Haleema Al Marzooqi, aged ten, from Abu Dhabi, was the lucky winner of a recent Etihad Airways’ Competition and enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience last weekend when she led out Manchester City at their derby match with local rivals Manchester United.
The prize also included flights to Manchester and accommodation for Haleema and her brother, Mohamed.
Entrants into the competition, which ran in November, were asked to answer a question about Manchester City and the winner was drawn at random from over 200 entries.
Haleema said: “I was really excited to be the mascot; I play football at school and really enjoy it. This was my first time visiting England, it was fantastic!”
During their stay in Manchester, Haleema and her brother enjoyed a tour of the city of Manchester, as well as a guided visit to the National Football Museum and the Etihad Stadium, all courtesy of Etihad Airways.
Haleema met the whole MCFC team, including her favourite player, Sergio Agüero.
Abu Dhabi residents were able to enjoy the match and watch Haleema lead the Manchester City team out to the pitch as their official mascot at the Sky Blue Fan Zone which was held at Zayed Sports City on Sunday.
