​Former City forward Imre Varadi turns 67 today. In 2020 we featured his story as part of our Cult Heroes series, and this is Imre’s tale again.
When you think of genuine, value-for-money signings, Imre Varadi’s move to Manchester City during the late 1980s is hard to overlook. The archetypal journeyman, Varadi played for 15 clubs over an 18-year career, yet his most productive spell remained at Maine Road, where his goals and work rate left a lasting impression.
City picked him up for a bargain £50,000 after a disastrous start to the 1986/87 season under manager Jimmy Frizzell. Varadi had joined from West Brom and marked his debut with a goal at Chelsea, hinting at the impact he would soon have. Although City failed to score in 20 of their 46 league and cup matches that season, Varadi finished as top scorer with nine goals in 29 league games—roughly a quarter of City’s total goals that season, which stood at 36.
Frizzell was dismissed, and Mel Machin took charge. The former Norwich boss saw Varadi’s value and banked on him and Paul Stewart to rekindle City’s top-division aspirations. Varadi and Stewart combined to score 16 goals in the first 16 games before Varadi sustained an injury that ruled him out of the next match against Huddersfield Town in November 1987. What happened in that game has become City folklore: Varadi watched from the stands as his teammates hammered Huddersfield with ten goals.
He returned to win his place a few games later, but a run of seven losses in the next nine games dashed City’s promotion hopes that May. Around this time, an inflatable banana began appearing at the Kippax, a symbol many attributed to fans nicknaming Varadi “Imre Banana.” This light-hearted craze helped lift spirits in English football, which was still recovering from recent tragedies and a European ban. City’s inflatable influence soon spread to clubs across the country, with Stoke featuring pink panthers, Norwich canaries, Lincoln canaries’ imps, and even Grimsby Town’s Harry the Haddock among the many variations. Legend has it that much of this was inspired by Varadi’s name, and, years later, he said he took pride in being connected to the phenomenon.
City pressed for a late promotion push in 1988 but finished ninth. Trevor Morley arrived the following season and took over the No. 9 shirt, signaling the beginning of the end of Varadi’s time at City. Like a well-worn travelogue, his chapter at Maine Road closed, and he sought a new club and a fresh sense of belonging elsewhere.
Varadi’s City years remain a reminder of the club’s culture during that era: a blend of resilience, unexpected positives, and a touch of whimsy that kept supporters engaged even when results were uncertain. On his 67th birthday, fans still remember the striker who gave value, versatility, and moments of memorable folklore to Manchester City.