History of Manchester City

1880 – 1928

Members of St. Mark's Church of England, West Gorton, Manchester, founded the football club that would become known as Manchester City for largely humanitarian purposes. Two church wardens sought to curb local gang violence and alcoholism by instituting new activities for local men, whilst high unemployment plagued East Manchester, specifically Gorton. All men were welcome to join, regardless of religion.

A church cricket club had been formed in 1875, but no equivalent for the winter months existed. To rectify this, and as part of Rector Arthur Connell's general push to intervene in social ills, church wardens William Beastow and Thomas Goodbehere, who held senior positions at the Union Iron Works, started a church football team called St Mark's (West Gorton), sometimes written as West Gorton (St Mark's), in the winter of 1880.

The team's first recorded match occurred on 13 November 1880, against a church team from Macclesfield. St. Marks lost the match 2–1, and only won one match during their inaugural 1880–81 season, with a victory over Stalybridge Clarence in March 1881.

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; City narrowly missed out on a League and Cup double that season after finishing runners-up in the League but City became the first club in Manchester to win a major honour. 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. 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.

1928 – 1965

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. During the 1934 cup run, Manchester City 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 in 1934—a record which still stands to this day. 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. 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 Manchester City beat Birmingham City 3–1, is one of the most famous finals of all-time, and is remembered for City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann continuing to play on after unknowingly breaking his neck.

1965 – 2001

After relegation 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. In the summer of 1965, the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison was appointed. In the first season under Mercer, City won the Second Division title and made important signings in Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell. Two seasons later, in 1967–68, Manchester City claimed the League Championship for the second time, clinching the title on the final day of the season with a 4–3 win at Newcastle United and beating their close neighbours Manchester United into second place. Further trophies followed: City won the FA Cup in 1969, before achieving European success by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970, beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in Vienna. City also won the League Cup that season, 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. 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. The final trophy of the club's most successful period 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 unsuccessful signings, such as Steve Daley. 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. 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 seasons of struggle before being relegated in 1996. After two seasons in Division One, City fell to the lowest point in their history, becoming the second ever European trophy winners to be relegated to their country's third league tier, after 1. FC Magdeburg of Germany.

2001 – 2007

Kevin Keegan's four-year tenure as City manager brought much needed stability, as he gained promotion to the Premier League at the first attempt and then kept the side in the top flight. He failed, however, to build on those positive foundations once they were established in the Premier League.

In his first season in charge, in 2001–02, Keegan brought in several influential players such as Eyal Berkovic, Ali Benarbia and Stuart Pearce. The club went on to win the 2001–02 Division One championship, breaking club records for the number of points gained. Fan favourite Shaun Goater led the club with 30 goals and strike partner Darren Huckerby notched 26 of his own, in a season which convincingly put Manchester City back into English football's elite, with a total of 108 goals scored in 46 league games.

In preparation for his second season as manager (2002–03), he signed Nicolas Anelka, Peter Schmeichel and Marc-Vivien Foé. That season saw City win against Liverpool at Anfield and take four points from Manchester United, but concede five goals away to Chelsea and at home to Arsenal, securing their Premier League status by finishing ninth. Keegan also guided City into the UEFA Cup, qualifying via the UEFA Fair Play ranking. 2002–03 was also City's last season at Maine Road, which the Club left after 80 years to relocate to the 48,000-seat City of Manchester Stadium, originally built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

The club and their supporters were stunned when Marc-Vivien Foé, a player who had been on loan in the previous season to Manchester City and was arguably one of City's best players of the season, died while playing for Cameroon during the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in a match against Colombia. In the 72nd minute of the match, Foé collapsed in the centre circle, with no other players near him. After attempts to resuscitate him on the pitch, he was stretchered off the field, where he received mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen. Medics spent 45 minutes attempting to restart his heart, and although he was still alive upon arrival at the stadium's medical centre he died shortly afterwards, in spite of the efforts to save his life.

Despite having signed four new players in Steve McManaman, Paul Bosvelt, David Seaman, and Michael Tarnat, the 2003-04 season was a difficult one for City. They were in with a slight chance of relegation up to the penultimate game of the season, finishing 16th in the table with a goal difference of +1. Nonetheless, the season had some high points, with City defeating Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane after being down 3-0 at halftime during an FA Cup replay. Their match prospects worsened after Joey Barton was sent off on the brink of the interval. However, City pulled off one of the greatest FA comebacks of all time, scoring four second-half goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and a headed winner by Jon Macken to seal a famous victory. There was also a 4-1 humbling of rivals Manchester United at Eastlands. In the UEFA Cup campaign, the Blues reached the second round but were eliminated on the away goals rule.

City again disappointed in cup competitions in the 2004-05 season, with a defeat by Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup and a loss to a typical reserve Arsenal team normally seen in the League Cup under manager Arsène Wenger. Later in the season, in March 2005, Keegan quit as manager with immediate effect, 15 months before his expected retirement. Keegan remarked after resigning, "We could have jumped into the European shake-up, again we couldn't make that leap. That's seven or eight times in a year we could have jumped into something good for this club and we've failed."

In March 2005, one of Keegan's coaches, Stuart Pearce, was appointed caretaker of City after Keegan left the club. After a successful run of form that put the club close to UEFA Cup qualification, Pearce was given the job on a permanent basis. The final match of the season against Middlesbrough was remembered for Pearce's decision to bring on goalkeeper Nicky Weaver for outfield midfielder Claudio Reyna during the latter stages of the game so that 6 ft 5ins David James could play upfront, despite having £5 million striker Jon Macken on the bench. City even had a David James number 1 outfield shirt ready if such action was deemed necessary. The ploy was somewhat successful, with James proving difficult to deal with. Franck Queudrue eventually committed a handball in his own penalty area to give City a last-minute penalty, but Robbie Fowler missed his kick, squandering City's opportunity to reach Europe. The game finished 1-1.

Despite a successful start to the 2005-06 season, Manchester City finished 15th in the Premiership after losing nine of their last ten games. They were also eliminated from the League Cup by League One side Doncaster Rovers. Pearce developed a reputation for being unusually fair and honest by refusing to criticize referees for mistakes they may have made. He was also touted as a potential successor for England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in the early stages of the season when City were performing well and impressing.

Pearce failed to bring about an improvement in the 2006-07 season, which saw City struggling with relegation. The season proved to be tough for the club. They were again eliminated from the League Cup, this time by League One team Chesterfield, early on in the season. One incident that shocked many was Ben Thatcher's elbow challenge on Pedro Mendes while playing against Portsmouth. City took unprecedented action and banned Thatcher for six matches and fined him for six weeks. Pearce himself called the challenge "indefensible." The Football Association (FA) also banned Thatcher for a further eight matches.

During the 2006-07 season, Manchester City struggled to score goals, particularly at home, where they only managed to score ten goals in the league. The team's goal drought extended from New Year's Day in 2007, setting a record low for scoring in top-flight English football. Pearce was subsequently sacked at the end of the season in May 2007. After his departure, the club entered another period of transition, and off the pitch, there were further developments and changes during the summer.

2008 – 2016

By 2008, Manchester City was facing financial difficulties. Thaksin Shinawatra had taken control of the club a year earlier, but his assets were frozen due to his political troubles. In August 2008, the club was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group, which injected significant funds into the club. The takeover was followed by a series of high-profile player signings, including the British transfer record-breaking acquisition of Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5 million. Despite the influx of money, the team's performances did not see a significant improvement, and they finished the season in tenth place. However, they did have a commendable run in the UEFA Cup, reaching the quarter-finals. The following summer, in 2009, the club embarked on an unprecedented spending spree, with a total expenditure of over £100 million on players such as Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, and Joleon Lescott. In December 2009, Mark Hughes, who had been appointed manager before the change in ownership, was replaced by Roberto Mancini. City finished the season in fifth position in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot. They also competed in the UEFA Europa League in the 2010-11 season.

Continued investment in players led to an upturn in player quality at Manchester City, and their results began to reflect this improvement. In the 2010-11 season, City reached the FA Cup Final, their first major final in over thirty years. They defeated their derby rivals, Manchester United, in the semi-final, marking the first time they had eliminated United from a cup competition since 1975. In the final, they secured a 1-0 victory against Stoke City, winning their fifth FA Cup and their first major trophy since the 1976 League Cup.

During the same week, City achieved another milestone by qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1968 with a 1-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur. On the last day of the 2010-11 season, City surpassed Arsenal to finish in third place in the Premier League, guaranteeing direct qualification into the Champions League group stage.

The strong performances continued into the 2011-12 season, with City starting the campaign in dominant form. They notably defeated Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane and achieved a remarkable 6-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Although their form declined halfway through the season, and at one point they trailed their rivals by eight points with only six games remaining, a significant slump by the previous champions allowed City to catch up and draw level with two games to go. This set the stage for a thrilling finale to the season, with both teams entering the last day of the season tied on points.

Despite City only needing a home win against a relegation-threatened team, they found themselves trailing by a goal at the end of normal time. Some of United's players even began celebrating, believing they had won the league. However, two goals scored in injury time, including one almost five minutes after the regulation 90 minutes had elapsed, resulted in a dramatic last-minute victory for City. This triumph secured their first league title in 44 years and made them only the fifth team to win the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The event was widely hailed as the greatest moment in Premier League history by media sources from the UK and around the world.

After an end to the season which many believed would only spur City on, however, the following season failed to capitalise on any of the gains made in the first two full seasons of Mancini's reign. The transfer window saw virtually no players join the club until the last day of the season, when a last-minute burst of activity saw four different players all join in the space of around 10 hours. The free-flowing football of the previous season was suddenly rare to behold, and while City rarely seemed likely to drop below second in the table, they posed little title challenge all season. In the UEFA Champions League, the club was eliminated at the group stage for a second successive season, in a result which seemed to confirm Mancini's reputation as far better at managing in domestic games than European, while a second FA Cup final in three seasons ended in a 1–0 defeat to relegated Wigan Athletic. The loss resulted in Mancini's dismissal, ostensibly as he had failed to reach his targets for the season but with many in the press suggesting a breakdown of relations between Mancini and his players but also between the Italian and his board-level superiors, while a refusal to promote young players was also cited. In his place was appointed the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, who boasted a far more impressive Champions League record but less of a reputation for trophy-winning.

In Pellegrini's first season, City won the League Cup and regained the Premier League title on the last matchday of the season. 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.

2016 - Present

Pep Guardiola, former head coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, was confirmed to become Manchester City's new manager on 1 February 2016, months before Pellegrini finished his term, and has remained in charge to this day. 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. They also won the League Cup that season, and Sergio Agüero became the club's all-time leading goalscorer.

In the first season under the reign of Pep Guardiola, hopes were high for Manchester City as they progressed to the knockout phase after finishing second in the group that featured Guardiola's former team, Barcelona. City lost their away match to Barça 0–4 but then rebounded to win 3–1 at home. In the Round of 16, City were drawn against Monaco. The Blues were trailing 1–2 and 2–3 in their home match before scoring three unanswered goals and winning 5–3. In the away game, the Cityzens were down 0–2 when Leroy Sané scored, putting City ahead in the tie again. However, Tiémoué Bakayoko's late goal meant that Monaco progressed further, and City were eliminated.

The 2017–18 season was an undoubted success for the Blues domestically, but their European campaign was quite underwhelming. The team confidently won five games in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage, where they defeated Basel 5–2 on aggregate. The Cityzens were drawn with fellow Premier League side Liverpool in the quarter-finals. However, the outcome of those games was an utter devastation as Manchester City were thrashed 5–1 on aggregate and eliminated amid controversy surrounding refereeing mistakes that were deemed favorable to Liverpool. The anticlimactic European campaign was somewhat compensated by City's achievement of winning the Premier League title with a record-breaking 100 points.

Manchester City entered the 2018–19 Champions League campaign as one of the favorites. They once again won their group with 13 points and advanced to the Round of 16, where they faced Schalke 04. In the home leg, City achieved a record-breaking 7–0 victory. However, in the quarter-finals, they were drawn against another English club, Tottenham Hotspur. City lost the away game 0–1, with Agüero missing a penalty. In the home leg, Sterling scored an early goal for City, but they quickly conceded two goals, putting them in a position where they needed to score three goals. They managed to do just that, taking a 4–2 lead with twenty minutes left in the game. However, Fernando Llorente's handball goal, which was wrongly awarded, meant that City now had to score again. In stoppage time, Sterling seemingly scored a goal that would send City through, but it was disallowed after a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) review, leading to City's heartbreaking elimination from the competition. Despite sweeping all their domestic tournaments that season, Manchester City was unable to achieve success in Europe.

Acknowledging that Manchester City would be judged by their Champions League performance, Pep Guardiola stated that winning the European title would be the main objective for the new season. The Cityzens progressed to the knockout phase and faced familiar opponents, Real Madrid. City won the away game 2–1, becoming only the third British team to beat Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, the remainder of the tournament was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UEFA later announced that the tournament would be resumed in August 2020. The home match against Madrid was scheduled for 7 August. City secured a 2–1 victory in the match, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, resulting in a 4–2 victory on aggregate, and they advanced to the quarter-finals. On 15 August, Manchester City faced Lyon but suffered a 3–1 defeat, leading to their exit from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the third consecutive year.

In the 2020–21 campaign, Manchester City topped their group with a club-record 16 points, recording victories against Marseille and Olympiacos while collecting four points against Porto. In the round of 16, they faced Borussia Mönchengladbach and won both legs with a 2–0 scoreline, advancing to the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive year. In the quarter-finals, City was paired against another German team, Borussia Dortmund. They won the double-legged tie 4–2 on aggregate after securing two identical 2–1 victories, both at home and away. Moving on to the semi-finals, Manchester City faced Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning finalists. PSG had eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. City rallied from behind to win 2–1 at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez. In the second leg at the Etihad, the Blues secured their first-ever European Cup final berth, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 2–0 (4–1 on aggregate), with Mahrez scoring a brace. In the final, Manchester City faced Chelsea, creating the third all-English final in the history of the competition. However, City suffered a 1–0 defeat at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, courtesy of a lone goal by Kai Havertz. Despite the loss, City's breakthrough marked their most successful European campaign to date.

In the 2021–22 Champions League competition, Manchester City once again reached the semi-finals. They topped a group that included Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, and Club Brugge, securing four victories and suffering two defeats. In the round of 16, City earned a commanding first-leg lead against Sporting Lisbon, winning 5–0 away, with Bernardo Silva scoring a brace. They then sealed the victory with a 0–0 draw in the home leg. In the quarter-finals, City claimed a 1–0 victory in the first leg at home against Atlético Madrid, giving them a slight advantage for the away leg. A hard-fought 0–0 draw in Madrid ensured City's progression to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, City faced Real Madrid in an outstanding game at a packed Etihad Stadium. City emerged victorious with a 4–3 win, taking a slender advantage into the second leg at the Bernabéu. Kevin De Bruyne scored the fastest goal in European Cup semi-final history, finding the net in under two minutes. City held a two-goal advantage on three occasions during the tie but saw a resilient Madrid reduce the deficit to a single goal, with Karim Benzema scoring a brace and converting a Panenka penalty. However, despite their missed opportunities, City still led 5–3 on aggregate. In the second leg, City took a 1–0 lead (5–3 on aggregate) through a 75th-minute goal from Riyad Mahrez. With the match approaching its last minute of normal time, City seemed to be comfortably heading to the final, where they would have faced Liverpool. However, two goals in a minute from Madrid's substitute striker Rodrygo sent the game into extra time. Another penalty from Benzema five minutes later proved to be the winner as City were defeated 1–3 (5–6 on aggregate), in a dramatic and heartbreaking manner, ending their hopes of reaching the Champions League final.

In the 2022–23 season, Manchester City reached the Champions League semi-finals for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the club's history. They topped their group, which included Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, and F.C. Copenhagen, going undefeated with four wins and two draws. In the round of 16, City faced RB Leipzig. The first leg at the Red Bull Arena ended in a 1–1 draw, with Riyad Mahrez scoring for City and Joško Gvardiol equalizing for Leipzig. However, in the second leg, City demolished Leipzig 7–0, with Erling Haaland scoring five goals, equalling a record, and İlkay Gündoğan and Kevin De Bruyne adding one each. This comprehensive victory sent City through to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, City was drawn against another Bundesliga side, Bayern Munich, the reigning German champions and the winners of the 2019–20 Champions League. In the first leg at the Etihad Stadium, City dominated Bayern and secured a 3–0 victory, with goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Erling Haaland, effectively sealing their place in the semi-finals after just one leg. In the second leg at the Allianz Arena, the match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Haaland scoring once again, confirming City's place in the semi-finals with a 4–1 aggregate scoreline. Facing Real Madrid in the semi-finals for the second consecutive season, City played the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Vinícius Júnior gave Madrid a 1–0 lead at halftime with a stunning goal. However, Kevin De Bruyne, City's reliable talisman, salvaged a 1–1 draw for the Blues at a stadium where their Champions League campaign had collapsed the previous year. In the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City delivered one of their best performances of the Pep Guardiola era, securing a spot in the final with an incredible 4–0 victory. Bernardo Silva scored a first-half brace, while Manuel Akanji and Julián Álvarez added goals in the second half. Overall, Manchester City's impressive run in the 2022–23 Champions League campaign took them to the semi-finals for the third consecutive season, and they secured a place in the final with a dominant display against Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

On June 10, 2023, in front of 71,412 supporters at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Manchester City won the Champions League final against Inter Milan, securing a historic continental treble. This achievement made them only the second English men's football team to accomplish such a feat. It was a significant milestone for City, as their journey began 15 years earlier in 2008 when the club was acquired by the Abu Dhabi United Group with the ambition of winning the UEFA Champions League. The final against Inter Milan was a tense affair. In the fifth minute, Bernardo Silva narrowly missed curling an effort into the net. Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne also had their attempts saved by Inter goalkeeper André Onana. However, De Bruyne had to be substituted in the 36th minute due to injury, marking the second time he was forced off in a Champions League final after the 2021 defeat to Chelsea. In the 59th minute, City's goalkeeper Ederson failed to control a peculiar backpass from Manuel Akanji, which was intercepted by Inter's Lautaro Martínez. Ederson managed to block Martínez's shot from near the touchline. City broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when Rodri scored the opening goal. Bernardo Silva played a pulled-back pass from near the goal to the top of the penalty area, and Rodri finished it off. Inter had an opportunity to equalize three minutes later when defender Federico Dimarco's header struck the crossbar. Dimarco attempted to capitalize on the rebound, but his shot was blocked by Romelu Lukaku, who was on loan from Chelsea. Lukaku himself had a chance to score with a close-range header in the 89th minute, but Ederson made a crucial save with his legs. In stoppage time, Ederson denied Robin Gosens' header, securing a 1–0 victory for City. This triumph marked Manchester City's first European Cup title, making them the first new winners of the competition since fellow English club Chelsea in 2012. City joined the ranks of the six English clubs and became the 23rd overall team to win the European Cup, contributing to the 15th time an English club claimed the title of European champions.