Confident Blackley blue gets Manchester City treble tattoo before Champions League final

One Manchester City fan will be particularly relieved of their Champions League final victory over Inter Milan.

Stuart Cooper, 48, had the ink permanently inscribed on his left leg before City had played Inter.

Their 1-0 win meant Pep Guardiola's side secured a historic treble, having already won both the Premier League and FA Cup titles this season.

Utterly convinced his beloved City would complete the accolade, the fan decided to have 'Treble Winners 2023' tattooed onto his calf - before the match has even been played.

"I've been a season ticket holder for years and said if City win the treble, I'll get a tattoo," said Stuart, from Blackley. 

"I've never had one before because I'm scared of needles.

"I've got a feeling it's going to happen and there was no point waiting. I wanted to be the first one to have it done."

Car salesman Stuart is among 20,000 City fans who managed to bag a ticket to Saturday's final at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul. 

He had the tattoo done in the Turkish holiday resort of Alanya, where he is staying before flying to Istanbul on Thursday.

The design features Man City's club crest as well as the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies and took five hours to complete.

Stuart later showed off his new tattoo on TikTok but received criticism from fans of City, their rivals, and even his own friends and family.

"They have all gone mad," said Stuart. "They're saying I'm a d*** **** and I should have waited.

"Most people want Inter Milan to win but they're just jealous United and Liverpool fans."

Stuart, however, has no concerns about his eagerness coming back to bite him and says he is “more than confident” of City lifting the Champions League.

"I've never been this confident in my life that City will win on Saturday night," he said. "I'm more confident than if we were playing Barnet.

"Inter Milan are absolutely rubbish. It will be over by half time. City are on a different level at the moment.

"The last 10 years have been unbelievable. It doesn't feel real. This is going to be the best few days of my life, but the worst if we lose.

"It won't happen but if it does, I'll have to hope they win the treble in 2028 so I can turn the three into an eight."

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