A new Manchester City statue of club legends Francis Lee, Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee will be unveiled on Tuesday 28 November 2023.
This will be the fourth statue built by the club since 2019, with Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva already commemorated on the east side of the Etihad Stadium.
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Where is the new Lee-Bell-Summerbee statue?
The statue will be located on the west side of the Etihad Stadium, and will be unveiled on Tuesday morning, the same day as City host RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.
In an official statement Manchester City said: “Fans will be invited to visit the permanent tribute to an extraordinary era in the Club’s history.”
Who are the people depicted?
Francis Lee, Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee were all key figures for City in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the club won the FA Cup, two League Cups, two Charity Shields and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Who is Francis Lee?
Francis Lee scored 148 goals for The Blues and had some notable achievements in his seven-year spell at the club, including the Football League First Division Golden Boot in the 1971/72 season. Lee was City's top goalscorer five times between 1969 to 1974.
Who is Colin Bell?
Bell was also a legendary figure for the club scoring 153 goals between 1966 to 1979. In 2004, the West Stand of the Etihad Stadium was renamed the Colin Bell Stand. Bell was also inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Who is Mike Summerbee?
Summerbee was a critical part of City’s success in this period, playing 452 times in a ten-year stint at the club. The Preston-born forward was City’s player of the year two years in a row in 1972 and 1973. As a result of his contributions to football and charity, Summerbee was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.
Who is the sculptor?
David Williams-Ellis is the sculptor for this statue and is well-renowned for his exhibitions across the world. His most notable commission is the sculpture of the D-Day Memorial in Normandy, unveiled on June 6, 2019, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at the end of the Second World War.
David Williams-Ellis said: “It is a great honour to create a work of art for Manchester City Football Club celebrating the diverse, talented players, Bell, Lee and Summerbee.
“It’s been an extraordinary last two years, working on this project that celebrates these players from a great era in Manchester City’s football history.
“I hope that the work will give a sense of history and place to the legions of fans and visitors that come to the football ground from around the world and become an enduring part of Manchester’s cultural landscape.”
Other Manchester City statues
Permanent statues of Vincent Kompany and David Silva were unveiled on 28 August 2021. The Glasgow-born sculptor, Andy Scott, created both statues in his own studio in Philadelphia and they were transported to Manchester in early August 2021.
In a statement, Manchester City said: “Situated on the east side of the Etihad Stadium, the large-scale statues of Kompany and Silva were created by award-winning sculptor Andy Scott and have been constructed using thousands of welded pieces of galvanised steel. At night-time the statues will be specially illuminated with blue-tinted lighting.”
The statue of Sergio Aguero was unveiled on 13 May 2022, and was also sculpted by Scott on the east side of the stadium. Aguero’s statue was unveiled on the tenth anniversary of City’s first Premier League title. Aguero is a five-time Premier League and was inducted into the leagues Hall of Fame in 2022.