Since the turn of the decade in 2010, no English club has had more domestic success than Manchester City. When the club was taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, City was able to splash the cash on some of the best players. This allowed them to be one of the most dominant clubs in the world. Let’s look at some of the players who were vital in making the club one of the best in Europe:
Sergio Aguero
Aguero played most of the football in England with Manchester City after getting transferred from Atletico Madrid. He broke several records with City and can be considered a legend of City. He is one of the best strikers Premier League has ever seen. Aguero ends his career with 427 goals in 786 games.
He crossed and created many new records with Manchester City. Aguero is the fourth-highest scoring player in Premier League history with 184 goals in 275 games, behind only Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andrew Cole (187). He is also the league’s highest-scoring overseas player, having registered nine more goals than Thierry Henry (175).
The Argentine scored 18 hat-tricks in his career, including 12 in the Premier League – a record in England’s top flight. He scored 20+ goals in all competitions in 12 of 13 campaigns between 2007/08 and 2019/20, reaching 30 or more on five separate occasions during his time at Manchester City.
David Silva
‘The Magician’ as they called him, David Silva is City’s most naturally gifted player of all time. Silva would rack up 424 appearances while scoring 60 Premier League goals as well as 90 assists.
Silva spent six years of his professional career with Valencia CF, appearing in more than 160 games and winning a Copa del Rey in 2008. In the summer of 2010, he moved to Manchester City and has since appeared in over 400 matches. He has won two FA Cups, five League Cups, and four Premier League titles with them. He is regarded as one of Manchester City’s greatest ever players. Silva has been named in the PFA Team of the Year three times.
Colin Bell
Colin Bell was nicknamed ‘The King of the Kippax’ during his playing career. Colin Bell was unquestionably City’s best player in their successful run in the 1960s and 70s. The midfielder would make 500 appearances for the club and score 155 goals. He was in the PFA Team of the season in 1975. In addition, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Manchester City will continue to have top-rated players in the coming years as they are on their best form as a club. Their growth as a club in the 20th century was slow. But when the took over happened in the last decade, the game changed, the fortunes changed.
