Bell played 501 times for City and scored 153 goals during 13 trophy-laden seasons with the Blues.
Those superlative statistics place him fifth in the number of most appearances as well as fourth in our all-time highest scorers list, alongside modern day hero Erling Haaland.
In total he won eight major honours at Maine Road but maybe even more importantly earned the respect and admiration of every City fan and indeed, the wider football family for his huge talent and humble personality.
This sky blue star was born when he joined City from Bury in 1966 for just £45,000 and to say that was money well spent would be a true understatement.
Initially wearing the No.10 shirt, he made his City debut against Derby County and scored one of the goals in a vital 2-1 win as the Blues went on to gain promotion and win the Division Two title in 1965/66.
That was the precursor for a truly Golden Era spearheaded by the now No.8 Bell as part of the Holy Trinity alongside Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee as well as truly wonderful players and personalities like Mike Doyle, Tony Book and Neil Young.
City won the First Division title for the first time in 31 years in 1967/68 and Bell – whose star was now positively glowingly - was named City Player of the Year.
Indeed by now he’d been afforded two nicknames - ‘Nijinsky’ thanks to his lung-busting stamina and speed and ‘King of the Kippax’ which launched a terrace chant to the tune of Lily the Pink by The Scaffold.
That historic side followed up the First Division title with the Charity Shield and FA Cup in 1968/69 as well as the European Cup Winners Cup and League Cup of 1969/70 on top of another Charity Shield in 1972/73 as the Blues swept all before them.
As the 1970s began, his influence was still immense although his playing days were curtailed by a knee injury sustained in a derby clash with neighbours Manchester United in November 1975.
He was there to cheer on his teammates as City won the League Cup in 1976, just falling short of making it into the squad for the Wembley clash in front of 100,000 fans.
The humble hero did go on to play for his beloved Blues again – indeed his substitute appearance in a 4-0 home win over Newcastle on Boxing Day 1977 will live long in the memory of everyone who was there that day as he was given a hero’s welcome on returning to action.
But he was never truly the same again and he made his final appearance in May 1979 aged 33, against Aston Villa.
For England, he won 48 caps, scored nine goals and represented the Three Lions in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico in a team many argue was even better than the immortal Heroes of 1966.
Time may have passed but his star has never faded.
In 2004, he was inducted into the City Hall of Fame and by an overwhelming majority in a vote among our fans, his name was put forward as the one to adorn the Etihad Stadium’s West Stand.
Meanwhile, in 2005 he entered the English Football Hall of Fame as well as being awarded an MBE for his charity work.
Bell sadly passed away in 2021 and the tributes from staff, players and supporters were universally emotional and heartfelt as we said goodbye to a true icon of our beautiful game.
There was one final tribute, though, as in 2023, a statue was unveiled of legendary trio Bell, Lee and Summerbee – the ‘Holy Trinity’ - outside the Etihad Stadium, commemorating their combined 30 years of football service to the Club.
The installation was conceived and created by world-renowned sculptor David Williams-Ellis and is fittingly positioned in proximity to the Colin Bell Stand.
Vitally, City’s current players and fans are now reminded of our rich history, of which they are a part, every time they enter the stadium grounds on matchday.
The Golden Era of Bell and co may now have been replaced by the Guardiola Era.
But Bell’s star will never fade – it will burn forever.
He is sadly not here today to enjoy his 80th birthday alongside family and friends but we’re marking the moment here at the club with a host of content about his majesty.
Today we should all drink, a drink, a drink to Colin the King, the King, the King.
