Picture used for illustrative purposes.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Manchester City Football Club stars used to showcasing their skills at stadiums around the world recently turned Etihad's new hub at Zayed International Airport into a make-shift football pitch for a stunning new video.

Elite players from the Treble Winning Manchester City men's first team produced some breathtaking football for the video, created to celebrate Etihad Airways' new home, Zayed International Airport, which opened in late 2023.

The story begins with a young Emirati watching a clip of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on his mobile phone while walking through the airport. He looks up to see a pyramid display of footballs before spotting some of the Manchester City stars including Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in the airport.

The young fan motions to grab a ball but is discouraged by Jack Grealish. However, he decides to take one after receiving a nod of approval from Pep Guardiola himself, causing the pyramid to collapse and hundreds of balls to scatter across the terminal.

Manchester City players then show off their remarkable football skills to rebuild the display. The video – also featuring Ederson, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Nathan Ake – ends with the players and manager catching a flight back to Manchester.

The short film, created to celebrate and promote Etihad Airways' new home at Zayed International Airport, premiered yesterday in New York, at a celebratory event marking the return of Etihad's A380 connecting Abu Dhabi to New York.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad, said: "This video captures the joy of any young football fan given the opportunity to interact with their favourite sporting stars. It's also a fantastic medium for showcasing Etihad Airways' stunning new terminal, the backdrop for a compelling story where a boy and his fellow passengers get to see some of the modern era's greatest players.

"Working with Manchester City on this project represents our latest collaboration with the world's champion football club. We thank Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City players for making such a wonderful video to showcase the premium experience that our guests can expect when travelling to, from or through Zayed International Airport."

Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and CEO at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "Since its inception, we wanted Zayed International Airport to be a welcoming place for travellers worldwide, a place that re-imagines the airport experience and where everyone can feel at home, enjoying the sense of a place they feel comfortable in. We are happy that this iconic video shows how at ease the Manchester Football Club players are, playing football like the terminal was their training field.

"It is a stunning video with an outstanding narrative celebrating our brand new Zayed International Airport as Etihad Airways' new home and featuring the mastery of the elite players from the Manchester City Football Club. We confide it will propel our objectives of re-imagining the airport experience while displaying the onsite Emirati culture and hospitality that concur to make Zayed International Airport unique by connecting past and present to welcome travellers from all over the world to Abu Dhabi.

"A breathtaking fusion of modern materials, natural light and space, Zayed International Airport proved to be the ideal location for such a spectacular display of the Manchester City football players' skills."

Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive Officer, City Football Group, said: "Manchester City has a longstanding partnership with Etihad Airways and together we have celebrated a number of very special moments. The unveiling of this video is one of them as it marks a special moment for Etihad Airways and for the new and extraordinary Zayed International Airport.

"Our players and managers were delighted to participate in such a high quality, creative video campaign, shot in such an impressive venue. They also had a lot of fun filming it and are proud of the result.

"We hope that Etihad and Zayed International Airport customers and City fans around the world will enjoy it."

Zayed International Airport has the capability to handle up to 45 million customers annually, supporting Etihad's growth plans as part of its Journey 2030 vision.

The terminal provides dedicated check-in desks for Etihad's Economy guests including special areas for families, as well as state-of-the-art biometric self-bag drop facilities available for all guests wishing to take advantage of a speedier check-in. Exclusive check-in areas are provided for guests travelling in Business and First class to enjoy a fast-tracked, premium experience.