Imre Varadi welcomes Manchester City's inflatable banana return at Anfield
October 12, 2026 20:10
Former Manchester City striker Imre Varadi said it was "brilliant to see" supporters waving inflatable bananas at Anfield and that the sight "brought a lot of fun back" to the game. Dozens of the bananas re-emerged at Sunday's 3-0 win over Liverpool.
BACKGROUND
Varadi, who was nicknamed "Imre Banana" by City fans during his two-year spell at the club in the late 1980s, said the inflatable craze first took off when City were playing in the old Second Division. He told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive it was "amazing" to see the trend return from the 1980s, adding that seeing the bananas at Anfield "was a joy." He also said, "Somebody started to call me Imre Banana and then, the following game, there were 10, 20, 25 bananas and then it just grew and grew and grew."
Varadi joined City from West Brom in October 1986, scored 26 goals in 65 appearances and left for Sheffield Wednesday in September 1988. He now sells inflatable bananas via the club and uses the X account @imre_banana.
WHY IT MATTERS
City fans took the bananas to Anfield as a nod to their club's yo-yo years in the 1980s. The game was Manchester City's first since the club was found guilty of 114 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009–10 and 2017–18; the club is facing potential sanctions including a points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League.