Former England star Wayne Bridge has recalled living like Alan Partridge in a hotel after signing for Manchester City.
Steve Coogan’s legendary comedy character is best known for living out of the Linton Travel Tavern for 183 days as he tried to get his floundering TV career back on course. In 2009, Bridge had just moved north after six years at Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
However, he too ended up living the hotel life, spending six months in the Lowry in Salford, which is renowned for hosting football figures. Jose Mourinho famously stayed in the same hotel during his reign as Manchester United boss.
Bridge recalled his living arrangements at the time during his recent appearance on ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’.
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“I basically lived in a hotel for six months,” he explained. “I was getting invited to staff parties, the lot. I’d get my dressing gown and flip-flops on, walk down for breakfast, go to training. The room I had was quite big, it had a little sitting area.
“It’s not one of those hotels you go to and think ‘this is really nice’. It wasn’t homely, I had a computer in there but it definitely wasn’t homely.”
Bridge eventually moved out of the Lowry, renting a house next door to a Man United player.
“I ended up in Alderley Edge,” added Bridge. “I rented a house next door to Patrice Evra actually. I’m not sure he liked me as a neighbour or not because I was on my own and single. There was quite of a lot noise coming from the house!”
Bridge had been signed by Mark Hughes, who was sacked and replaced with Roberto Mancini, a man he never saw eye to eye with.
“We had a very rocky relationship. It just didn’t go well between me and him. It started off all right then, all of a sudden, it took a massive dive,” he said.
In a previous interview, Bridge admitted he "hated" Mancini and put City's 2011/12 Premier League title triumph purely down to the players.
He said in 2021: "I never really got him as a manager. All credit to what he did at Manchester City when winning the league, so City fans will love him, but if you look at the players and the squad that he had, that’s what won it, not him as a manager."
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