Former Man City star is making a fortune from club's banana craze

Manchester City's bananas craze is helping the bank balance of one of their former players.

Following on from the 115 charges verdict with the Premier League which saw the club found guilty by an independent commission, City fans turned up with inflatable bananas in the Anfield away end for the 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend.

The tradition was revived for the first game since the City verdict released but has continued, with thousands of bananas brought to the Etihad Stadium for matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Ipswich Town.

Man City hero linked with banana craze sees sales skyrocket

The banana craze was kicked off by supporter named Frank Newton at a game with Plymouth Argyle in 1987 and became intertwined with former City striker Imre Varadi, who ended up being christened 'Imre Banana'.

The bananas were a light-hearted approach from City fans during a time where they were struggling in Division Two - and a period where hooliganism was prominent in English football.

They took 10,000 fans to a Boxing Day clash with Stoke City and were armed with inflatables.

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Fast forward to the present day and it has been used as a message of defiance in a difficult time for City fans.

But Varadi has benefited hugely from the return of the bananas. The former striker, who also played for Newcastle, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, set up his own company selling inflatable bananas - branching out in what he called a "billion-dollar industry".

Varadi told The Sun that his business, which sells the branded bananas for £10 a piece, as well as pin badges and t-shirts, is "getting thousands of orders from all over the world" and that "demand has absolutely gone through the roof".

The company's website said that the bananas became "a beloved symbol of camaraderie and lightheartedness in stadiums across the globe" and are "designed to be the perfect addition to any matchday experience".

The 67-year-old was invited to the Etihad for the Ipswich game and given the VIP treatment for the fixture.

Speaking to Ian Cheeseman's Forever Blue vlog, Varadi said: "It's unbelievable isn't it. Just to see, especially at Anfield last Sunday. when they turned up and there was a sea of yellow bananas.

"What it's done has, it's galvanised the fans with the players and the club and there's a lot of support there at the moment."

He added that the bananas represent "joy, happiness, fun and a winning team that City keep producing here at the Etihad Stadium".

Phil Foden joins in on banana fun after Man City win

City's supporters aren't the only one loving the bananas. Phil Foden scored his first Premier League goal since December in the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town and brought an inflatable banana to his post-match interviews with various TV stations.

He revealed that he was going to give the inflatable as a gift to his son Ronnie.

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"I'm going to get one for my son as a present, I think," Foden told City's media channel.

"I think he wanted one, so I can give him one now."

Foden told Sky Sports that the the noise surrounding the charges has not affected the players as they have "just stuck together, just did what we normally do and focus on the games one by one and just be ourselves".