IN one of the most football-mad cities in the world, they don't use the word legend lightly.

But if you ask Manchester City fans they will tell you it is a word that certainly applies to Bermudian Shaun Goater...his exploits on the pitch comparable to those who have played for the club over the years. In fact, a book released during the summer, "The Legends of Manchester City" by Ian Penney, not only lists Goater as one of City's 100 legends amongst the more than 800 players who have represented the club over the last 120 years, but he is also featured on the cover!

And it is not just his exploits on the pitch that has endeared Goater to those Manchester City fans. One fan, Guy Burke, paid him the ultimate compliment this week on the Manchester Evening News website when he wrote: "I would like to praise him not only for being a living legend, but probably more importantly, I have had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions and I can honestly say he is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. He always signs autographs with a smile and you get the impression that he gets as big a thrill from it as the person he is signing it for. He also goes out of his way to speak to people and put them at ease. I would like to finish by saying if he never scored another goal again for City he is already guaranteed his place in the heart of all true fans forever."