Cheng Hang Lun Eamonn from Hong Kong and Hui Jeong Lee from South Korea share a common bond as Manchester City fans, with both witnessing the club's surge in popularity in their regions over the past generation.
Early Days of Fandom
Eamonn, now a fan for 21 years, was drawn to City as a secondary school student in Hong Kong after seeing Chinese star Sun Jihai in the team on Pro Evolution Soccer. Despite mockery from friends who supported Manchester United or Liverpool, he stuck with the club. "Back when I first started supporting them, City were barely even on the map for most Hong Kong football fans," he recalls. "You could barely find any official merchandise in local sports stores, and hardly any local bars would prioritise screening their matches unless it was a big cup tie."
In South Korea, Hui's journey began during the Centurions season in 2017 when her younger brother's passion for City sparked her own. "I made up my mind: I was going to be his ultimate football mate and support City right by his side," she says. "What started as a way to support my brother has now turned into my own deep passion—in fact, I might even be the bigger fan now."
Transformation Through Success
The last two decades have transformed City's global reach. A 2019 trip to Hong Kong with Pep Guardiola was pivotal, and the Treble victory catapulted the club's audience worldwide. During a subsequent visit to South Korea, fans in Seoul went crazy for Erling Haaland and the champions.
Both fans face punishing time differences to watch matches. "Most City matches kick off around 3am or 4am in Korea," says Hui. "It's never easy; I usually set multiple alarms to wake up, or sometimes I just stay up all night and head straight to work."
Expressing Passion from Afar
Hui has turned her room into "the Etihad Stadium" with a collection of sky blue merchandise. "Among my collection, the item I treasure the most is hands down the shirt signed by the entire Manchester City squad," she says. For Eamonn, the Wan Chai pub Trafalgar serves as the hub for City's Hong Kong supporter branch, where he watches late-night matches.
"Now you can see City-themed jerseys everywhere on the streets during match weekends," Eamonn notes. "All that success on the pitch under Guardiola really pulled in a lot of new fans here... For now I would say City are among the top three or four most popular English clubs in Hong Kong."
Upcoming Friendlies in Asia
City's upcoming friendlies in Asia, the first of the Enzo Maresca era after Guardiola's decade, mark a continuation of the club's engagement with the region. "The distance is exactly why we wake up in the middle of the night to watch every game," says Hui. "So, for the club to come visit us personally is... the ultimate proof of their respect for Korean fans. It is the best gift we could ever ask for."
