Imre Varadi, the former Manchester City striker who inspired one of English football's most beloved crowd crazes, has described Sunday's sea of inflatable bananas at Anfield as "brilliant to see" — and says the gesture "brought a lot of fun back" to the game.

City ran out 3-0 winners over Liverpool at Anfield, their first match since being found guilty of 114 charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules covering the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. With the club potentially facing a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League, supporters chose to wave inflatable bananas as a knowing reference to Manchester City's days as a yo-yo club in the 1980s.

Where the banana craze began

Varadi joined City from West Brom in October 1986, going on to score 26 goals in 65 appearances before departing for Sheffield Wednesday in September 1988. During that time, City fans nicknamed him 'Imre Banana' — and the inflatable craze was born.

"Somebody started to call me Imre Banana and then, the following game, there were 10, 20, 25 bananas and then it just grew and grew and grew until every football club had an inflatable," Varadi told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive.

The phenomenon spread rapidly through the old Second Division during City's spell there in the late 1980s, carrying into the early 1990s, and has resurfaced intermittently ever since. Varadi — who now sells inflatable bananas through the club and runs the X account @imre_banana — said it was deeply moving to witness the revival at Anfield.

"The game itself was a terrific game obviously but just to see the inflatable craze coming back from the 80s when I was playing at the old Maine Road, it was a joy," he said.

Pride in a 40-year legacy

Varadi reflected on the longevity of a tradition that started entirely by accident and has now outlasted generations of players, managers, and even entire divisions.

"I started it but it was 40 years ago and it's still going strong now, as we all saw at Anfield. I'm really proud of it. It's bringing a lot of joy to the game. It's great to see," he said.

For City's supporters, Sunday's display was equal parts nostalgia and defiance — a reminder that, whatever sanction the Premier League ultimately hands down, their club has survived tough times before.