Rayan Cherki, what were you thinking? Man City star made to apologize for wearing Liverpool jersey on the bench after swapping with Hugo Ekitike

A moment of madness at the Etihad

Cherki risked the wrath of his own supporters by swapping shirts with Liverpool striker Ekitike before the full-time whistle in Saturday’s

Cherki and Ekitike, who are team-mates with the France national team, were both substituted within minutes of each other during the second half. Seemingly oblivious to the optics of the situation, they took the opportunity to swap shirts with 20 minutes still to play and the game still in progress. The act of swapping jerseys before the match has concluded is often frowned upon, but Cherki took things a step further.

Caught on camera in the rival colours

TV cameras soon spotted a bizarre sight: Cherki reaching for Ekitike’s Liverpool shirt and actually putting it on while sitting among his Manchester City team-mates. The forward appeared comfortable in the red jersey until he heard a voice from off-camera, likely a staff member or a shocked colleague. Upon realising the mistake, he quickly removed the shirt and held up his hand in a clear gesture of apology to those around him.

While Cherki scrambled to cover up his blunder, the cameras panned over to the Liverpool dugout. There, Ekitike was seen sitting motionless, wearing a neutral black training top, having already stowed away Cherki’s City shirt.

New Rayan Cherki moment just dropped. 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/H9ThXjj9NQ— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 4, 2026

Fletcher warns of fan backlash

The incident did not go unnoticed by the commentary team, who were quick to point out how City fans might react to seeing one of their own wearing the colours of a direct rival. TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher noted the gravity of the situation during the broadcast, suggesting: "That’s going to go down like a lead balloon in many quarters."

It remains to be seen if there will be any formal fallout from the club's hierarchy, but the optics were certainly poor during a

Cherki's history of headline-grabbing antics

Liverpool were blown away 4-0 courtesy of Erling Haaland’s hat-trick and a goal by Antoine Semenyo, which was assisted by Cherki himself. Even Mohamed Salah couldn't find a way back for the Reds, seeing his penalty saved by James Trafford. However, Cherki’s shirt swap is just the latest in a line of moments where the Frenchman has drawn attention for his eccentric behaviour.

Cherki also attracted headlines before the international break during City’s 2-0 win over