World Cup winner and Barcelona legend <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/10/08/andres-iniesta-eyes-barcelona-coaching-role-after-confirming-end-of-playing-career/" target="_blank">Andres Iniesta</a> was among the record crowd as <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2025/02/18/man-city-academy-chief-on-learning-from-mistakes-guardiolas-genius-and-introducing-taekwondo/" target="_blank">Manchester City</a> hosted their biggest ever Abu Dhabi Cup at the weekend. Iniesta was joined by more than 6,000 spectators across two days of action at Zayed Sports City in the UAE capital, where around 2,500 players from 22 nations made the 2025 staging of the tournament the most ambitious to date. A total of 180 teams played nearly 650 games, including 61 sides from outside the UAE, travelling from as far and wide as Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Russia, Belarus and Turkmenistan. “The feeling is very good, amazing facilities,” said Iniesta, who <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/10/05/andres-iniesta-barcelona-and-spain-magician-to-call-it-a-day-after-seeing-out-career-in-uae/" target="_blank">retired last year</a> after spending the final season of his illustrious career in the Adnoc Pro League with Emirates Club. “We are here to enjoy the football [and have had an] amazing time.” Boys’ categories ranged from U8 through to U16s, while more than 30 girls’ teams competed from U13 to U17 level. A total of 1,521<b> </b>goals were scored during the two days. Hosts Manchester City flew <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2025/02/18/man-city-academy-chief-on-learning-from-mistakes-guardiolas-genius-and-introducing-taekwondo/" target="_blank">academy sides over from the UK</a>, while UAE clubs Al Jazira, Baniyas, Al Wahda and Al Ain were all represented. The winners of the cup competition from each age group were entered into a special prize draw, with Al Seeb from Oman (U14 boys) winning a trip to visit and train at the Etihad Campus in Manchester – and watch a Manchester City first-team game live. U12 Plate winners GR7 Academy won a coaching clinic from Manchester City coaches, who will travel to work with the team in their home country of Oman. Former City player <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/10/18/manchester-citys-historic-4-in-a-row-trophy-tour-to-visit-abu-dhabi/" target="_blank">Nedum Onuoha</a> doubled up as an ambassador for the tournament and as a guest coach for the City Football School’s boys' U14 team. He said: “The Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup was a fantastic experience and it was great to see so many players from around the world take to the pitch and play the beautiful game with smiles on their faces. I was really impressed with the action I saw and hopefully this tournament cannot only further inspire the players to develop themselves but also allow other players to take up the sport and play the game in the future.” Simon Hewitt, Director of Football Operations MENA for City Football Group, said: “The 2025 edition of the Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup has been a record breaker. Since its inception in 2017 we have seen phenomenal growth in the tournament, and to welcome more than 60 international teams to Abu Dhabi, and 180 teams overall, is testament to the impact this competition has on a global scale. “Seeing all the boys and girls having fun this weekend was a joy, and the level of football on display was exceptional. We thank all the players, teams, coaches, parents, and supporters, for making this a very special two days.”
