Manchester City are a fantastic club that currently has an impressive squad of players. In recent years, they have dominated the Premier League, and there are not many clubs in the UK that can quite match the talent of their players.
For decades, Manchester City lived in the shadow of their rivals, Manchester United, but have now proved themselves to be at the same level, if not better, over the last 10 years.
While there is a lot of information online about their rivals, not as much is known about Manchester City as a club, and their history. In this article, we will be chatting you through everything you need to know about the club.
We will be talking about their roots, successes, managers, and their greatest players of all time, to give you a better understanding of Manchester City on the whole.
Basic Facts
Here are some basic facts that are useful to know about Manchester City:
- Manchester City was founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s
- They are also known as City, Man City, and MCFC
- Their current stadium is the Etihad, which has a capacity of 55,017
- The current manager is Pep Guardiola
- The club has been called Manchester City for 127 years
- The club was fairly successful until 1981, when they had a major downfall. They were relegated to the third tier by 1988.
- From this downfall, their success grew, and they were again promoted into the Premier League in 2001 – 02.
- In 2008, they were purchased by Abu Dhabi United Group which completely transformed the club, and put it into a far better financial position
- In 2019, Forbes stated that it was likely that Manchester City was the fifth most valuable club in the Soccer world.
- They are the only men’s Premier League team to win the domestic treble
- Manchester City hold the current record for the most points obtained in a Premier League Season
- Man City are the current season winners as of 2020/21
- Their home color is light blue, and their away color is white
- Manchester City’s biggest rivals are Manchester United
Home Grounds
Manchester City’s home grounds can be found in the heart of the city of Manchester. It is called the Etihad Stadium, thanks to Man City’s sponsorship with this business, though it was originally named, the City of Manchester Stadium.
It is a fairly new stadium, and was finished in 2002. Holding a capacity of 55,017 in total, the Etihad Stadium is rather large. It is the 10th largest stadium currently out of all of the Premier League clubs.
Main Trophies
Trophies are something that Manchester City are very Familiar with, over the years, they have won a significant number, including the Premier League, and the European Cup. While we will be delving into their successes at the end of this article, here are all of the main trophies they have won, and how many of these the club has.
- League Champions: 7
- FA Cup: 6
- League Cup: 8
- Continental Cup: 3
- Europeans Cup Winners Cup: 1
- Charity/Community Shields: 6
- Premier League 2: 1
- Reserve League: 3
- Division One: 1
- Division Two: 6
As you can see, Manchester City have worked hard to get into the position they are today, which has included winning lower leagues before being promoted and subsequently winning the Premier League.
Club History
The club was originally formed in West Gorton, in Manchester, by St. Mar’s Church of England members. They formed the club in 1880, and this was done to help prevent local violence, alcohol addiction. Members did not need to be part of the church, and their first game was played in 1880.
They became a professional club when they joined Division 2, and had their first honor in 1904, when they won the FA Cup. Manchester City were a very popular club, and in 1899, they were promoted to the first division.
The club experienced many highs from here, with the move to Maine Road, and the change of name to be called Manchester City. However, after their FA Cup win, 17 players were suspended in accordance with financial misconduct allegations, which did affect the club in some ways. However, from here, they continued their success, by winning trophies such as the League, and trophies in Europe too.
While they did have a rough period of decline in the 80s and 90s, they regained their success tenfold, when they rejoined the Premier League in 2002. Their move to the Etihad was significant, and from there they have gone on to be multiple titleholders, and have the record for the most points in a Premier League season and also the domestic treble.
Club timeline
Here is a brief summary and timeline of Manchester City:
- 1880: The club was formed with the name St. Mark’s
- 1887: Renamed Ardwick AFC, and moved to Hyde Park Stadium
- 1892: Club becomes an original member of Division 2
- 1894: The name Manchester City was given and the first use of the sky blue shirts
- 1896: Club competes in their first FA Cup
- 1899: Division 1 promotion
- 1904: FA Cup winners
- 1923: The club moves to a new stadium — Main Road Stadium
- 1937: Division 1 winners
- 1965: Logo change
- 1970: European Cup Winners Cup Champions
- 1981: FA Cup loss
- 1988: Relegated to Division 3
- 2002: Promoted to the Premier League again
- 2003: Move to Etihad Stadium
- 2008: New owners — Abu Dhabi United Group
- 2012: Premier League Winners
- 2016: New manager — Pep Guardiola
- 2018: Manchester City win the Premier League with 100 points, which is a record
- 2019: First winners of the domestic treble
- 2021: Current Premier League winners
Club Net Worth
According to Forbes, the estimated club net worth of Manchester City is $4 billion, which is a staggering amount. This is based on figures from April 2021. The revenue per year is $609 million, and the operating income interestingly is currently at -$2 million. They currently have a debt value of 0%. This is based on 2020 figures from up to June 2020.
Stadium
As we have already covered, Man City’s current stadium is the Etihad. It is an impressive stadium that is based in the City of Manchester. It has good transport links, is fairly new, and looks modern.
The stadium was initially called the City of Manchester Stadium (CoMS), until the club signed a sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways in July 2011, which then led to the name change. The capacity of the stadium for domestic soccer is 55,017, for UEFA-governed soccer it is 53,000, and for live concerts it is 60,000, which includes pitch standing.
The stadium was officially opened in July 2002, where it was used as an athletics stadium for the Commonwealth Games. After the games had finished, it was then converted into a soccer stadium for Manchester City. They made the move to the new stadium in 2003.
Manchester City’s first stadium was at Maine Road in Moss Side. The club moved here in 1923. This is the only other stadium that they used before their move to the Etihad, and they used this stadium for 80 years.
Owners
The current owner of Manchester City is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who is a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. While he owns the majority of the club, he does not own all of it. The other, smaller portion of the club is owned by City Football Group, which is an Abu Dhabi group.
While the ownership falls to the City Football Group, Sheikh Mansour, has owned the majority of the club since August 2008, and it is no secret that he is one of the wealthiest owners in the whole of soccer.
Through the club’s history, they have had some highs and lows with their ownership, especially when it comes to the money that was placed into the club. This can be seen through the highs and lows of their success. However, since Manchester City has been owned by the City Football Group, they have grown from strength to strength.
Best Players
Over the years, there have been many great players at Man City, especially those that have helped them to gain the success that they currently have. Colin Bell will always remain a Man City legend, scoring 155 goals, having a 1:3 ratio. David Silva is another fantastic player, who was an extremely gifted, team player.
Some other players that are the best of the best include Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Bert Trautmann, Vincent Kompany, and Kevin De Bruyne.
All Time Top Scorer
When it comes to the all-time top goal scorer, there is one player in particular that stands head and shoulders above the others, and that is Sergio Aguero. He was by far Man City’s most successful player, scoring a total of 260 goals during his time at the club. Currently, there are no players close to overtaking his record.
The second top goal scorer is Raheem Sterling, who has scored 114 goals. In third spot is Gabriel Jesus. Considering he has only appeared in 195 games, his score of 82 goals is superb. Some other notable high goal scorers include, Yaya Toure. David Silva, Carlos Teves, and Kevin De Bruyne.
Captain
The current Man City captain is Fernandinho, who has been the captain since 2020. He is a Brazilian player who is 36. He has been playing for the club since 2013, and is a reliable and fantastic player.
Over the years, Manchester City have had many successful captains, such as Paul Power in 1979. Vincent Kompany was captain in 2012, when City won their first league in 44 years. He was a very successful captain.
Goalkeepers
- Ederson
- Zack Steffen
- Scott Carson
- Arijanet Muric (on loan)
Defenders
- Kyle Walker
- Ruben Dias
- John Stones
- Nathan Ake
- Oleksandr Zinchenko
- Aymeric Laporte
- Benjamin Mendy
- Joao Cancelo
- Phillippe Sandler
Midfielders
- Ilkay Gundogan
- Jack Grealish
- Rodrigo
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Bernado Silva
- Fernandinho
- Phil Foden
- Patrick Roberts
Strikers
- Raheem Sterling
- Gabriel Jesus
- Ferran Torres
- Riyad Mahrez
Managers
The current manager of Man City is Pep Guardiola, who has easily been the most successful manager to date, helping the club achieve some fantastic results and trophies. He joined the club in July 2016, and is Spanish.
Pep is a manager that has proven that he can take a club to new heights, working previously at Bayern Munich, and Barcelona. In his second year as a manager, he led Man City to win the Premier League.
While Pep Guardiola has enabled Manchester City to become successful, Roberto Mancini also needs to be mentioned. He helped to pave the way for Man City’s initial success, and is still seen as one of their best avengers to date.
Some other managers include Manuel Pellegrini, Marki Hughes, and Les McDowall. McDowall still remains the longest serving manager.
Coach
Pep Guardiola is the main coach of Manchester City in addition to being the manager. However, there are other members that help with the coaching.
Assistant Coach
There are currently six people acting as assistant managers and coaches:
- Rodolfo Borrell
- Lorenzo Buenaventura
- Manel Estiarte
- Juan Manuel Lillo
- Xabier Mancisidor
- Carles Planchart
Home Kit
Manchester City always have a light blue and white home kit, and the kit for the 2021/22 season is no exception to this. The shirt is mostly light blue, and features two white panels on each side.
The writing and the Puma cat logo are all in white. It features their sponsors Etihad Airways on the chest. The logo is on the left breast, and the Nexen Tire sponsor on the left sleeve. There is also the puma logo on the left sleeve too.
What is interesting about the home kit is that it is not just a plain blue color, it actually features a pattern. The pattern is reminiscent of an old score board, and on the inside of the shirt, there are the numbers 93:20. This represents the 10th anniversary of the winning 2011/12 season.
The shorts are plain pale blue, with the Puma logo on the left leg, and the club logo on the right leg. The socks are also pale blue, featuring the club name, and white stripes.
The goalkeeper kit is a deep green, with lighter green stripes. The shorts are the same color green, as are the socks, which also feature the Puma logo, and a white stripe.
Away Kit
The away kit for Manchester City in 2021/22 is fantastic. It is all white in its color, and features the club logo, Etihad Airways, and Nexen Tires in a mixture of pink, purple, and blue. The Puma logo is turquoise, as is the end of the sleeves and shoulder stripes.
The design celebrates the city of Manchester, and represents the culture and also the soccer. The shorts are white, with the same colors for the logo and club badge. The socks are white, with a blue stripe, and the club’s name on them.
Logo
The current Manchester City logo was created in 2016, and is reminiscent of the older designs. It is round, features the name Manchester City, and 1894, the year the club was established. It has two of the old crests features, and uses the ship and the rose. The colors are dark blue, light blue, white, red, and yellow.
Club Academy
Manchester City do have a Club Academy, and also an Elite Development Squad. The EDS is made up of the under 23’s side and is a reserve team. The Academy team is made up of players under the age of 18.
Their Academy Soccer is good, and they are the current Premier League winners. Their academy is managed by Brian Barry-Murphy, and was founded fairly recently, in 2009. It has produced some great players, such as Daniel Sturridge, and Phil Foden.
League Titles
In total, Manchester City have won 7 league titles. This includes the Football League, and Premier League. While this is not as many as some other top Premier League clubs, given the highs and lows Manchester City have experienced, this is fantastic.
These wins, apart from two titles, have also been achieved recently, showing their increased success in recent years. The titles they have won are:
- 1936/37
- 1967/68
- 2011/12
- 2013/14
- 2017/18
- 2018/19
- 2020/21
As you can see, Manchester City are currently the reigning champions of the Premier League. What is interesting about Manchester City is that they currently hold the title for the club with the most Premier League points, which stands at 2308, ahead of Arsenal, who has 2072.
In addition to this, they made history in the 2017/18 season, being the first ever team to break 100 points in one season. In this season they also won the record for the most wins (32), most consecutive wins (18), and most away wins (16).
During this season, they also scored the most goals in one Premier League season, which was 106. They cleared second place, which was Manchester United, by 19 points. This was by far one of the most impressive campaigns seen in soccer history.
Other Titles
In addition to the 7 league titles held by Manchester City, they have also won other leagues and tournaments too, including winning lower division titles.
FA Cup:
- 1903/04
- 1933/34
- 1955/56
- 1968/69
- 2010/11
- 2018/19
League Cup:
- 1969/70
- 1975/76
- 2013/14
- 2015/16
- 2017/18
- 2018/19
- 2019/20
- 2020/21
Continental Cup:
- 2014
- 2016
- 2018/19
European Cup Winners’ Cup:
- 1969/70
Premier League 2 Winners:
- 2020/21
FA Charity/Community Shield:
- 1937/38
- 1968/69
- 1972/73
- 2012/13
- 2018/19
- 2019/20
Division One Champions:
- 2001/02
Division Two Champions:
- 1898/99
- 1902/03
- 1909/10
- 1927/28
- 1946/47
- 1965/66
Fun Facts
Here are some fun facts about Manchester City:
- Manchester City were the first team to ever win a trophy in Europe, which being in the third tier of the league
- Manchester City were the first club to win the treble
- Five goalkeepers from Manchester City have played for the English national team, which is the current record
- They scored 104 goals in the 1957/58 season, but in the same season they conceded 100 goals