Now we’re right at the heart of Trafford Park, where some of the region’s biggest factories and employers are based. This stop is also where you’ll find a handy park and ride facility for those driving to use the tram. And can we take a moment just to marvel at the splendour of Barton Square now that it has a full glass roof and spectacular domed at its heart? I mean, it wouldn’t be out of place in Dubai now would it?

And they can feel real satisfaction at much of their performance in Madrid, from the domination of the early stages to how they managed the closing phase, although it needed a fine Ederson save to divert away substitute Aurelien Tchouameni's powerful late effort. The triumph completed a remarkable season that saw them claim the Premier League title for the third successive year and add the FA Cup with victory over rivals United in the first all-Manchester final. Read More: Manchester's lost amusement arcade cafe sold 'the best' sandwiches and toasties with coleslaw 'to die for' City carried some psychological baggage into the Bernabeu after that traumatic 6-5 semi-final loss last season when they somehow fashioned defeat from victory.

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Al Mubarak was part of a delegation of City suits in Munich that night who felt the need to mark the occasion as City not only made a European semi-final for the third straight year but did it by beating one of the biggest powers in world football. The chairman joined Pep Guardiola on the turf in an emptied stadium along with Txiki Begiristain and other executives to take a triumphant selfie: City had come to the home of one of their biggest rivals, and they had conquered.

All trams running to the intu Trafford Centre start from Cornbrook – one of Metrolink’s main interchange stations, which is one stop along from Deansgate in the city centre. Now we’re at the first of the two main Trafford Centre stops for those visiting the giant shopping mall. My research has found the following fine examples of the breed, all at the very best prices I could find.At the Etihad, City destroyed Real. It was the type of performance that could be spoken of in years to come as the trigger for the end of one era or the beginning of another, it really was that good as Bernardo Silva led an all-star cast to do in 90 minutes to Real what Real have done to this competition for most of the last decade. As you set off to the next stop, keep your eyes peeled for one of the colourful bee sculptures from the hugely popular Bee In the City event, which has taken up residence outside supply chain giant CHEP on Trafford Park. Architectural gems, a glimpse of Coronation Street and even an island filled with gnomes – just some of the highlights along the newly opened Metrolink route to the intu Trafford Centre. After the pleasant tram journey out of the city, the first new stop on the Trafford Centre route gives a real visual treat. Venture off the tram at Wharfside and you’ll enjoy expansive views out across the Manchester Ship Canal and over to the buzzing Salford Quays and MediaCityUK.

For years, Guardiola has ridiculed the idea that he was brought to City to win the Champions League but in the press conference room at the Santiago Bernabeu, he made an important caveat. "I know the demand from my club to win the Champions League. I had the feeling when I arrived," he said. "They didn't ask me but I know the feeling that after the first Premier League the target was the Champions League." Aston Villa Gnome , Arsenal Garden Gnome ‎, Celtic Gnome ‎, Manchester City Gnome ‎, Tottenham Hotspur ‎ and West Ham Garden Gnome . This time the celebration pictures were accompanied by a majestic trophy before City partied long into the next morning, and the sight of owner Sheikh Mansour attending only his second-ever game told you everything about how significant a night it was for the club. The stop here is right outside the huge Selfridges department store and there’s a dedicated new walkway taking you straight to its gilded doors. There’s also access to the upper level of the Trafford Centre across a car park – getting you in to the Debenhams and Orient end of the shopping mall.How the Circle became Manchester's most in-demand private members club with footballers, celebs and VIPs Another Champions League night, another sight of Manchester City's most creative player being smashed into as he struggled to keep his balance. Only this time it wasn't an opposition player but City's hulking chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who simply could not contain his happiness as he bounded down a tunnel at the Allianz Arena and spotted De Bruyne doing a post-match interview. Conversations, underscored by the acceptance that a guilty verdict on the club's most serious Premier League charges would change the discussion, are now about whether this is the best City team ever and where they sit in the pantheon of the best ever to have played the game. Given City's rebirth in spring, it felt fitting that the final would be against Inter Milan, a three-time Champions League winner with so many characteristics in their team that are exactly what Guardiola's side don't like to face. There’s an excellent walking route here – and marvel at the clear blue waters where swans merrily paddle by. But let’s not get too misty-eyed – there’s also the odd dumped fridge freezer here too, to be fair.

Stop here for: Barton Square (new Primark, SeaLife Centre, Legoland) and EventCity conference centre. Also the walkway here gets you in to the John Lewis/ Marks and Spencer end of the intu Trafford Centre. intu Trafford Centre From here trams run through Pomona, before continuing onto the new tram line and the six new stops. The new stops and what to see Wharfside

The new stops and what to see

That felt like a pressure release valve, going into an enormous semi-final. And while Real Madrid put City through the wringer the following night to show why they are the kings of Europe - delighting Spanish media who had been weirdly irritated by a newspaper column by Wayne Rooney saying City would not just beat Real but destroy them - the Blues did not lose their heads as they had done in the same stadium 12 months earlier and De Bruyne stepped up where it mattered to leave things level for the second leg. Since the demolition of the old Sam Platts pub on the Trafford side of the canal, there’s also now an excellent view of a great Manchester oddity – Gnome Island. The mysterious collection of colourful gnomes have taken pride of place on one of the concrete pillars from the old railway bridge here, growing steadily over the past few years. It was Haaland who dominated all the headlines Madrid in the build-up, with one reading "Viene el Ogro" (The Ogre Is Coming).