A gifted creative midfielder, Bell made 501 appearances for the Blues between 1966 and 1979, scoring 153 goals, and is widely regarded as one of their greatest ever servants. Last year, he was ranked at no.1 in the Manchester Evening News' countdown of the top 50 City players, ahead of more recent stars such as David Silva and their record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.
As United's goalkeeper in the 1970s and late 1960s, Alex Stepney played against Bell on numerous occasions. On hearing that his revered derby opponent and international colleague had passed away, he tweeted:
“Colin and myself both made our England debuts in the same game in 1968, he was a fantastic player in a great City side and football is poorer tonight.