MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Players from Manchester City’s team came together for a video and turned Etihad’s new hub into a make-shift football pitch.
Conceptualized by Impact BBDO, the video saw the football stars showcasing their skills to
celebrate Etihad Airways’ new home, Zayed International Airport.
The story begins with a young Emirati watching a clip of Manchester City Manager Pep
Guardiola on his mobile phone while walking through the airport.
He looks up to see a pyramid display of footballs before spotting some of the Manchester City
stars including Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in the airport.
The young fan motions to grab a ball but is discouraged by Jack Grealish.
However, he decides to take one after receiving a nod of approval from Pep Guardiola himself,
causing the pyramid to collapse and hundreds of balls to scatter across the terminal.
Manchester City players then show off their remarkable football skills to rebuild the display.
The video – also featuring Ederson, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Nathan Ake – ends with the
players and manager catching a flight back to Manchester.
The short film premiered at an a celebratory event that marked the return of Etihad’s A380
connecting Abu Dhabi to New York.
Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad, said, “This video captures the joy of any
young football fan given the opportunity to interact with their favorite sporting stars.”
“It’s also a fantastic medium for showcasing Etihad Airways’ stunning new terminal – the
backdrop for a compelling story where a boy and his fellow passengers get to see some of the
modern era’s greatest players.”
“Working with Manchester City on this project represents our latest collaboration with the
world’s champion football club,” Antonoaldo furthered.
Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We believe it will
propel our objectives of re-imagining the airport experience while displaying the onsite
Emirati culture and hospitality that concur to make Zayed International Airport unique by
connecting past and present to welcome travelers from all over the world to Abu Dhabi.”
Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of City Football Group, said, “Our players and managers
were delighted to participate in such a high quality, creative video campaign, shot in such an
impressive venue. They also had a lot of fun filming it and are proud of the result.”
