BBC Match of the Day commentator Jon Champion couldn’t have epitomised the genius of Manchester City maverick Georgi Kinkladze any better in March 1996.
The Georgian picked up play on the right flank, slalomed his way through a number of challenges before sending Southampton goalkeeper Dave Beasant sprawling with a delicate lob.
To this day it remains one of City’s most memorable strikes, and one which Champion was privileged to witness with his own eyes as he guided BBC viewers through the action at Maine Road.
Looking back on both the goal and the player himself, Champion describes the Georgian as a unique phenomenon in English football at the time.
“This was the first tranche of exotically talented foreign players to come into the still new Premier league. He was one of the few who could lift you from your seat and transport you to a land of fantasy,” Champion reflects in the recent CITY+ documentary Kinkladze: The Magician of Maine Road.
“Eric Cantona would be another, maybe Dennis Bergkamp, but he had that stellar ability that you knew even as it unfolded, you were going to remember for the rest of your life.
“When I think of Georgi Kinkladze, I think of a sporting and footballing magician but also a showman. He was the one real beacon of light (for City) at the time.
“He had the poise of a ballet dancer, the balance of a top-class international gymnast, the stealth of an expert pickpocket and the acceleration over about ten yards of an Aston Martin.”
Kinkladze: The Magician of Maine Road, documents Georgi Kinkladze’s unforgettable spell at City.
Featuring interviews with the man himself, former teammates such as Michael Brown, Paul Dickov and Ian Brightwell, as well as a number of supporters, this 46-minute feature is the latest offering from City Studios.
Blessed with an outstanding natural ability, Kinkladze was a unique talent who became the star of a struggling City side during a three-year spell in which he lit up Maine Road with his vast repertoire skills.
The mesmerising midfielder reflects fondly on his time in Manchester, recollecting his iconic goal against Southampton and the many other highlights from his City career.
The documentary is available in full over on CITY+, with a subscription costing just £1.99 GBP / month.
CITY+ is our content subscription service, which is available on all our digital platforms - mancity.com, Man City app and Smart TV.
It provides access to a host of CityTV documentaries, as well as full match replays of our first team and women’s sides and selected EDS and Academy games.
You can find out more and sign up, HERE.
