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Liverpool have knocked Manchester United off top spot in worldwide popularity rankings

Liverpool have toppled Man Utd to take the "most popular" trophy award to go along with their new Premier League medals.

The Manc The Manc - 26th June 2020

Jon Candy / Flickr

Weeks don’t come much better for Liverpool football club.

Not only have our Merseyside neighbours whisked Man City off their throne to become Premier League champions for the first time in their history, they’ve also usurped Man Utd as the most popular club in British football.

After analysing data from around the world via Google Trends, football price comparison site Footy.com discovered that Jurgen Klopp’s side have amassed an enormous global backing that’s turned them into the world’s new favourite team.

A silver lining for the Old Trafford faithful, however, is that United have still enjoyed the most interest out of any English side over a longer timeframe of ten years.

The following table shows the popularity of each Prem club over the last decade, ranked across different continents around the world:

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Footy.com

Footy.com spokesperson Ben Hyde said: “As you can imagine, Manchester United’s place on the top spot is to be expected, given their dominance of the Premier League during the Fergie era.

“However, the club does appear to have fallen from grace somewhat since Alex Ferguson’s retirement back in 2013. 

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“When you look specifically at the stats from more recent years, Manchester United’s popularity seems to be fading. In fact, in 2019, Liverpool overtook United as the most popular Premier League team worldwide.”

The image below shows the figures from 2019 – showing how Liverpool have toppled United to take the “most popular” trophy award to go along with their shiny new Premier League medals.

footy.com

Reflecting on the data, Ben says: “This is perhaps unsurprising given Liverpool’s Champions League success last summer.

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“However, Manchester United fans will be frustrated to see yet more evidence that their team is continuing to fall further behind their historic rivals.”

Is this the beginning of a new chapter in Premier League football where Merseyside rule supreme?

Mancunians, red and blue, are praying hard that isn’t the case…

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Rudy’s is opening a new pizzeria and pizza school in the former Dawson’s Music site

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

A year on from the initial news that Rudy’s would be taking over the old Dawson’s Music site on Portland Street, bosses behind the chain of neighbourhood pizzerias have finally hinted towards the new site’s opening date.

Revealing it is set to open in Manchester city centre this spring, they also shared the news that the new 8,000sqft location will be home, not just to another restaurant, but also to Rudy’s very own pizza school.

Billed as a ‘world-class destination for pizzaiolo talent’, the new pizza academy will take just over half the space – providing a structured training programme to both experienced pizza chefs and novices. It is set to welcome over 100 pizza chefs in this first year.

Image: Rudy’s
Image: Rudy’s

The restaurant, meanwhile, will span the rest with room for 120 covers. It will be Rudy’s sixth pizza restaurant in Manchester.

The new location at Portland Street will also be the HQ for Rudy’s Bake at Home, back by popular demand.

Serving the perfect and classic Neapolitan pizza since 2015 from its original Rudy’s in Ancoats, the acclaimed pizzeria has since opened 16 sites across the UK, with the new 120-cover pizzeria in Portland Street being its sixth location in Manchester.

Born out of passion for pizza, Rudy’s follows the authentic Neapolitan tradition of pizza making, serving classic recipes such as Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese – all originating from Naples, the birthplace of pizza.

Read more: ‘We were treated awfully’ – ex-staffer speaks out as Freight Island gears up for reopening

Rudy’s has been praised by many as one of the best pizzerias in the UK, it is renowned for its consistency and quality in Neapolitan pizza making. On a mission to pave the way in pizza making all accordance to a truly authentic Neapolitan technique, Rudy’s is proud to open Rudy’s Pizza Academy at the new Portland Street location.

Jos Goncalves, manager at Rudy’s Portland Street, said: “We are delighted to announce that our next Rudy’s pizzeria will be located on Manchester’s bustling Portland Street.

Read more: Inside the Manchester restaurant serving ‘India’s answer to a Wigan kebab’

Manchester has been home to the Rudy’s famiglia since we first opened in Ancoats in 2015, and we can’t wait to open our latest pizzeria, with the addition of our first Pizza Academy in the city this spring”.

Featured image – Rudy’s

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Watch as Ed Sheeran debuts new music for the first time ever at ‘intimate’ Manchester gig

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Ed Sheeran at the AO Arena Manchester

Now normally, when an artist chooses to take some brand new material out on tour for the first time, they’ll test the waters with a few intimate shows.

Just recently, we’ve had both Fall Out Boy and Blossoms at Band on the Wall, The 1975 at Gorilla, and Jason Manford in a beer garden.

But for Ed Sheeran, his idea of ‘intimate’ is… the AO Arena. That super cosy 21,000-capacity venue. Ah.

After selling out FOUR nights at the Etihad Stadium last summer, though, the chance to see Ed on stage in an arena again is a novel one, and it sold out the venue in minutes.

The ‘Shape of You’ singer announced this surprise arena tour just weeks before he took to the stage, in support of his upcoming sixth album Subtract.

This mini tour kicked off in Manchester last night – meaning our city got to hear new track ‘Eyes Closed’ live for the first time ever.

You can watch the highlights from Ed Sheeran at the AO Arena in the video below

Ed was supported by TikTok sensation Cian Ducrot, whose flash mob videos have amassed almost 100 million likes.

Cian’s tracks ‘All For You’ and ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ have become chart-topping crowd-pleasers and are already translating well to stages as large as the AO Arena.

Back to the main act, and Ed Sheeran delivers another of his truly impressive solo shows – as always, it’s just him and a loop pedal up on that stage.

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It’s a best-of setlist of his most popular (and personal favourite) songs, with some surprises thrown in.

There’s a cover of Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone You Loved’, and another of Snoop Dogg’s ‘No Diggity’, that delight the thousands who managed to snap up a ticket for this coveted show.

But it’s Ed’s own songs, especially ‘Bad Habits’, that really light a fire in the audience, sending the entire arena floor in a dancing, sweaty mess.

Introducing his newest song, Ed told the audience: “Right Manchester. Real real danger time. This is danger zone. I’m releasing my brand new single in the morning, it’s called ‘Eyes Closed’.

Ed Sheeran introducing new music in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

“I feel so awkward about this album, because I sort of made this album as a therapeutic, cathartic thing, and then I felt better about whatever was going on.”

He added: “This song means a hell of a lot to me, and I’ve never played it live in front of an audience before.

“This gig is about singalongs, and having fun, and feeling one and included and everyone here it’s like a big communal thing. I’m super nervous, so please listen.

“I wrote this song about losing someone… but don’t think about my sh*t, think about your sh*t. This song is for anyone who’s lost anyone. This song is for you.”

With this triumphant return to the live circuit, make no mistake – Ed Sheeran is back.

Featured image: The Manc Group

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