Kyle Walker Says Man City’s Glory Years “Can’t Be Taken Away” From the Players

Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker says the trophies the club won cannot be taken away from the players who lifted them, even as City fight a guilty verdict over financial breaches.

An independent commission ruled last week that City broke Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. It found that more than £830 million ($1.08 billion) of owner funding was used to inflate revenues through a series of "sham" arrangements, helping the club meet Premier League and UEFA rules. City have appealed.

Walker spent eight years at the club, from 2017 to 2025, and won the Champions League and 12 major domestic honours. 

Speaking on talkSPORT, the Burnley right-back was careful not to get into the legal side. 

"Obviously it doesn't look great. I know it's in an appeal stage so, for me to start commenting on the legal action and everything like that, probably it's not going to do myself justice or anyone involved in it," he said.

He was clear about what the players experienced, though. "But, at a personal level, I can say the lads, we spent many and many a great year celebrating many trophies and everything like that and that's something that, whatever happens, they can't take away from us because we've experienced them nights," he said. 

He added: "So, whatever will be, will be, and it's just down to the appeal now and what goes from there."

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Walker admitted it is a tough subject for former players. "It's something that we probably don't want to talk about because we want to be looked upon as winning them trophies, winning them the right way," he said.

He also spoke up for the supporters. "I look at the fans that have travelled up and down the country, travelled abroad to Istanbul when we won the treble and stuff like that, and they deserve that night as well."

City put out a statement last Friday insisting they are innocent. "The club's firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe," it read. 

It went on: "The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions relating to this case."