A club that had its fortunes reversed miraculously after 2008, Manchester City have endured quite a journey from the ‘noisy neighbours’ to the rise as one of the best teams in Europe.
Heavy investments over number transfer windows have played a part in changing English club’s football fortunes. World-class players have now been attracted more and more to the Etihad along with great tactical minds. The last decade has seen several players in blue from all over the world step up and showcase outstanding performances consistently. Here is an overview of four legends of Manchester City.
Rise of Manchester City
Sergio Aguero
Already proclaimed as a player for the future at Atletico Madrid, Sergio Aguero arrived at City in 2011 and began a journey to become one of the greatest Premier League forwards of all time. His quality was already witnessed in his debut when he scored two goals coming off the bench. Aguero provided one of if not the greatest English football moments of all-time scoring a goal in the dying moments of the game against Queen Park Rangers to snatch the title away from Manchester United and hand City its first Premier League title. In the following eight years Aguero has broken records after records, scored goals after goals and won awards after awards. The Argentinian is already the club’s top goalscorer ever with an astounding 256 goals and is certainly one of Premier League’s greatest strikers ever.
David Silva
2020 was an emotional year for Cityzens as their El Mago, David Silva bid adieu to the club having joined them in 2010. Silva arrived as a rather unknown signing in England and for a majority of his City career, he remained one of the silent stars. However, his magic and vision always kept his team a step ahead of the others. The Spaniard managed an impressive 60 goals along with 121 assists in Manchester.
His game could never be described by statistics. Perhaps the best Spanish player of all time to play in the Premier League, David Silva was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season three times. His impact on English football and City’s next generation will never be forgotten.
Vincent Kompany
One cannot mention Manchester City without mentioning the name Vincent Kompany. City’s ‘captain fantastic’ might have left the club in 2019 but his association with the football club can never be broken. Initially signed as a midfielder, the Belgian international reverted to the centre back position and established himself as one of the world’s best defenders.
Kompany has proclaimed himself ‘an adopted Mancunian’ which just goes to show how close a bond he formed with the club and its fans. Injuries somehow halted his later years in England but he still managed to appear in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season thrice whilst leading his club to an unprecedented domestic treble in his final year with City.
Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure arrived in England as a Champions League winner with Barcelona. Some would have thought that maybe the Ivorian was too big for the club. But the Ivory Coast international turned out to be the first successful superstar signing of the Sheikh Mansour era. Considered as the big game player, Yaya Toure is and will always remain a popular figure at the club. His misunderstandings with Pep Guardiola in his final years at City can in no way overshadow his contribution to the rise of Manchester City. His 2013/14 season remains one of the best individual Premier League seasons by a midfielder.