Manchester City F.C. has earned the English Premier League title four seasons in a row, so the club is used to having the title trophy around at this point. But earlier this week, the trophy took a trip stateside — and swung through Chapel Hill, where the team is set to play in one month’s time.

On Monday morning, trophy handlers and representatives from Manchester City F.C. visited popular spots in the college town to take photos and show the title prize off to fans as the community prepares for the FC Series friendly between Man City and Celtic F.C.

The visit included a stop outside of He’s Not Here at the picturesque Chapel Hill mural, which features paintings from iconic spots around UNC’s campus.

The Premier League trophy, currently held by Manchester City, sits outside the Chapel Hill mural at He’s Not Here. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

A trophy handler makes sure everything is in place during a photoshoot on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

The trophy also swung by one of the Franklin Street businesses known to soccer fans: Italian Pizzeria III. Owned and operated by Angelo and Vinny Marrone for more than two decades, the spot is known for frequently having soccer on — often, Serie A and national team games for Italy, where the brothers hail from.

IP3 employees and visitors got to take photos with the English Premier League trophy for more than an hour on Monday before it moved to its next stop.

IP3 employees pose for a photo with the trophy. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

Details of the English Premier League trophy as it sits in IP3. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

Employees of Italian Pizzeria III gather around the trophy for a group picture. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

Owners Angelo and Vincenzo “Vinny” Marrone of Italian Pizzeria III pose with the Premier League trophy. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

The trophy sitting in IP3 in-between photo shoots. (Photo via Andrew Lam/Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.)

The trophy also stopped by Chapel Hill’s most recognizable sports venue, as it detoured into the Dean Smith Center where the UNC men’s basketball team practices and plays its home games. The program shared photos afterward of the trophy on the Roy Williams Court and head coach Hubert Davis checking out the hardware.

Later on Monday, the trophy moved further east to a sports tournament where a famous former Manchester City player was in action. The Soccer Tournament — a 7 v. 7 showdown featuring former professional soccer players and celebrity athletes on smaller pitches — included a team led by striker Sergio Agüero, who played for Man City for 11 seasons and is the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer.

At the TST, the trophy was visited by one of North Carolina’s most recognizable active athletes: Chris Paul of the Golden State Warriors, who is also an owner of The Soccer Tournament.

The trophy’s visit is just the second instance of Man City club representation coming through town to help promote the upcoming exhibition match in Chapel Hill, as team mascot Moonchester visited town in April. Manchester City F.C. and Celtic F.C. will face off in an exhibition match coordinated by the FC Series on Tuesday, July 23 in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. Kick-off as been announced as 7 p.m. EST and tickets are on sale now.

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