We chat to opposition heroes and find out their most formidable sky blue team – created from the players they came up against.
Murray had two spells at Brighton – the first from 2008-2011 and the second from 2016-2021.
He made 136 appearances in his first spell, scoring 56 times – which included 22 goals in the 2010/11 season when the Seagulls clinched promotion to the Championship.
Spells at Crystal Palace, Reading and Bournemouth followed before re-joining Albion on loan and then eventually making the move permanent.
Murray hit over 20 goals once again in his first season back, securing promotion to the Premier League and also being included in the 2016/17 Championship Team of the Season.
Before his eventual departure in 2021, he had made his way up to No.2 on Brighton’s all-time goalscoring charts with 111, only 12 short of record holder Tommy Cook.
He retired from the game in May 2021 and has since gone on to forge an impressive career in the media.
Check out the best City team he’s ever faced below.
GOALKEEPER: EDERSON
I really like Joe Hart, another goalkeeper I came up against, but it has to be Ederson.
For me, his biggest attribute is his alertness and awareness when he goes through long periods of the game untroubled with his hands.
When he has the ball at his feet he’s immaculate and he’s obviously got that massive kick on him where he can get you right behind the opponent’s defence.
But when it comes to making saves, he barely has to make any – but when he does, he’s always ready.
Even in the 4-0 win over Madrid, there were a couple of occasions where he had to make good saves in big moments. If he doesn’t make them, it changes the complete complexion of the game.
RIGHT BACK: KYLE WALKER
Pablo Zabaleta is an absolute legend of the football club but I have to go with Kyle Walker.
He’s outstanding and has been for a while. His longevity in the game at the very top level, his speed, his awareness. And he doesn’t seem to be slowing up with his speed either!
Other people get slower as they age but he seems to be getting quicker.
I just think he’s been such a brilliant right-back for so long, so reliable, so solid.
He always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
LEFT BACK: ALEKSANDAR KOLAROV
When City were starting to dominate, he was the left-back of the time.
Of all the left-backs I came up against, I feel he was the strongest.
I know he’s admired for his time at City and he was a very reliable performer in the backline so I’m going for Aleksandar.
CENTRE BACK: VINCENT KOMPANY
I had to leave out Richard Dunne, which I’m gutted about because he was brilliant for City during that particular era.
But I’ve got to put Vincent Kompany in. The way he drove City forward was impeccable and you see those leadership skills now in management.
He looks like he was always destined to be a manager.
He was so vocal, strong, powerful and, as a captain, he led by example.
He got the best out of everyone around him.
CENTRE BACK: JOHN STONES
I always felt I had good games against John Stones – but, of late, what a player he has become!
He has transformed his game.
I remember when he came in for a bit of criticism and what I liked about John is he didn’t rise to it, he got his head down, worked at his game, developed himself – and look at him now.
He’s immaculate. He even steps into midfield now! He’s showing his very best.
People were so quick to criticise and it annoys me that we aren’t as quick to praise him.
It frustrates me that John doesn’t get the credit he deserves for adding so much to his game.
Now he’s flourished into a truly fantastic centre-back.
RIGHT MIDFIELDER: KEVIN DE BRUYNE
I think, as far as I’m concerned, he’s in the conversation when discussing the best midfielder there’s ever been in the Premier League.
What I love about him is that when he came to England and he had a spell at Chelsea, everyone wrote him off.
But he worked hard, came back and he conquered! I love that story.
His range of passing is unbelievable. He’s so unselfish, always wants to do the best for the team – and he always looks forward. He’s always looking for his centre-forward.
He affects. He penetrates. He creates. He’s a real support network for his forwards.
He makes any striker’s job so much easier.
CENTRE MIDFIELDER: YAYA TOURE
Again in that period of Man City going from being really good to really dominating, he was integral.
Yaya was a massive player, a world star at a time when City needed to attract more top quality players.
One game at Selhurst Park when I was at Palace, he picked up the ball – after not doing much in the game – and honestly the afterburners just went on, he glided through midfield and then the defence and smashed one in the bottom corner.
It was one of those moments when I thought: ‘What on earth do you do about that? That is world-class!’
I’m not looking at my centre-backs and thinking ‘what were you doing?’. I felt like applauding.
CENTRE MIDFIELDER: ELANO
I remember when City were on track to becoming the club you’ve become now, it was almost a hybrid team.
In that generation of player, you had the British experienced players like Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips and then you had the flair of the likes of Elano, Martin Petrov and Jo.
They were at the very beginning of this project we’ve seen flourish.
I feel Elano was a cut above anyone at the club at that time.
LEFT MIDFIELDER: DAVID SILVA
How you can pick between these four options – David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden? It’s virtually impossible. I’m spoilt for choice.
I have to go for David Silva because of the effect he had on the football club, the quality he brought to the football club and his longevity at the football club.
He was a shining light for City in terms of the guys there now, who were around when he was there, probably looked up to him. For example, Bernardo Silva played with him, who’s brilliant by the way, but I look at them as the master and the apprentice.
David was questioned when he joined the Premier League because of his stature and physicality but that didn’t last long at all when they saw him play.
CENTRE FORWARD: SERGIO AGUERO
My reason for Sergio Aguero? It’s because it’s Sergio Aguero. I don’t need to explain it, do I?
The guy was cold as ice in front of goal.
CENTRE FORWARD: EDIN DZEKO
I am picking Edin because I think he was such an underappreciated player.
I think he was a really good, top, top striker for a lot of years – and he’s now starring at Inter, too, in Serie A, with that huge game against City in the Champions League final coming up soon.
