Manchester City - The Football Stories

Manchester City Football Club is an English football team headquartered in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the top tier in the nation. St. Mark’s (West Gorton), a football team established in 1880, adopted the name Manchester City in 1894 before changing it again in 1887 to Ardwick Association Football Club. After playing at Maine Road since 1923, the team relocated to the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester in 2003.

In the inaugural year of the present name, 1894, Manchester City acquired their signature sky blue home uniforms. The club has won eight league championships, six FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Community Shields, and one European Cup Winners’ Cup throughout its history, the fifth-most prosperous club in English football, according to this list.

The squad joined the Football League in 1892, and its first notable triumph came in the FA Cup in 1904. City of Manchester Under the leadership of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, the club experienced its first significant period of success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, winning the League Cup, FA Cup, European Cup Winners Cup, and League Championship.

Following their loss in the 1981 FA Cup Final, Manchester City went through a period of decline that ended in their one-time-only relegation to the third tier of English football in 1998. Following their reclaiming of promotion to the top division in 2001–2002, they have been a fixture in the Premier League since 2002–2003.

Following the Abu Dhabi United Group’s purchase of Manchester City in 2008 by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the club received sizeable financial investments in both playing personnel and facilities. For the first time since the 1960s, the team went on to win the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012. This was followed by another league championship in 2014.

Manchester City won the Premier League in 2018 under Pep Guardiola’s leadership, becoming the first team in the competition’s history to score 100 points in a single campaign. They won four trophies in 2018–19, making them the first English men’s team to win the domestic treble and completing an unprecedented sweep of all domestic titles in England. This was followed by the club’s first-ever Champions League final in 2021, which they lost to Chelsea, and two successive Premier League championships in 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, the third and fourth in the Guardiola era.

The 2022–23 season saw Manchester City qualify to play in the competition for twelve straight seasons and reach the knockout stages for ten consecutive seasons, despite the fact that they have yet to win the UEFA Champions League championship. At the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, the club held the third-highest ranking in the history of the UEFA coefficient standings.

At the conclusion of the 2020–21 season, Manchester City was crowned the winner of the Deloitte Football Money League, making it the football club with the highest global revenue, estimated at €644.9 million.

According to Forbes, the club was the sixth most valuable in the world in 2021 and was worth $4 billion. City Football Group Limited, a British holding company with a November 2019 market cap of £3.73 (US$4.8 billion), owns Manchester City.

History:

The club was founded in 1880 under the name St. Mark’s on the initiative of Arthur Connell and his daughter, Anna Connell, the rector of St. Mark’s Church. They would change their name to Manchester City in 1894 after going by Gorton FC and Ardwick AFC for briefer times. This is related to various financial issues that finally forced the club to undergo reorganisation.

Manchester City changed their name and relocated to the expansive Hyde Road grounds a few years later, making them the most well-liked club in the city with a devoted fan base that followed them everywhere. The club was promoted to the First Division in 1899 as a result of its rise in stature.

Billy Meredith, the club’s star player, moved across town to United, where he later won two league titles, shortly after City won their first trophy in 1904 (the FA Cup), as a result of seventeen of their players being suspended due to allegations of financial misconduct. Due to a fire that destroyed the main stand at Hyde Road in 1923, the club relocated to Maine Road.

With the help of their second FA Cup victory in 1934, City found their way back to glory. Along the way, the team set a record for the largest crowd at a single game with 84,569 home supporters attending a match against Stoke City at Maine Road. The record still stands today.

Three years later, City won the First Division championship with a flourish after scoring over 100 goals throughout the season. However, they were demoted the following season, marking the first time a champion team had been downgraded.

Decline:

There then ensued a protracted period of deterioration. It was past time for adjustments with just one FA Cup won over the following three decades and attendance steadily declining.

The club went on a winning streak after Joe Mercer was named manager in 1965; during his six years in charge, City won the First Division, both English Cups, and a Cup Winners’ Cup. The club won another League Cup during the post-Mercer era in 1976 before succumbing to yet another protracted period of mediocrity.

The 1998–99 season marked the beginning of England’s comeback to elite football. After a thrilling play-off victory over Gillingham, City was able to go up to the First Division. The group was successful in advancing straight through Division One to the Premier.

After being demoted from the Premier League, they won the First Division the following year by ten points over West Bromwich. Manchester City has since made a name for itself as a Premier League team.

Maine Road served as City’s home stadium for a long time, but in 2003 City of Manchester Stadium, which has a significantly larger capacity, was completed.

Supporters:

The club’s average attendances since moving to the City of Manchester Stadium have been among the top six in England, typically exceeding 40,000. Even in the late 1990s, when City was playing in the third tier of English football (then the Second Division, now the EFL League One), when they were relegated twice in three seasons, home attendances were in the neighbourhood of 30,000, as opposed to the division’s average of less than 8,000. The fan base of Manchester City was projected to be 886,000 in the United Kingdom and over 2 million overall in 2005, but that number has since risen dramatically as a result of City’s recent successes and Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of the club.

The Official Supporters Club (OSC) and the Centenary Supporters Association were combined in 2010 to form the Manchester City F.C. Supporters Club (1949), which is the team’s official supporters club. The song of choice for city supporters is a cover of “Blue Moon,” which is sung enthusiastically as though it were a heroic anthem despite its melancholy theme. Supporters of City frequently claim that their team’s unpredictability is a defining characteristic, referring to unexpected outcomes as “typical City.”

The only team to score and allow over 100 goals in the same season (1957–58),or the more recent example where Manchester City were the only team to defeat 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, are all examples of events that fans refer to as “typical City.”

City supporters established a trend of bringing inflatables to games in the late 1980s, mostly giant bananas. One contentious theory for the phenomena is that during a game versus West Bromwich Albion, supporter cries requesting the substitution of Imre Varadi turned into “Imre Banana.” As the craze spread to other clubs (inflatable fish were seen at Grimsby Town), terraces crowded with inflatable-waving fans became a common sight in the 1988–89 season. The craze peaked at City’s match at Stoke City on December 26, a match declared by fanzines as a fancy dress party.

Finances and ownership:

Manchester City Limited, the controlling company of Manchester City F.C., is a private limited company with around 54 million shares outstanding. Since 2007, when the club’s primary shareholders decided to sell their shares to UK Sports Investments Limited (UKSIL), a business run by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the team has been privately owned. Then, UKSIL made a formal offer to purchase the shares that thousands of minor stockholders held.

The club has been listed on the specialised independent equity exchange PLUS (formerly OFEX) since 1995,[139] prior to the Thaksin takeover. On July 6, 2007, Thaksin delisted the club and reregistered it as a private corporation after acquiring 75% of the shares. In August, UKSIL “squeezed out” the remaining shareholders to acquire the entire shareholding after acquiring more than 90% of the shares. This was done in accordance with its legal authority under the Companies Act. Two of Thaksin Shinawatra’s children, Pintongta and Oak Chinnawat, were elected to the board of directors, and Thaksin became the club’s chairman. After serving on the board for a year, former chairman John Wardle resigned in July 2008 after Nike executive Garry Cook was named executive chairman in May.

The last year the club published accounts as a public company, the fiscal year ending May 31, 2007, saw a pre-tax loss of £11 million for the club.

In contrast to previous seasons, when Manchester City’s net expenditure had been among the lowest in the Premier League, Thaksin’s purchase sparked a period of increased transfer spending at the club, amounting to almost £30 million overall. This investment was overshadowed by a cash infusion from the club’s acquisition a year later. Manchester City was fully acquired on September 1st, 2008 by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited. On the morning of September 1, the rumoured £200 million agreement was disclosed. It triggered a number of “deadline-day” transfer rumours and offers, including the club’s unsuccessful attempt to outbid Manchester United’s drawn-out pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur for a sum in excess of £30 million.

The club acquired Robinho from Real Madrid for a British transfer record sum of £32.5 million moments before the window closed. Because of the new owners’ wealth, City was able to spend more money than any other Premier League club in the summer of 2009 to finance the acquisition of seasoned international players ahead of the new season.

Honours:

In terms of the quantity of trophies they have won, Manchester City is one of the most successful sports organisations in England. With 29 major domestic and European awards, they are fifth on the list of most decorated teams in England, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with 26.

The club won three Manchester Cups prior to the 1904 FA Cup, which was their first significant prize. The 1936–1937 season saw them win their first top division league championship, and the first Charity Shield was won in August of that same year. At the conclusion of the 1969–70 campaign, City won both the League Cup and the European trophy, becoming the first team to win a trophy double.

City won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Community Shield in addition to other major English trophies in the 2018–19 season, making them the first team to do so.

The only European championship won by City is the 1970 Cup Winners’ Cup. They have advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League three times, losing in the 2016 semifinals, winning in the 2021 semifinals to advance to the final, and losing in the 2022 semifinals.

With both teams having won the league seven times, Manchester City and Leicester City share the record for the most second division championships. Their most recent victory came in 2001–2002, with their first coming in 1898–99.

Leagues:

Premier League/First Division (Level 1)

Winners (8): the 1936–1937, 1967–1968, 2011–2012, 2013–2014, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, and 2021–22 seasons.

1903–04, 1920–21, 1976–77, 2012–2013, 2014–15, and 2019–20 are the six runners-up.

First Division, Second Division, and Championship (Level 2)

1898–1999, 1902-03, 1909–10, 1927–28, 1946–47, 1965–66, and 2001–02 are the winning seasons (7, with a shared record).

1895–96, 1950–51, 1988–89, and 1999–2000 were the runners-up.

League One, Second Division, and Third Division (Level 3)

Third position (1) raised: 1998–1999

Cups:

FA Cup

Runners-up (5): 1925–26, 1932–33, 1954–55, 1980–81, and 2012–13 Winners (6): 1903–04, 1933–34, 1955–56, 1968–69, 2010–11, and 2018–19

Winners of the Football League Cup or EFL Cup in the following seasons: 1969–1970, 1975–1976, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, and 2020–21

(1) Runners-up: 1973–1974

Runners-up in the Full Members’ Cup (1): 1985–86

Winners of the FA Community Shield/FA Charity Shield (6): 1937, 1968, 1972, 2012, 2018, and 2019.

1934, 1956, 1969, 1973, 2011, 2014, 2021, and 2022 were the runner-ups.

European

(1) 2020–21 UEFA Champions League runners-up

Winners of the European Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1969–1970

Doubles and Trebles:

Doubles

League and League Cup (4): 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21

League and FA Cup (1): 2018–19

League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1969–70

Domestic treble

League, FA Cup, and League Cup (1): 2018–19

Club records

Stadium:

Manchester City Council has a 200-year lease with Manchester City for the use of the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, also known as the Etihad Stadium since 2011 for sponsorship purposes. Since City relocated from Maine Road at the conclusion of the 2002–03 season, it has served as the club’s home. The club spent more than £30 million upgrading the stadium before moving in: the pitch was reduced, another tier of seats was added around it, and a new North Stand was built. A friendly match against Barcelona was won 2-1 to mark the opening game at the new stadium.

The South Stand’s third tier, which has 7,000 seats, was finished in time for the start of the 2015–16 football season, bringing the total number of seats in the stadium to 55,097. To make it suitable for football use, the pitch was lowered, another tier of seating was added around it, and a new North Stand was built. A third tier for the North Stand is currently being developed, potentially raising capacity to about 61,000. A friendly match against Barcelona was won 2-1 to mark the opening game at the new stadium.

Between 1880 and 1887, the team played its home games at five different venues until settling at Hyde Road Football Stadium, where it remained for 36 years. Following the Main Stand’s destruction by fire in 1920, the club relocated to the 84,000-seat Maine Road three years later. On March 3, 1934, an FA Cup match between Maine Road and Stoke City drew the largest crowd ever at an English club ground, earning Maine Road the moniker “Wembley of the North” from its architects.

Although Maine Road underwent numerous renovations over the course of its 80-year existence, by 1995 the stadium’s capacity had been reduced to 32,000, which prompted the search for a replacement venue and led to the move to the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003. In 2011, the stadium’s name was changed to the Etihad Stadium.

Rivalries:

Manchester City and Manchester United, with whom they compete in the Manchester derby, have the strongest rivalry. Even though they considered themselves “supporters” of only one team, many Mancunian football fans often watched both teams before World War II, when travelling to away games was uncommon. This custom persisted into the early 1960s, but as travel became more accessible and match admission prices increased, it became more uncommon to watch both teams play, and the rivalry heated up. It’s a common misconception that United supporters are from elsewhere while City supporters are from the city of Manchester.

According to a report from 2002 by a researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, while it was true that a higher percentage of City season ticket holders (40% compared to United’s 29%) were from Manchester postcode areas, there were more United season ticket holders overall (27,667 as opposed to City’s 16,481). The number of season ticket holders for both City and United has increased since the data was compiled in 2001, according to the research. Additionally, the enlargement of United’s stadium and City’s transfer to the City of Manchester Stadium have increased season ticket sales.

A noteworthy rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool FC, now regarded as one of the biggest in association football, has also grown over the past several years. Liverpool and City had a title race in 1976–77, but their current rivalry didn’t start until the 2010s, when the Blues defeated Liverpool by two points on the last day of the season to win the 2013–14 title. After a 1-1 draw in the 2015–16 League Cup final, City defeated Liverpool on penalties. The 2017–18 Champions League quarterfinals saw the two teams square off in a European matchup for the first time, and Liverpool prevailed 5–1 on aggregate to advance to the competition’s final and win it a year later.

With the Blues’ 98 points and Liverpool’s 97 points being the third- and fourth-highest Premier League point totals ever, City once again won the championship on the last day of the 2018–19 campaign. After Manchester City’s 100 points in 2017–18, Liverpool won the next season’s Premier League title with 99 points, finishing 18 points ahead of City, who finished second. In a subsequent closely contested title race in 2021–2022, the Blues defeated Liverpool with 93 points to Liverpool’s 92, winning the championship once more.

Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, the managers of Liverpool and Manchester City, have developed a rivalry as a result of the two clubs’ success in the 2010s and 2020s. The two previously served as the respective managers of Der Klassiker opponents Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Guardiola termed Klopp and his Liverpool squad “the strongest opponents I have faced in my time as a manager” after the conclusion of the 2018–19 season, describing their connection as a “wonderful competition.” After both received nominations for the FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year award in 2019, which Klopp ultimately won, Guardiola was praised by Klopp in September 2019 as being his “biggest rival ever.”

According to responses from City supporters in a 2019 study, Liverpool—not Manchester United—are the team’s main competitor.

Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, and Stockport County are other long-standing local rivals of Manchester City. Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are more recent Premier League foes.

Honours:

The club won three Manchester Cups prior to the 1904 FA Cup, which was their first significant prize.

The 1936–1937 season saw them win their first top division league championship, while the first Charity Shield was won in August of the same year. At the conclusion of the 1969–70 campaign, City won both the League Cup and the European trophy, becoming the first side to win a trophy double.

City won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Community Shield in addition to other major English honors in the 2018–19 season, making them the first team to do so.

The lone European championship won by City is the 1970 Cup Winners’ Cup. They have advanced to the Champions League semi finals three times, losing in the semifinals in 2016, winning to advance to their first-ever final in 2021, and losing in the semifinals in 2022.

With both teams having won the league seven times, Manchester City and Leicester City share the record for the most second division championships. Their most recent triumph came in 2001–2002, with their first coming in 1898–99.