There is a saying that trophies are the only that matter in the end. While that is the true case when it comes to any sport, there are special rare scenarios that say otherwise. Sometimes, certain players come and leave with a lasting impact that might be more or as equal as winning a title. That is the beauty of sports in a way, as it proves to us that success and admiration doesn't necessarily need to come in the form of silverware.
We will be looking back at the career of a former Manchester City striker in this article, who left the club as a cult hero.
An incredible trial showing and rise to stardom
After spending his early years in Germany, Uwe Rösler was given a trial by Manchester City in March 1994. He took part in a reserve match against Burnley, and Rösler seized the opportunity by scoring a brace. This led to the Citizens offering him a three-month loan deal.
His first-team debut came on the following Saturday, as Manchester City faced QPR. The German striker continued his dominance, with his 5 goals in 12 appearances leading to a permanent contract offer from City. A transfer fee to his former club between £375,000 and £500,000. Was given to his former club 1. FC Nürnberg.
Rösler had a disastrous debut for City, as he was sent-off in their 3-0 loss to Arsenal. However, his fortunes changed after this event. The German began to form a productive partnership with Paul Walsh, and scored 22 through the season. This was despite missing several games through injury.
His FA Cup performance against Notts County was particularly memorable, as he became the first City player since Johnny Hart in 1953 to score 4 goals in an FA Cup tie. All these heroics led to Rösler finishing as the club's leading goalscorer, and he won the club's Player of the Year award.
The downfall
The appointment of Alan Ball prior at the 1995–96 season beginning was a turning point in the German's City career. Despite City's strength in wide areas at the time, Ball decided to play in a more narrow approach. This drastically affected supply lines from the wings for Rösler. To make things worse, the injury to important teammate Beagrie and the shocking sale of Walsh immensely affected the German's form. There was also a general consensus that Rösler and his teammate Niall Quinn were too similar as strikers to play together in such a system.
All these led to multiple disagreements between Rösler and his manager, which ended with the former getting benched. However, he soon came on as a sub in the Manchester derby and scored a sublime goal.
Those celebrations were short lived though, as City got relegated to Division One at the end of the campaign. Despite the heartbreaking result, Rösler decided to stay with the Citizens. City endured yet another difficult campaign, but a return to the 4-4-1-1 system saw Rösler flourish yet again. The German managed to finish the season as City's top scorer.
However, things went from bad to worse for Manchester City. The club eventually got relegated once again, this time to Division Two. Rösler's time at the club came to an end as well, with the German leaving the Blues in May 1998 on a free transfer.
Legacy
Contrary to other City legends, Rösler doesn't have a single trophy to boast about. However, he was their only spark of happiness in one of the club's darkest ever phases in football, and he left a special mark that was way beyond silverware success.
