I won the Youth Cup with Man City - now I’m playing against them in the Champions League

When Manchester City head to the unfamiliar surroundings of Bratislava for their first-ever meeting with Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday in the Champions League, they will come up against a familiar face.

The Slovakian champions are captained by former City youngster Vladimir Weiss, with the 34-year-old the talisman for the side managed by his father and namesake Vladimir Weiss Sr.

But it was way back in 2006 when the Slovakia international made the move to City as a promising 16-year-old talent.

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Two years later, Weiss was a major part of the famous City side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2008. In a team that also included future England internationals Kieran Trippier and Daniel Sturridge, as well as Brentford defender Ben Mee and Belgium international Dedryck Boyata, it's perhaps surprising that Weiss was arguably the pick of the bunch.

It was his goal in the second leg of the final against Chelsea that turned the tie in City's favour and it was just a year later that he made his debut for the first team under the management of Mark Hughes.

Hughes felt Weiss could become a 'top Premier League player' and he 'had the temperament for big games'. He scored in a 3-0 League Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal in 2009 in what many felt could be the springboard for his City career.

However, his development was stunted by the club's takeover and the arrival of Roberto Mancini as manager. As a series of superstars signed for the club, opportunities for City's youngsters were limited.

Loan spells followed with