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What is it like to see your fellow citizen and... your mortal enemy many kilometers away from you? Racing, commercial, in prestige. Certainly not the best possible. It was once the blue side of Manchester that looked down on the exploits of Sir Alex Ferguson's great United.
Now the red side of the city is the one that remains open-mouthed watching everything that the also great Pep Guardiola's City does. Sometimes coaches play a much more important role in the development and success of a team. And here we are talking about two of the best, two coaches who changed football.
But City's progress isn't just down to Guardiola. Around him are people making an... umbrella for the City manager. He has what he wants. Whatever he asks, he will be granted. Whatever demand he thinks of, they are all there. On his orders.
One of these? Sr. Omar Berrada. For 9 years high in the City Football Group hierarchy. A man who "runs" this entire edifice as the head and whom the Arabs trusted blindly. That is why they had given him the role of CFO (Chief Football Operations).
But the 46-year-old Berrada submitted his resignation and the reason has to do with changing... colors, staying in the same city. From City to United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
has promised changes at United
and has already announced Berrada's joining the Red Devils and indeed as Executive Director (taking the place of
Richard Arnold). So one understands that Berrada will now be the strong man of United.
Born in Paris to Moroccan parents before going through the American school system, Berrada went from college dropout to football bigwig via a rather unorthodox route. After making the decision to drop out of a Massachusetts engineering college and study at EU Business School, Berrada lived in Barcelona for the final year of his three-year course.
He loved life in Catalunya so much that he stayed there for over 15 years, earning roles with Honda and Italian internet provider Tiscali - and then none other than La Liga giants FC Barcelona. During his time at the Camp Nou, Berrada served as head of sponsorship from January 2004 to August 2011, witnessing Pep Guardiola's dominant period as manager.
Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Omar Berrada as its new CEO. The Club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar's appointment represents the first step on this journey.
"As one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football, Omar brings a wealth of football and commercial expertise, with a proven record of successful leadership and a passion to help lead change across the Club. He is currently serving as Chief Football Operations Officer for City Football Group overseeing 11 clubs across five continents and, prior to this, held senior roles at Barcelona.
"It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club. We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football. Omar's start date will be confirmed in due course; in the meantime, Patrick Stewart will continue as interim CEO."
It remains to be seen what the next moves will be for United, who are looking for a renaissance and a return to the successes and glory days of the past.
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)