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Giorgi Kinkladze took in Manchester City's crucial 21 Premier League win over Arsenal in good company, posing for a photo with Oasis star Noel Gallagher that left fans stunned by his unrecognisable appearance. The former City midfielder was back on English soil to watch his old club take a major step in the title race, with City cutting the gap to just three points at the time.

Sharing the moment on X (formerly Twitter), the Georgian wrote: "A few days on, and that win over Arsenal still feels incredible. Games like that show character and what this great club is about. Happy to share this moment with my old friend Noel Gallagher - football, music, and Manchester as it should be. City till we die."

The post sparked a wave of comments from City supporters. One wrote: "You're one of City's greats, Giorgi. Amazing watching you play in City's colours. Best wishes to you." Another added: "You are the best I've ever seen, Giorgi."

A third fan said: "My first hero - what a player you were," while a fourth simply commented: "Two legends." A fifth summed it up in one word: "Iconic."

Kinkladze spent three seasons at Maine Road in the mid90s, becoming a cult hero during one of the bleakest periods in the club's history. His dazzling dribbles, mazy solo runs and unforgettable goals provided rare moments of joy.

Gallagher first described him as 'either the most frightening thing I've ever seen or the best thing I've ever seen.'

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"I flew up from London to see his debut against Tottenham and sat next to Terry Venables, who was doing some commentary or something," he previously recalled when City signed the Georgian. "I watched Kinky for the first time and it was like,'Jesus, this is either the most frightening thing I've ever seen or it's the best thing I've ever seen.'

"I couldn't decide which one it was! You'd only get that at City."

And it's not just Gallagher who holds fond memories of Kinkladze. Former City teammate Chris Greenacre says the diminutive midfielder was so good he was 'the nearest thing' to Argentine legend Diego Maradona.

"Georgi Kinkladze, oh my goodness! The things he could do were simply unbelievable," Greenacre said. "For those who don't know him, I'd probably say he was the nearest thing to Maradona in terms of his ability.

"He played with a low centre of gravity and that enabled him to shift his hips quite easily and fly past players. During training he would pass 3 or 4 players easily and leave us all amazed, and he was quite strong for his size (5'9").

"The players and fans just loved him, his ability to make passes was just phenomenal. He's quite arguably the best I've ever been involved with."

Man City are now top of the Premier League after beating Burnley 1-0 in midweek. Although they are level on 70 points with Arsenal, Pep Guardiola's side lead the table on goal difference.