When Patrice Evra suggested unprompted that both he and Carlos Tevez had ‘United blood‘ running through their veins, large swathes of Manchester developed big gormless smiles…
Tevez had just scored the winner against Real Madrid to top off a talismanic performance in a Champions League semi-final, but he wasn’t the reason for Manc giddiness.
Instead it was all about a left-back who arrived at Old Trafford a foreigner and left a native.
Evra ended an eight-and-a-half year association with Manchester United when he departed for Turin at the end of the 2013/14 season. From a football perspective it made a lot of sense. The Frenchman had given his best years to the club and sought a fresh challenge.
His form and Duracell levels of energy were waning too; it was time. Still, it panged within the hearts of United fans to see him leave. If one single player represented the spirit and soul of the club, it was the Dakar-born product of Les Ulis – despite living in the city for less than a decade.
But Evra just got it, right from the start. He famously suggested he would be the “king of all c**ts” if he was to fail at United upon signing. It was a comment that made supporters sit up and take notice. This wasn’t your ten-a-penny footballer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=118&v=gRr4uddo2nA
After a rocky first season, Evra bloomed. He was a driving force of unnatural endeavour down the left flank, and his proximity to supporters seemed to imbue him with reflected Mancness. He was a cocky, snotty, argumentative little sh*t with a penchant for mischief and beef.
That’s the thing with Evra; he was great at the old football thing but that didn’t elicit the love. What made him an icon was his charisma. It may be a lame stereotype to call it ‘swagger’, but Postal Pat was full of it; a powder keg of Mancunian balls-out attitude.
I could list a whole catalogue of examples to prove my point, from crossing his arms in mock ‘it’s over’ celebration, to refusing to shake the hand of Luis Suarez after the striker racially abused him, but there’s no point. It can’t be measured. It’s just there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhbSUeg5LO4
The red hoards of Manchester have new heroes now. Juan Mata and Ander Herrera are just two foreign talents who have similarly taken the city to their hearts and are loved almost unconditionally. But Evra is different to them. Evra is different to everyone.
The Frenchman is a Mancunian in all but name. He reflects not only the city’s virtues but its many flaws. In a way, it is a self-fulfilling affinity; the more Manc he is, the more he’s hated – the more he’s hated, the more he is adored by the red half of Manchester.
Evra didn’t need to reiterate his bond with United on Tuesday, it’s implicit. But doing so did no harm for a mutual affection that shows no signs of fading. He is a man who arrived in this country and contributed in a positive way. And for that, a Northern city will love him forever.
