Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City

Full name	Manchester City Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Citizens (Cityzens)[1][2] The Blues The Sky Blues
Short name	Man City City
Founded	1880; 143 years ago (1880) as St. Mark's (West Gorton) 1887; 136 years ago (1887) as Ardwick Association F.C. 16 April 1894; 129 years ago (1894-04-16) as Manchester City F.C.[a]
Ground	Etihad Stadium
Capacity	53,400[3]
Coordinates	53°29′00″N 2°12′01″W / 53.4832°N 2.2003°W / 53.4832; -2.2003
Owner	City Football Group Limited
Chairman	Khaldoon Al Mubarak
Manager	Pep Guardiola
League	Premier League
2022–23	Premier League, 1st of 20 (champions)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Active departments of Manchester City
Men's football Women's football Academy Esports (UK) Esports China Esports Korea

Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894. The club's home ground is the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester, to which they moved in 2003, having played at Maine Road since 1923. Manchester City adopted their sky blue home shirts in 1894, in the first season with the current name.^[4]

The club joined the Football League in 1892, and won their first major honour, the FA Cup, in 1904. Manchester City had its first major period of success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, winning the league title, FA Cup, League Cup, and European Cup Winners Cup under the management of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison. After losing the 1981 FA Cup final, Manchester City went through a period of decline, culminating in relegation to the third tier of English football for the only time in their history in 1998. They since regained promotion to the top tier in 2001–02 and have remained a fixture in the Premier League since 2002–03.

Manchester City received considerable financial investment both in playing staff and facilities in east Manchester following its takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan through the Abu Dhabi United Group in August 2008.^[5] This started a new era of unprecedented success, with the club winning the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012. Under the management of Pep Guardiola, the club won 14 major honours, including the first club in the competition's history to attain 100 points in a single season and completing an unprecedented sweep of all domestic titles in England in 2019 and becoming the first English men's team to win the domestic treble.^[6] In 2023, the club won their first UEFA Champions League, while also winning the domestic league and cup in the same season completing a continental treble in the process.

Manchester City topped the Deloitte Football Money League at the end of the 2021–22 season, making it the football club with the highest revenue in the world, approximated at €731 million.^[7] In 2022, Forbes estimated the club was the sixth-most valuable in the world, worth $4.250 billion.^[8][9] Manchester City are owned by City Football Group Limited, a British-based holding company valued at £3.73 ($4.8) billion in November 2019.^[10][11]

History

City gained their first honours by winning the Second Division in 1899; with it came promotion to the highest level in English football, the First Division. They went on to claim their first major honour on 23 April 1904, beating Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at Crystal Palace to win the FA Cup; the Blues narrowly missed out on a League and Cup double that season after finishing runners-up in the league campaign, but they still became the first club in Manchester to win a major honour.^[13] In the seasons following the FA Cup triumph, the club was dogged by allegations of financial irregularities, culminating in the suspension of seventeen players in 1906, including captain Billy Meredith, who subsequently moved across town to Manchester United.^[14] A fire at Hyde Road destroyed the main stand in 1920, and in 1923 the club moved to their new purpose-built stadium at Maine Road in Moss Side.^[15]

In the 1930s, Manchester City reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, losing to Everton in 1933, before claiming the Cup by beating Portsmouth in 1934.^[16] During the 1934 run, the club broke the record for the highest home attendance of any club in English football history, as 84,569 fans packed Maine Road for a sixth-round FA Cup tie against Stoke City – a record which stood until 2016.^[17][18] The club won the First Division title for the first time in 1937, but were relegated the following season, despite scoring more goals than any other team in the division.^[19] Twenty years later, a City team inspired by a tactical system known as the Revie Plan reached consecutive FA Cup finals again, in 1955 and 1956; just as in the 1930s, they lost the first one, to Newcastle United, and won the second. The 1956 final, in which the Blues defeated Birmingham City 3–1, saw City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann continuing to play on after unknowingly breaking his neck.^[20]

After being relegated to the Second Division in 1963, the future looked bleak with a record low home attendance of 8,015 against Swindon Town in January 1965.^[21] In the summer of 1965, the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison was appointed. In the first season under Mercer, Manchester City won the Second Division title and made important signings in Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell.^[22] Two seasons later, in 1967–68, City claimed the league championship for the second time, beating their close neighbours Manchester United to the title on the final day of the season with a 4–3 victory at Newcastle United.^[23] Further trophies followed: City won the FA Cup in 1969 and a year later triumphed in the European Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in the 1970 final. As of 2022, this was the club's only European honour.^[24] The Blues also won the League Cup that year, becoming the second English team to win a European trophy and a domestic trophy in the same season.

The club continued to challenge for honours throughout the 1970s, finishing one point behind the league champions on two occasions and reaching the final of the 1974 League Cup.^[25] One of the matches from this period that is most fondly remembered by supporters of Manchester City is the final match of the 1973–74 season against arch-rivals Manchester United, who needed to win to have any hope of avoiding relegation. Former United player Denis Law scored with a backheel to give City a 1–0 win at Old Trafford and confirm the relegation of their rivals.^[26][27] The final trophy of the club's most successful period of the 20th century was won in 1976, when Newcastle United were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup final.

A long period of decline followed the success of the 1960s and 1970s. Malcolm Allison rejoined the club to become manager for the second time in 1979, but squandered large sums of money on several unsuccessful signings, such as Steve Daley.^[28] A succession of managers then followed – seven in the 1980s alone. Under John Bond, City reached the 1981 FA Cup final but lost in a replay to Tottenham Hotspur. The club were twice relegated from the top flight in the 1980s (in 1983 and 1987), but returned to the top flight again in 1989 and finished fifth in 1991 and 1992 under the management of Peter Reid.^[29] However, this was only a temporary respite, and following Reid's departure Manchester City's fortunes continued to fade. City were co-founders of the Premier League upon its creation in 1992, but after finishing ninth in its first season they endured three years of struggle before being relegated in 1996. After two seasons in the First Division,^[b] City fell to the lowest point in their history, becoming the second ever European trophy winners to be relegated to their country's third-tier league after 1. FC Magdeburg of Germany.

After relegation, the club underwent off-the-field upheaval, with new chairman David Bernstein introducing greater fiscal discipline.^[30] Under manager Joe Royle, City were promoted at the first attempt, achieved in dramatic fashion in the Second Division play-off final against Gillingham.^[31] A second successive promotion saw City return to the top division, but this proved to have been a step too far for the recovering club, and in 2001 City were relegated once more. Kevin Keegan replaced Royle as manager in the close season, and achieved an immediate return to the top division as the club won the 2001–02 First Division championship, breaking club records for the number of points gained and goals scored in a single season in the process.^[32] The 2002–03 season was the last at Maine Road and included a 3–1 derby victory over rivals Manchester United, ending a 13-year run without a derby win.^[33] Additionally, City qualified for European competition for the first time in 25 years via UEFA fair play ranking. In the close 2003–04 season, the club moved to the new City of Manchester Stadium. The first four seasons at the stadium all resulted in mid-table finishes. Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson became the club's first foreign manager when appointed in 2007.^[34] After a bright start, performances faded in the second half of the season, and Eriksson was sacked on 2 June 2008;^[35] he was replaced by Mark Hughes two days later.^[36]

By 2008, Manchester City were in a financially precarious position. Thaksin Shinawatra had taken control of the club the year before, but his political travails saw his assets frozen.^[37] Then, in August 2008, City were purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group. The takeover was immediately followed by a flurry of bids for high-profile players; the club broke the British transfer record by signing Brazilian international Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5 million.^[38] There was not a huge improvement in performance compared to the previous season despite the influx of money however, with the team finishing tenth, although they did well to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. During the summer of 2009, the club took transfer spending to an unprecedented level, with an outlay of over £100 million on players Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, and Joleon Lescott.^[39] In December 2009, Mark Hughes – who had been hired shortly before the change in ownership but was originally retained by the new board – was replaced as manager by Roberto Mancini.^[40] City finished the season in fifth position in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions League but qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.^[41]

Continued investment in players followed in successive seasons, and results began to match the upturn in player quality. City reached the FA Cup final in 2011, their first major final in over 30 years, after defeating derby rivals Manchester United in the semi-finals,^[42] the first time they had knocked their rival out of a cup competition since 1975. The Blues defeated Stoke City 1–0 in the final, securing their fifth FA Cup and the club's first major trophy since winning the 1976 League Cup. In the same week, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1968 with a 1–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the penultimate Premier League match.^[43] On the last day of the 2010–11 season, City beat out Arsenal for the third place, thereby securing qualification directly into the Champions League group stage.^[44]

Strong performances continued to follow in the 2011–12 season, with the club beginning the campaign in commanding form, including a 5–1 victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane and a 6–1 humbling of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Although the strong form waned halfway through the season, and City at one point fell eight points behind United with only six games left to play, a slump by United allowed the blue side of Manchester to draw back level with two games to go, setting up a thrilling finale to the season with both teams going into the last day equal on points (City led by eight goals on goal difference). Despite the Blues only needing a home win against Queens Park Rangers, a team in the relegation zone, they fell 1–2 behind by the end of normal time, leading some of United's players to finish their game, a 1–0 win at Sunderland, celebrating in the belief that they had won the league. However, two goals in injury time – the second by Sergio Agüero in the fourth added minute – resulted in an almost-literal last-minute 3–2 title victory, City's first in 44 years, with which they became only the fifth team to win the Premier League since its creation in 1992. In its aftermath, the event was described by media sources from the UK and around the world as the greatest moment in Premier League history.^[45][46] The game was also notable for former City player Joey Barton's sending off, where he committed three separate red card-able incidents on three players in the space of only a couple of seconds, resulting in a 12-match ban.^[47]

The following season, City failed to capitalise on the gains made in the first two full campaigns of Mancini's reign. While the Blues rarely seemed likely to drop below second in the table, they posed little title challenge throughout the season. In the Champions League, the club was eliminated at the group stage for the second successive season (this time finishing fourth and losing out on Europa League football as well), while a second FA Cup final in three seasons ended in a 1–0 defeat to relegated Wigan Athletic.^[48] Mancini was dismissed two days later, ostensibly as he had failed to reach his targets for the season,^[49] but BBC Sports Editor David Bond reported he had been sacked for his poor communication and relationships with players and executives.^[50] The Chilean Manuel Pellegrini was named City's new manager afterwards.^[51]

In Pellegrini's first season, City won the League Cup and regained the Premier League title on the last matchday of the season.^[52][53] However, the team's league form was less impressive in the next couple of years: although they finished as runners-up in 2014–15, the 2015–16 campaign saw City end up fourth on goal difference, their lowest position since 2010. On the other hand, Pellegrini delivered another League Cup win and, more importantly, he guided City to the Champions League semi-finals, which they narrowly lost to future champions Real Madrid. This was the club's highest-ever finish in the Champions League, but Pellegrini's reign was nonetheless ended in anticipation of City's dream manager.^[54]

Pep Guardiola, former head coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, was confirmed to become Manchester City's new manager on 1 February 2016,^[55] months before Pellegrini finished his term, and has remained in charge to this day.^[56] In the Guardiola era, City won the 2017–18 Premier League title with the highest points total in history and broke numerous other club and English league records along the way.^[57] They also won the League Cup that season, and Sergio Agüero became the club's all-time leading goalscorer.^[58]

The following season, Guardiola guided the club to retain their Premier League and League Cup titles, the first time in history that City had completed any successful title defence. The team then went on to win the FA Cup final and complete an unprecedented domestic treble of English men's titles.^[59]

In 2020, UEFA banned Manchester City from European competitions for two seasons for alleged breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations; the club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who overturned the ban within months, finding that some allegations were above the five-years-old limit for such UEFA investigations, while the other allegations were unproven. The CAS also reduced UEFA's fine from €30 to €10 million.^[60][61]

In April 2021, it was announced that City had joined the proposed European Super League as one of its twelve founder members together with the five other "Big Six" English football clubs.^[62] However, the announcement led to widespread condemnation from The Football Association, the Premier League, UEFA, and FIFA, as well as from the UK's Conservative government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.^[63][64][65] Within 48 hours of the initial announcement on 20 April, City confirmed that they had withdrawn from the Super League to be followed shortly by the other five English clubs. By the following day, only three of the original founders – Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus – remained committed, and it seemed that the proposal had collapsed.^[66]

In the COVID-19 affected 2020–21 Premier League season, Manchester City regained their title from Liverpool, becoming champions for the third time in four years.^[67] They ended the season twelve points ahead of second-placed Manchester United, winning the title with three games to spare.^[68] They also won the League Cup for a record-equalling fourth consecutive and eighth time in total, beating Tottenham 1–0 in the final.^[69] City's league victory was the tenth league and cup title of Guardiola's five-year tenure, making him the most successful manager in the club's history.^[70] The season was highlighted by City's European breakthrough, with the club reaching their first-ever Champions League final,^[71] where they met Chelsea, making it the third all-English final in the competition history. However, the Sky Blues were defeated 1–0 at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, courtesy of a Kai Havertz goal. Still, City's breakthrough marked their most successful European campaign until they reached the Champions League final again in 2023.^[72]

A report from German outlet Der Spiegel in April 2022 claimed, based on leaked internal documents, that the Abu Dhabi owners had previously made payments into the club disguised as sponsorship contributions by Emirati companies Etihad and Etisalat (the same claim that the club had successfully defended against at the CAS in 2020), Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) had allegedly indirectly paid for underage players to sign with the club, and that Manchester City had allegedly used a fictitious contract between Roberto Mancini and Mansour's Al Jazira Club to pay large compensation fees to the former manager in addition to his salary. It also claimed that these three cases were under investigation by the Premier League for the last three years.^[73][74] In response, Manchester City dismissed these claims as untrue and classified them as another attempt to undermine the reputation and integrity of the club.

City produced another campaign to remember in 2021–22, retaining their league title, following another close title race with Liverpool and making it four titles in five seasons. In another case of "typical City", needing four points from their last two fixtures, the Blues had fallen behind by two goals in both games, only to recover to a 2–2 draw at West Ham, and to a 3–2 home win against Aston Villa in the season finale. These last three goals were all scored in a five-minute blitz between the 76th and 81st minutes, in moments that would sit alongside the famous victories in the 1999 play-off final against Gillingham and the 2011–12 Premier League finale against QPR.^[75] City also reached the Champions League semi-finals again that season (and for only the third time in their history), but were beaten there by Real Madrid 6–5 on aggregate a.e.t. over two closely fought and very dramatic games.^[76] In February 2023, the Premier League charged the club with over 100 financial rule breaches, including failing to comply with financial fair play rules.^[77]

League history

1892–1899 Division 2 (L2) 1899–1902 Division 1 (L1) 1902–1903 Division 2 (L2) 1903–1909 Division 1 (L1) 1909–1910 Division 2 (L2)

1910–1926 Division 1 (L1) 1926–1928 Division 2 (L2) 1928–1938 Division 1 (L1) 1938–1947 Division 2 (L2) 1947–1950 Division 1 (L1)

1950–1951 Division 2 (L2) 1951–1963 Division 1 (L1) 1963–1966 Division 2 (L2) 1966–1983 Division 1 (L1) 1983–1985 Division 2 (L2)

1985–1987 Division 1 (L1) 1987–1989 Division 2 (L2) 1989–1992 Division 1 (L1) 1992–1996 Premier League (L1) 1996–1998 Division 1 (L2)

1998–1999 Division 2 (L3) 1999–2000 Division 1 (L2) 2000–2001 Premier League (L1) 2001–2002 Division 1 (L2) 2002– Premier League (L1)

Club badge and colours

Manchester City's home colours are sky blue and white. Traditional away kit colours have been either maroon or (from the 1960s) red and black; however, in recent years several colours have been used. The origins of the club's home colours are unclear, but there is evidence that the club has worn blue since 1892 or earlier. A booklet entitled Famous Football Clubs – Manchester City published in the 1940s indicates that West Gorton (St. Marks) originally played in scarlet and black, and reports dating from 1884 describe the team wearing black jerseys bearing a white cross, showing the club's origins as a church side.^[78] The infrequent yet recurrent use of red and black away colours comes from former assistant manager Malcolm Allison's belief that adopting the colours of AC Milan would inspire City to glory.^[79] Allison's theory worked, with City winning the 1969 FA Cup final, 1970 League Cup final, and 1970 Cup Winners' Cup final in red and black stripes as opposed to the club's home kit of sky blue.

City had previously worn three other badges on their shirts, prior to their current badge being implemented in 2016. The first, introduced in 1970, was based on designs which had been used on official club documentation since the mid-1960s. It consisted of a circular badge which used the same shield as the present badge (including a ship, based on the City of Manchester coat of arms), inside a circle bearing the name of the club. In 1972, this was replaced by a variation which replaced the lower half of the shield with the red rose of Lancashire. In 1976, a heraldic badge was granted by the College of Arms to the English Football League for use by City. The badge consisted of the familiar ship above a red rose but on a circular device instead of a shield (blazoned as "A roundel per fess azure and argent in chief a three masted ship sails set pennons flying or in base a rose gules barbed and seeded proper").^[80]

On occasions when Manchester City played in a major cup final, the club wore shirts bearing the City of Manchester coat of arms, as a symbol of pride in representing the city at a major event. This practice originated from a time when the players' shirts did not normally bear a badge of any kind.^[81] The club has since abandoned the practice; for the 2011 FA Cup final, its first in the 21st century, City used the usual badge with a special legend, but the Manchester coat of arms was included as a small monochrome logo in the numbers on the back of players' shirts.^[82]

A new club badge was adopted in 1997, as a result of the previous badge being ineligible for registration as a trademark. This badge was based on the arms of the city of Manchester, and consisted of a shield in front of a golden eagle. The eagle is an old heraldic symbol of the city of Manchester; a golden eagle was added to the city's badge in 1958 (but had since been removed), representing the growing aviation industry. The shield featured a ship on its upper half representing the Manchester Ship Canal, and three diagonal stripes in the lower half symbolised the city's three rivers – the Irwell, the Irk and the Medlock. The bottom of the badge bore the motto "Superbia in Proelio", which translates as "Pride in Battle" in Latin. Above the eagle and shield were the three stars, added for decorative purposes.

On 15 October 2015, following years of criticism from the fans over the design of the 1997 badge,^[83] the club announced they intended to carry out a fan consultation on whether to discontinue the current badge and institute a new design.^[83] After the consultation, the club announced in late November 2015 the badge would be replaced in due course by a new version which would be designed in the style of the older, circular variants.^[84] A design purporting to be the new badge was unintentionally leaked two days early prior to the official unveiling on 26 December 2015 by the IPO when the design was trademarked on 22 December.^[85] The new badge was officially unveiled at Manchester City's home match against Sunderland on 26 December.^[86]

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Period	Kit supplier	Shirt sponsor (chest)	Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
1974–1982	Umbro	No sponsor	No sponsor
1982–1984		Saab
1984–1987		Philips
1987–1997		Brother
1997–1999	Kappa
1999–2002	Le Coq Sportif	Eidos
2002–2003		First Advice
2003–2004	Reebok
2004–2007		Thomas Cook
2007–2009	Le Coq Sportif
2009–2013	Umbro	Etihad Airways
2013–2017	Nike
2017–2019			Nexen Tire
2019–present	Puma

Kit deals

Kit supplier	Period	Announcement date	Intended contract duration	Value	Notes
Le Coq Sportif	2007–2009	13 May 2007[87]	2007–2011 (4 years)	Around £2.5m per year[88]	Replaced by Umbro contract
Umbro	2009–2013	4 June 2009	2009–2019 (10 years)	Around £2.5m per year[89]	Umbro contract transferred to parent company Nike in 2013
Nike	2013–2019	4 May 2012	2013–2019 (6 years)	Around £20m per year[90]
Puma	2019–2029	28 February 2019	2019–2029 (10 years)	Around £65m per year[91]

Players

First-team squad

As of 31 January 2023^[92]

The following list includes players who made at least one league appearance.

• Due to depart club on the 30th June 2023.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  ENG Kyle Walker (4th captain) 3 DF  POR Rúben Dias (3rd captain) 4 MF  ENG Kalvin Phillips 5 DF  ENG John Stones 6 DF  NED Nathan Aké 8 MF  GER İlkay Gündoğan (captain) * 9 FW  NOR Erling Haaland 10 MF  ENG Jack Grealish 14 DF  ESP Aymeric Laporte 16 MF  ESP Rodri (5th captain) 17 MF  BEL Kevin De Bruyne (vice-captain) 18 GK  GER Stefan Ortega

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  ARG Julián Álvarez 20 MF  POR Bernardo Silva 21 DF  ESP Sergio Gómez 25 DF  SUI Manuel Akanji 26 FW  ALG Riyad Mahrez 31 GK  BRA Ederson 32 MF  ARG Máximo Perrone 33 GK  ENG Scott Carson 47 MF  ENG Phil Foden 62 DF  NIR Shea Charles 80 MF  ENG Cole Palmer 82 DF  ENG Rico Lewis

Out on loan

The following players have previously made a league or cup appearance (or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team) and are currently on loan at other teams:

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 7 DF  POR João Cancelo (at Bayern Munich until 30 June 2023) 12 DF  ENG Taylor Harwood-Bellis (at Burnley until 30 June 2023) 13 GK  USA Zack Steffen (at Middlesbrough until 30 June 2023) 37 FW  BRA Kayky (at Bahia until 30 June 2023) 39 DF  BRA Yan Couto (at Girona until 30 June 2023) 48 FW  ENG Liam Delap (at Preston North End until 30 June 2023)

No. Pos. Nation Player 69 MF  ENG Tommy Doyle (at Sheffield United until 30 June 2023) 79 DF  ENG Luke Mbete (at Bolton Wanderers until 30 June 2023) 85 GK  ENG James Trafford (at Bolton Wanderers until 30 June 2023) 87 MF  ENG James McAtee (at Sheffield United until 30 June 2023) 97 DF  ENG Josh Wilson-Esbrand (at Coventry City until 30 June 2023)

Other players with first-team appearances

The following players have previously made cup appearances or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 52 FW  NOR Oscar Bobb 75 MF  ENG Nico O'Reilly 84 GK  SCO Cieran Slicker

No. Pos. Nation Player 93 MF  AUS Alex Robertson 94 DF  ENG Finley Burns 96 FW  ENG Ben Knight

Suspended

• To be released when his contract expires on 30th June 2023.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 DF  FRA Benjamin Mendy *

Retired numbers

Since 2003, Manchester City have not issued the squad number 23. It was retired in memory of Marc-Vivien Foé, who was on loan to the club from Lyon at the time of his death on the field of play while playing for Cameroon in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.^[93]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 MF  CMR Marc-Vivien Foé (2002–03) – posthumous honour)

Captains

Years Captain 1904–1906 Billy Meredith (FW) 1906–1914 Lot Jones (FW) 1914–1919 No competitive football due to the First World War 1919–1923 Eli Fletcher (DF) 1923–1925 Max Woosnam (DF) 1926–1928 Charlie Pringle (MF) 1928–1932 Jimmy McMullan (MF) 1932–1935 Sam Cowan (DF) 1935–1936 Matt Busby (MF) 1937–1939 Les McDowall (MF)

Years Captain 1939–1946 No competitive football due to the Second World War 1946–1947 Frank Swift (GK) 1947–1950 Eric Westwood (DF) 1950–1957 Roy Paul (DF) 1957–1961 Ken Barnes (MF) 1961–1964 Bill Leivers (DF) 1965–1967 Johnny Crossan (FW) 1967–1974 Tony Book (DF) 1974–1975 Colin Bell (MF) 1975–1976 Mike Doyle (DF)

Years Captain 1976–1979 David Watson (DF) 1979–1986 Paul Power (DF/MF) 1986–1988 Kenny Clements (DF) 1988–1992 Steve Redmond (DF) 1992–1993 Terry Phelan (DF) 1993–1996 Keith Curle (DF) 1996–1998 Kit Symons (DF) 1998 Jamie Pollock (MF) 1998–2000 Andy Morrison (DF) 2000–2001 Alfie Haaland (DF/MF)

Years Captain 2001–2002 Stuart Pearce (DF) 2002–2003 Ali Benarbia (MF) 2003–2006 Sylvain Distin (DF) 2006–2009 Richard Dunne (DF) 2009–2010 Kolo Touré (DF) 2010–2011 Carlos Tevez (FW) 2011–2019 Vincent Kompany (DF) 2019–2020 David Silva (MF) 2020–2022 Fernandinho (MF) 2022–present İlkay Gündoğan (MF)

Player of the Year

Each season since the end of the 1966–67 season, the members of the Manchester City Official Supporters Club have voted by ballot to choose the player on the team they feel is the most worthy of recognition for his performances during that season. The following table lists the recipients of this award since 2000.

Year Winner 2000–01 Danny Tiatto 2001–02 Ali Benarbia 2002–03 Sylvain Distin 2003–04 Shaun Wright-Phillips 2004–05 Richard Dunne 2005–06 Richard Dunne 2006–07 Richard Dunne 2007–08 Richard Dunne 2008–09 Stephen Ireland 2009–10 Carlos Tevez

Year Winner 2010–11 Vincent Kompany 2011–12 Sergio Agüero 2012–13 Pablo Zabaleta 2013–14 Yaya Touré 2014–15 Sergio Agüero 2015–16 Kevin De Bruyne 2016–17 David Silva 2017–18 Kevin De Bruyne 2018–19 Bernardo Silva 2019–20 Kevin De Bruyne

Year Winner 2020–21 Rúben Dias 2021–22 Kevin De Bruyne 2022–23 Erling Haaland

Sources:^{[94][95][96][97][98]}

Halls of Fame

Manchester City Hall of Fame

The following former Manchester City players and managers have been inducted into the Manchester City F.C. Hall of Fame, and are listed according to the year of their induction:

Inductees at the MCFC Hall of Fame
Year of induction	Player	Position	Role at MCFC	Years in role at MCFC	Notes
	Manchester City players who were the inaugural inductees in January 2004
2004[99]	Billy Meredith	FW (outside right)	player	1894–1906, 1921–1924	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Tommy Johnson	FW (centre forward) & (inside left)	player	1919–1930
	Eric Brook	FW (outside left)	player	1928–1939
	Frank Swift	GK	player	1933–1949	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Peter Doherty	FW (inside left)	player	1936–1945	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Roy Clarke	FW (outside left)	player	1947–1958	Lifetime achievement award
	Bert Trautmann, OBE	GK	player	1949–1964	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Roy Paul	MF (half back)	player	1950–1957
	Mike Summerbee	FW / MF (outside right)	player	1965–1975	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Tony Book	DF (right back)	player manager	1966–1974 1973, 1974–1979, 1980, 1989, 1993
	Colin Bell, MBE	MF	player	1966–1979	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Francis Lee	FW	player chairman	1967–1974 1994–1998	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Joe Corrigan	GK	player	1967–1983
	Paul Lake	FW / MF / DF	player	1987–1996
	Niall Quinn, (Honorary) MBE	FW	player	1990–1996	also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Manchester City players and teams inducted since 2004
2005[100]	Sam Cowan	DF (centre half)	player manager	1924–1935 1946–1947
	Ken Barnes	MF (wing half)	player	1950–1961	Lifetime achievement award
	Alan Oakes	MF	player	1958–1976
	Joe Mercer, OBE	MF (left half)	manager	1965–1971	Outstanding achievement award also see NFM Hall of Fame
	Malcolm Allison	DF (centre half)	assistant mgr. manager	1965–1971 1971–1973, 1979–1980	Outstanding achievement award also see NFM Hall of Fame
2006[101]	Ernie Toseland	FW (outside right)	player	1928–1938
	Johnny Hart	FW (inside forward)	player manager	1947–1960 1973	Lifetime achievement award
	Manchester City 1955–56 FA Cup-winning team	not applicable			en masse induction
	Mike Doyle	DF / MF	player	1965–1978
	Shaun Goater	FW	player	1998–2003	Cult hero award
2008[102]	Fred Tilson	FW (centre forward)	player	1928–1939
	Neil Young	FW (outside left) & (inside left)	player	1961–1972
	Alex Williams, MBE	GK	player	1980–1986	Lifetime achievement award
2009[103]	Uwe Rösler	FW	player	1994–1998

National Football Museum Hall of Fame

The following former Manchester City players and managers have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame (a.k.a. the National Football Museum Hall of Fame), and are listed according to the year of their induction within the various categories:

Inductees at the NFM Hall of Fame
Year of induction	Player	Position	Role at MCFC	Years in role at MCFC
	Players with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
2002	Peter Doherty	inside left	player	1936–1945
	Denis Law, CBE	forward & midfielder	player	1960–1961 1973–1974
	Kevin Keegan, OBE	forward	manager	2001–2005
2003	Peter Schmeichel, MBE	goalkeeper	player	2002–2003
	Alan Ball, MBE	attacking midfielder	manager	1995–1996
2005	Bert Trautmann, OBE	goalkeeper	player	1949–1964
	Colin Bell, MBE	attacking midfielder	player	1966–1979
2007	Billy Meredith	right winger	player	1894–1906 1921–1924
	Peter Beardsley	midfielder	player	1998
	Mark Hughes	forward	manager	2008–2009
2009	Frank Swift	goalkeeper	player	1933–1949
2010	Francis Lee, CBE	forward	player	1967–1974
2013	Mike Summerbee	forward	player	1965–1975
2014	Trevor Francis	centre forward	player	1981–1982
	Patrick Vieira	holding midfielder	player EDS manager	2010–2011 2011–2015
2015	Stuart Pearce, MBE	left back	player coach manager	2001–2002 2002–2005 2005–2007
	Sun Jihai	defender	player	2002–2008
2016	David Seaman MBE	goalkeeper	player	2003–2004
2017	Frank Lampard OBE	attacking midfielder	player	2014–2015
2020	Justin Fashanu	centre forward	player	1989
2023	Vincent Kompany	defender	player	2008–2019
	Managers with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
2002	Sir Matt Busby, CBE, KCSG	inside right & right half	player	1928–1936
2004	Don Revie, OBE	centre forward	player	1951–1956
2005	Howard Kendall	attacking midfielder	manager	1989–1990
2009	Joe Mercer, OBE	left half	manager	1965–1971
	Malcolm Allison	centre half	assistant mgr. manager	1965–1971 1971–1973 1979–1980
	Manchester City "Football Foundation Community Champions" inducted to date
2007	Niall Quinn, (Honorary) MBE	forward	player	1990–1996
	Manchester City teams inducted to date
2009	Manchester City league- and European cup-winning team of 1967–1970	not applicable

Premier League Hall of Fame

The following former Manchester players have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. Inaugurated in 2020, but delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hall of Fame is intended to recognise and honour players that have achieved great success and made a significant contribution to the league since its founding in 1992.

Inductees at the Premier League Hall of Fame
Year of induction	Player	Position	Role at MCFC	Years in role at MCFC
	Players with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
2021	Frank Lampard, OBE	attacking midfielder	player	2014–2015
2022	Patrick Vieira	midfielder	player EDS manager	2010–2011 2011–2015
	Peter Schmeichel	goalkeeper	player	2002–2003
	Vincent Kompany	defender	player	2008–2019
	Sergio Agüero	striker	player	2011–2021

Scottish Football Museum Hall of Fame

The following former Manchester City players and managers have been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame (a.k.a. the Scottish Football Museum Hall of Fame), and are listed according to the year of their induction within the various categories:

Inductees at the SFM Hall of Fame
Year of induction	Player	Position	Role at MCFC	Years in role at MCFC
	Players with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
2004	Denis Law	forward	player	1960–1961, 1973–1974
	Billy McNeill, MBE	defender	manager	1983–1986
2010	Bobby Johnstone	forward (inside right)	player	1955–1959
	Managers with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
2004	Matt Busby, CBE, KCSG	forward (inside right) / midfielder (right half)	player	1928–1936

Welsh Sports Hall of Fame

The following former Manchester City players have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, and are listed according to the year of their induction:

Inductees at the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Year of induction	Player	Position	Role at MCFC	Years in role at MCFC
	Players with Manchester City backgrounds inducted to date
1990	Billy Meredith	defender	player	1894–1906
1999	Horace Blew	defender	player	1906

Non-playing staff

Corporate hierarchy

Position	Name
Chairman	Khaldoon Al Mubarak
Director	Ruigang Li
Chief Executive Officer	Ferran Soriano
Global Technical Director of the City Football Group	Rodolfo Borrell
Non-executive director	Mohamed Al Mazrouei
Non-executive director	Simon Pearce
Non-executive director	John Macbeath
Non-executive director	Marty Edelman
Non-executive director	Alberto Galassi
Managing director of the City Football Academy	Brian Marwood
Club ambassadors	Mike Summerbee[104] Paul Dickov[105] Micah Richards[106] Pablo Zabaleta[107] Joleon Lescott[108] Shaun Wright-Phillips[109]

Management hierarchy

Position	Name
Director of Football	Txiki Begiristain
Manager	Pep Guardiola
Assistant Managers	Rodolfo Borrell Carlos Vicens[110]
Fitness coach	Lorenzo Buenaventura
Head of goalkeeping	Xabier Mancisidor
Goalkeeper coach	Richard Wright[111]
Performance analysis coach	Carles Planchart
Head of player support	Manel Estiarte
Head of academy	Jason Wilcox
Under-23 EDS manager	Brian Barry-Murphy
Under-23 EDS assistant manager	Craig Mudd
Under-23 GK coach	Imanol Egaña
Under-18 Academy manager	Ben Wilkinson[112]
Under-18 Academy assistant manager	Jamie Carr
Under-18 Academy GK coach	Max Johnson
Chief scout	Carlo Cancellieri

Source:^[113]

Notable managers

Manchester City managers to have won major honours. Table correct as of 10 June 2023^[c]

Name	From	To	Games	Wins	Draws	Loss	Win %	Honours
Tom Maley	1902	1906	150	89	22	39	059.33	1903–04 FA Cup
Wilf Wild	1932	1946	352	158	71	123	044.89	1933–34 FA Cup	1936–37 First Division
Les McDowall	1950	1963	592	220	127	245	037.16	1955–56 FA Cup
Joe Mercer	1965	1971	340	149	94	97	043.82	1967–68 First Division 1968 FA Charity Shield 1968–69 FA Cup	1969–70 European Cup Winners' Cup 1969–70 League Cup
Tony Book	1973	1980	269	114	75	80	042.38	1975–76 League Cup
Roberto Mancini	2009	2013	191	113	38	40	059.16	2010–11 FA Cup 2011–12 Premier League	2012 FA Community Shield
Manuel Pellegrini[d]	2013	2016	167	100	28	39	059.88	2013–14 League Cup 2013–14 Premier League	2015–16 League Cup
Pep Guardiola[e]	2016	incumbent	413	300	55	58	072.64	2017–18 League Cup 2017–18 Premier League 2018 FA Community Shield 2018–19 League Cup 2018–19 Premier League 2018–19 FA Cup 2019 FA Community Shield	2019–20 League Cup 2020–21 League Cup 2020–21 Premier League 2021–22 Premier League 2022–23 Premier League 2022–23 FA Cup 2022–23 UEFA Champions League

Supporters

Since moving to the City of Manchester Stadium, the club's average attendances have been in the top six in England,^[115] usually in excess of 40,000. Even in the late 1990s, when City were relegated twice in three seasons and playing in the third tier of English football (then the Second Division, now the EFL League One), home attendances were in the region of 30,000, compared to an average of fewer than 8,000 for the division.^[116] Research carried out by Manchester City in 2005 estimated a fanbase of 886,000 in the United Kingdom and a total in excess of 2 million worldwide, although since the purchase of the club by Sheikh Mansour, and City's recent achievements, that figure has since ballooned to many times that size.^[117]

Manchester City's officially recognised supporters club is the Manchester City F.C. Supporters Club (1949), formed by a merger of two existing organisations in 2010: the Official Supporters Club (OSC) and the Centenary Supporters Association (CSA).^[118] City fans' song of choice is a rendition of "Blue Moon", which despite its melancholic theme is belted out with gusto as though it were a heroic anthem. City supporters tend to believe that unpredictability is an inherent trait of their team, and label unexpected results "typical City".^[119][120] Events that fans regard as "typical City" include the club being the only reigning English champions ever to be relegated (in 1938), the only team to score and concede over 100 goals in the same season (1957–58),^[121] or the more recent example where Manchester City were the only team to beat Chelsea in the latter's record-breaking 2004–05 Premier League season, yet in the same season City were knocked out of the FA Cup by Oldham Athletic, a team two divisions lower.

In the late 1980s, City fans started a craze of bringing inflatable objects to matches, primarily oversized bananas. One disputed explanation for the phenomenon is that in a match against West Bromwich Albion, chants from fans calling for the introduction of Imre Varadi as a substitute mutated into "Imre Banana". Terraces packed with inflatable-waving supporters became a frequent sight in the 1988–89 season, as the craze spread to other clubs (inflatable fish were seen at Grimsby Town), with the craze reaching its peak at City's match at Stoke City on 26 December 1988, a game declared by fanzines as a fancy dress party.^[122] In 2010, Manchester City supporters adopted an exuberant dance, dubbed The Poznań, from fans of Polish club Lech Poznań that they played in the Europa League.^[123] In 2022, Manchester City proposed the release of the Connected Scarf, that would contain a sensor tracking physiological and emotional data of the wearer, for supporters in 2023.^[124]

Rivalries

Manchester City's biggest rivalry is with neighbours Manchester United, against whom they contest the Manchester derby. Before the Second World War, when travel to away games was rare, many Mancunian football fans regularly watched both teams even if considering themselves "supporters" of only one. This practice continued into the early 1960s but as travel became easier, and the cost of entry to matches rose, watching both teams became unusual and the rivalry intensified. A common stereotype is that City fans come from Manchester proper, while United fans come from elsewhere. A 2002 report by a researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University found that while it was true that a higher proportion of City season ticket holders came from Manchester postcode areas (40% compared to United's 29%), there were more United season ticket holders, the lower percentage being due to United's higher overall number of season ticket holders (27,667 compared to City's 16,481). The report noted that since the compiling of data in 2001, the number of both City and United season ticket holders had risen; expansion of United's ground and City's move to the City of Manchester Stadium have caused season ticket sales to increase further.^[125]

Over the last few years, Manchester City has also developed a notable rivalry with Liverpool FC,^[126] currently considered one of the biggest in association football.^[127][128] Though the two clubs had been involved in a title race in the 1976–77 season, Liverpool and City's modern rivalry began in the 2010s, with the Blues beating Liverpool to the 2013–14 title by just two points on the final day of the season.^[129] In the final of the 2015–16 League Cup, City defeated Liverpool on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The two clubs met in European competition for the first time in the 2017–18 Champions League quarter-finals, where Liverpool won 5–1 on aggregate, ultimately reaching the final and then winning the competition a year later.^[130][131] In the 2018–19 season, City again won the title on the final day, with the Blues' 98 points and Liverpool's 97 being the third- and fourth-highest Premier League points totals ever.^[132] The following season, Liverpool clinched the title, recording 99 points (the second-highest Premier League total ever after Manchester City's 100 in 2017–18) to finish 18 points above runners-up City. The Blues then regained the title in 2020–21 and outgunned Liverpool in another closely-fought title race in 2021–22, to finish with 93 points to Liverpool's 92.

The success of the two teams in the 2010s and 2020s has led to the development of a rivalry between Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, the managers of Liverpool and Manchester City, with the two previously having been the respective managers of Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.^[133] At the end of the 2018–19 season, Guardiola described his relationship with Klopp as a "beautiful rivalry" and called Klopp's Liverpool team "the strongest opponents I have faced in my career as a manager".^[134][135] In September 2019, Klopp hailed Guardiola for being his 'greatest rival ever', after both were nominated for the FIFA Men's Coach of the Year award in 2019, which Klopp ultimately won.^[136][137] In a 2019 survey, City fans answered that Liverpool, and not Manchester United, are the club's biggest rivals.^[138]

Manchester City also have long established local rivalries with Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, and Stockport County, and more recent competitive Premier League rivalries with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.^[139][140]

Ownership and finances

The holding company of Manchester City F.C., Manchester City Limited, is a private limited company, with approximately 54 million shares in issue. The club has been in private hands since 2007, when the major shareholders agreed to sell their holdings to UK Sports Investments Limited (UKSIL), a company controlled by former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. UKSIL then made a formal offer to buy the shares held by several thousands of small shareholders.

Prior to the Thaksin takeover, the club was listed on the specialist independent equity market PLUS (formerly OFEX),^[141] where it had been listed since 1995. On 6 July 2007, having acquired 75% of the shares, Thaksin de-listed the club and re-registered it as a private company.^[142] By August, UKSIL had acquired over 90% of the shares and exercised its rights under the Companies Act to "squeeze out" the remaining shareholders, and acquire the entire shareholding. Thaksin Shinawatra became chairman of the club and two of Thaksin's children, Pintongta and Oak Chinnawat became directors. Former chairman John Wardle stayed on the board for a year, but resigned in July 2008 following Nike executive Garry Cook's appointment as executive chairman in May.^[143] The club made a pre-tax loss of £11m in the fiscal year ending 31 May 2007, the final year for which the club published accounts as a public company.^[144]

Thaksin's purchase prompted a period of transfer spending at the club,^[145] in total around £30 million,^[146] whereas over the several previous seasons Manchester City's net spending had been among the lowest in the Premier League. A year later, this investment was dwarfed by an influx of money derived from the club's takeover. On 1 September 2008, Abu Dhabi-based Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited completed the takeover of Manchester City. The deal, worth a reported £200 million, was announced on the morning of 1 September. It sparked various transfer "deadline-day" rumours and bids such as the club's attempt to gazump Manchester United's protracted bid to sign Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee in excess of £30 million.^[147][148] Minutes before the transfer window closed, the club signed Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of £32.5 million.^[149] The wealth of the new owners meant that, in the summer of 2009, City were able to finance the purchase of experienced international players prior to the new season, spending more than any other club in the Premier League.^[150]

City Football Group

Created in the 2013–14 season to manage the global footballing interests of the Abu Dhabi United Group, City Football Group (CFG) is an umbrella corporation owning stakes in a network of global clubs for the purposes of resource sharing, academy networking and marketing.

CFG ownership

Clubs owned by CFG

(listed in order of acquisition/foundation)
Bold indicates the club was founded by CFG.
* indicates the club was acquired by CFG.
§ indicates the club is co-owned.

2008	Manchester City F.C.*
2009–2012
2013	New York City FC§
2014	Melbourne City FC*
	Yokohama F. Marinos*§
2015–2016
2017	Montevideo City Torque*
	Girona FC*§
2018
2019	Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.*§
	Mumbai City FC*§
2020	Lommel S.K.*
	ES Troyes AC*
2021
2022	Palermo F.C.*§
2023	Bahia*§

Through City Football Group, Manchester City owns stakes in a number of clubs:

• Melbourne City FC (2014–present)^[151]

On 23 January 2014, it was announced that Manchester City had partnered with the Australian rugby league franchise Melbourne Storm, purchasing a majority stake in A-League team Melbourne City FC. On 5 August 2015, CFG bought out the Storm and acquired full ownership of the team.^[152]

• Yokohama F. Marinos (2014–present)^[153]

On 20 May 2014, it was announced that Manchester City had partnered with the Japanese Automotive company Nissan to become a minority shareholder in Yokohama based J-League side, Yokohama F. Marinos.

• New York City FC (2015–present)^[154]

On 21 May 2013, it was announced that Manchester City had partnered with the American baseball franchise the New York Yankees to introduce the 20th Major League Soccer expansion team, New York City FC as its majority shareholder. The club began play in the 2015 Major League Soccer season.

• Montevideo City Torque (2017–present)^[155]

On 5 April 2017, CFG confirmed the purchase of Uruguayan second division team Montevideo City Torque.

• Girona FC (2017–present)^[156]

On 23 August 2017, it was announced that CFG had acquired 44.3% of Segunda División (second tier) side Girona FC. Another 44.3% was held by the Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola, brother of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

• Sichuan Jiuniu F.C. (2019–present)^[157]

On 20 February 2019, it was announced that CFG as well as UBTECH and China Sports Capital had acquired Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.

• Mumbai City FC (2019–present)^[158]

CFG was announced as majority stakeholder of Mumbai City FC on Thursday 28 November 2019 after acquiring 65% of the club. Mumbai City is the professional football club based in Mumbai, competing in the Indian Super League.

• Lommel S.K. (2020–present)^[159]

CFG was announced as a majority stakeholder of Lommel S.K. on Monday 11 May 2020, acquiring the majority (unspecified) of the club's shares. Lommel S.K. is a professional football club based in Lommel, competing in the Belgian First Division B (second tier).

• Troyes AC (2020–present)^[160]

On 3 September 2020, CFG announced that they had purchased the shares of Daniel Masoni, the former owner of Ligue 2 (second tier) club Troyes AC, making them the majority shareholder of the French club.

• Palermo F.C. (2022–present)^[161]

On 4 July 2022, Italian Serie B (second tier) club Palermo announced that CFG had acquired an 80% majority stake in their ownership.

• Bahia (2023–present)^[162]

On 3 December 2022, CFG acquired 90% of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Bahia. The deal was finalised on 4 May 2023.

Partner clubs

• Club Bolívar (2021–present)^[163]

On 12 January 2021, CFG announced Bolivian club Club Bolívar as its first partner club.

• Vannes OC (2021–present)^[164]

On 18 February 2021, CFG announced that French Championnat National 2 (tier 4) club Vannes OC would be its second partner club.

Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, known as the Etihad Stadium since 2011 for sponsorship reasons, is on a 200-year lease from Manchester City Council to Manchester City. It has been the club's home since the end of the 2002–03 season, when City moved from Maine Road.^[165] Before moving to the stadium, the club spent in excess of £30 million to convert it to football use: the pitch was lowered, adding another tier of seating around it, and a new North Stand was constructed.^[166] The inaugural match at the new stadium was a 2–1 win over Barcelona in a friendly match.^[167] A 7,000-seat third tier on the South Stand was completed in time for the start of the 2015–16 football season, increasing the stadium's capacity to 55,097. A North Stand third tier is in development, potentially increasing capacity to around 61,000.^[168]

After playing home matches at five stadiums between 1880 and 1887, the club settled at Hyde Road Football Stadium, its home for 36 years.^[169] A fire destroyed the Main Stand in 1920, and the club moved to the 84,000 capacity Maine Road three years later. Maine Road, nicknamed the "Wembley of the North" by its designers, hosted the largest-ever crowd at an English club ground when 84,569 attended an FA Cup tie against Stoke City on 3 March 1934.^[170] Though Maine Road was redeveloped several times over its 80-year lifespan, by 1995 its capacity was restricted to 32,000, prompting the search for a new ground which culminated in the move to the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003; it was renamed the Etihad Stadium in 2011.^[171]

Honours

Based on trophy count, Manchester City are one of the most successful teams in England – their thirty two major domestic and European honours rank them fifth on the list of most decorated sides in England, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with 26 and behind Chelsea with 34.

The club's first major trophy was the 1904 FA Cup,^[172] though they had previously won three regional Manchester Cups before that point.^[173] Their first top division league title came in the 1936–37 season,^[12] with the first Charity Shield won in the following August.^[12] City's first League Cup and European trophy both came at the end of the 1969–70 season, the two trophies also constituting the team's first double of any kind.^[12] In the 2018–19 season, City became the first team to claim all of the major English trophies available in a single season, winning not just the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup, but also the Community Shield.^[174]

Manchester City won their first European trophy when they won the 1970 Cup Winners' Cup, beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1.^[175] They have reached the final of the Champions League twice, losing their first-ever final in 2021, but winning their maiden title in 2023, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final, and becoming only the second English team to complete a continental treble.

Manchester City jointly hold the record for most second division titles with Leicester City, both clubs having won the league on seven occasions.^[176] Their first victory was in 1898–99, and the most recent in 2001–02.^[12]

Domestic

Leagues

• First Division / Premier League (Level 1)^[b]
  • Winners (9): 1936–37, 1967–68, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (6): 1903–04, 1920–21, 1976–77, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2019–20
• Second Division / First Division / Championship (Level 2)^[b]
  • Winners (7, shared record): 1898–99, 1902–03, 1909–10, 1927–28, 1946–47, 1965–66, 2001–02
  • Runners-up (4): 1895–96, 1950–51, 1988–89, 1999–2000
  • Promoted third place (1): 1984–85
• Third Division / Second Division / League One (Level 3)^[b]
  • Promoted third place (1): 1998–99

Cups

• FA Cup
  • Winners (7): 1903–04, 1933–34, 1955–56, 1968–69, 2010–11, 2018–19, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (5): 1925–26, 1932–33, 1954–55, 1980–81, 2012–13
• Football League Cup / EFL Cup
  • Winners (8): 1969–70, 1975–76, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
  • Runners-up (1): 1973–74
• Full Members' Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1985–86
• FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield
  • Winners (6): 1937, 1968, 1972, 2012, 2018, 2019
  • Runners-up (8): 1934, 1956, 1969, 1973, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2022

European

• UEFA Champions League
  • Winners (1): 2022–23
  • Runners-up (1): 2020–21
• European Cup Winners' Cup
  • Winners (1): 1969–70

Doubles and Trebles

• Doubles
  • League and League Cup (4): 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21
  • League and FA Cup (2): 2018–19, 2022–23
  • League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1969–70
  • League and Uefa Champions League (1): 2022-23
• Domestic treble
  • League, FA Cup, and League Cup (1): 2018–19^[f]
• Continental treble
  • FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Premier League (1): 2022–23

Three-peats

• Three-peats: (2)
  • Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
  • EFL Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21^[g]

Club records

• Record league victory – 11–3 vs Lincoln City (23 March 1895, most goals scored); 10–0 vs Darwen (18 February 1899, widest margin of victory)^[177]
• Record FA Cup victory – 12–0 vs Liverpool Stanley (4 October 1890)^[178]
• Record European victory – 7–0 vs Schalke 04, UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg (12 March 2019); 7–0 vs RB Leipzig UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg (14 March 2023)^[179]
• Record league defeat – 0–8 vs Burton Wanderers (26 December 1894); 0–8 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (23 December 1933); 1–9 vs Everton (3 September 1906); 2–10 vs Small Heath (17 March 1893)^[177]
• Record FA Cup defeat – 0–6 vs Preston North End (30 January 1897); 2–8 vs Bradford Park Avenue (30 January 1946)^[178]
• Record European defeat – 0–4 vs Barcelona, UEFA Champions League group stage (19 October 2016)^[180]
• Highest home attendance – 84,569 vs Stoke City, FA Cup sixth round (3 March 1934)^[h][181]
• Most league appearances – 561 + 3 sub, Alan Oakes, 1958–76^[182]
• Most European appearances – 59 + 16 sub, Fernandinho, 2013–22
• Most appearances overall – 676 + 4 sub, Alan Oakes, 1958–76^[182]
• Most goals scored overall – 260, Sergio Agüero, 2011–21^[183]
• Most goals scored in a season – 52, Erling Haaland, 2022–23^[184][185]
• Record transfer fee paid – £100 million to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, August 2021^[186]
• Record transfer fee received – £54.8 million from Bayern Munich for Leroy Sané, July 2020^[187]

See also

• List of Manchester City F.C. managers
• List of Manchester City F.C. players
• List of Manchester City F.C. records and statistics
• List of Manchester City F.C. seasons
• Manchester City F.C. in international football
• Manchester City W.F.C.
• City Football Group

Notes

Bibliography

References

External links

• Official website
• Manchester City F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• Manchester City F.C. at ScoreShelf (archived on 15 September 2015)
• Manchester City F.C. at UEFA