand things were changing. It was a great feeling, not just for me, for all the players. Before then, most of the team it had not been like that - United fans asking ‘So what did you do City? Losers’, that kind of thing.
"After that game all those things changed. We started to get more respect. People started to believe in the project of Manchester City. It was huge."
That FA Cup paved the way for City to challenge United in the league, leading to the closest and most dramatic finish in the competition's history when the Blues came from eight points adrift in the final five matches, only to nearly throw it away on the final day before scoring two late, late goals against QPR to clinch their first Premier League trophy. Ferguson and United had no choice but to accept there was a new champion to contend with.
Toure is now used to watching from the sidelines as he works coaching Tottenham Under-16s as he does his UEFA Pro License, having fallen in love with coaching after initially feeling devastated upon retiring from playing when he could not accept leaving football. A return to the Etihad as a manager could even be on the cards one day if the stars align, but Toure will never forget the pain of being stood watching the rollercoaster unfold against QPR from the bench after being taken off at half-time.
"In that moment I realised how tough it is to be a football fan! When you play on the field, you trust your ability, you trust your way and fans cannot read what is going on in your head, in your brain. ‘Why is he so calm and cool when we’re still missing chances?’, ‘Why didn’t he pass the ball to the left or right?’.
"But in that period I think I lost two or three kilos because watching it you’re like a fan. In that period that’s why I felt for the fans even more. When you’re playing, even if you’re losing 2-1 with 20 minutes to go, I feel like I can make it because I’ve got the ball, the control, I can conduct games with my teammates.
"But the fans - ‘Why don’t you pass the ball then, why don’t you cross, why don’t you shoot?’. You’re powerless. In that moment I found out how difficult it is!"
What made City's title victory all the sweeter was the fact that they only pipped United on goal difference as a result of them beating them twice in the season, including the devastating 6-1 victory at Old Trafford. Without that 10-goal swing, plus the two-goal swing from winning 1-0 at home, the trophy would have ended up in United hands once more.
As much as Toure savoured the FA Cup win the previous season, it is the 6-1 game that he really enjoyed. The Blues great can still remember the United manager's face as he watched his team humiliated at home, and does not need to think about who was playing that day because he has the teamsheet framed in his home.
Toure would go on to enjoy many more derby victories as City became the dominant force in English football, yet beating that United team on their own turf in the manner that City took them apart will always stay with him as the best moment. City carried the belief from their FA Cup victory and left lasting scars on their biggest rivals while sending a statement to the rest of the league.
"I think what hurt United the most - the club, their fans - was the 6-1 win. That was impressive from us," he said.
"After the FA Cup, we believed we could beat them even at Old Trafford with Ferguson. Ferguson is one of the great managers. Old Trafford is the most emblematic stadium around the world. Most of their players were there.
"It was like a slap in the face of United fans, even players in front of Ferguson. I remember watching highlights of the game and you could see the camera on Ferguson’s face and it was red. He didn’t say anything. You could see it in his eyes. He was like ‘Oh’.
"It was incredible. We played much better than we did in the FA Cup. We won that game 1-0 but we got dominated in the first half. The one chance we got we scored and then they got a red card and we took advantage.
"But at Old Trafford the 6-1 was different. It was in their stadium, against the best manager in the world who had made their team great and we battered them 6-1. What’s better than that?"
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