🎁 Manchester City F.C. NFT
Manchester City Football Club (also known as Man City or The Citizens ) is a professional football club from England that plays in the English Premier League . This club is a city club with Manchester United and is headquartered at the Etihad Stadium , Manchester .
The first match was played in November 1880. At that time it was still called St Mark's (West Gorton) . In 1887 it changed its name to Ardwick AFC , and in 1894 to Manchester City FC
Manchester City has won the Premier League 9 times, the FA Cup 6 times, the English League Cup 8 times and the European Cup Winners' Cup 1 time. The club's most successful period occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s . At that time City was under manager Joe Mercer with his assistant Malcolm Allison and several players such as Colin Bell , Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee .
In the early 1980s City experienced a tumultuous period of decline culminating in relegation to the third tier of the English football league system in 1998 for the first time in their history. When the English Premier League era was first formed in 1992, City was one of the originators of the first premier league. However, this club's achievements have not improved, City have even had to be relegated back to the second tier twice, while in the FA Cup since the start of the English Premier League, City's best performance has only been in the quarter-finals.
After ending the league in the 2006-07 season in fourteenth position, the following season the club's achievements began to creep up. In mid-2007, this club officially became the property of an ambitious Thai billionaire and former Prime Minister of Thailand , Thaksin Shinawatra . However, Thaksin's ownership did not last long due to allegations of corruption cases in his country, finally in September 2008 Thaksin sold ownership of the club to a businessman who is also a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates , namely Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan .
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan then spent hundreds of millions of pounds buying top class players to make the club competitive. Success followed in 2011 , Manchester City qualified for the UEFA Champions League and won the FA Cup . This success culminated in winning the 2011–12 English Premier League .
History
St Marks 1884
The history of the founding of Manchester City Football Club cannot be separated from the role of women. In November 1865, Arthur Connell was appointed Abbot of St. Mark's Church in West Gorton , a district east of Manchester , England . His daughter Anna Connell (1855-1924) [ket 1] [4] took the initiative and decided to form an association to encourage the youth of the parish to play sports. [5] At that time crime and unemployment rates were very high. They believe that sport can unite and reduce crime in east Manchester.
In 1868 the St. Mary's Church Cricket Team was formed. Mark's and starting in 1875 the cricket team began to add the game of football which at that time was starting to become popular.
Finally in 1880 the cricketers formed a football team with the name St. Marks (West Gordon) under the guidance of William Beastow and Anna Connell (believed to be the only woman to have founded a professional football club in England).
In 1887 they moved to new headquarters in Hyde Road , Ardwick . The club's name was changed to Ardwick AFC to suit its new location. Ardwick began competing in the 2nd division of the Football League in 1892. A year later, in the 1893-94 season, financial problems surrounded the club and after being reorganized they finally changed their name again to Manchester City Football Club .
Formative Period (1875-1894)
St. Mark's (1880-1887)
Member of St. Mary's Church Marks from England, West Gorton, Manchester, founded the football club now known as Manchester City, for humanitarian purposes. They, attempted to curb local gang violence and alcoholism by establishing new activities for local men, while high unemployment also hit East Manchester, particularly Gorton.
Everyone could follow it, regardless of religion, which in the 19th century was very sensitive. Anna Connell personally visited every house in the parish to attract interest and involvement, inviting both Protestants and Catholics to take part in the new activities. [6]
A church cricket club had been formed earlier in 1868 . Anna conveyed the suggestion to Church official, William Beastow. He surmised that men's daily routine would be better channeled through church-run collective play, through a new sport, increasingly popular in the late 19th century , called ' football '. To make this happen and as part of Anna Connell's desire to cure social ills, church wardens William Beastow and Thomas Goodbehere started a church football team called St. Mary's. St. Mark's (West Gorton) , sometimes written West Gorton (St. Mark's) in the winter of 1880 . [7] Anna Connell is known as the only woman to form a major English football club.
The team's first recorded match occurred on 13 November 1880 , against a church team from Macclesfield. St. Mark's wearing a black shirt with white shorts. St. Marks lost the match 2–1, and won only one match during their inaugural season in 1880–81, with a victory over Stalybridge Clarence in March 1881. [8]
In 1884, the club merged with another club, namely Gorton Athletic . But the merger only lasted a few months before the club was divided again. St. Mark's renamed themselves Gorton AFC while Gorton Athletic became West Gorton Athletic . [9] With this name change, the team gradually lost its initial religious touch, and the name St. St. Mark's slowly faded away, with the club often fielding St. Mark's. Mark's in parentheses.
Ardwick A.F.C. (1887-1894)
In 1887, Gorton AFC changed professional status and moved to new premises on Hyde Road Ardwick , and changed its name to Ardwick AFC to reflect the new location to the east of the city. Their first match at Hyde Road on 10 September 1887 was planned to be against Salford AFC as the "grand opening" of the new stadium. But the match did not take place because Salford AFC could not compete. [10]
In 1889 there was a catastrophic coal mine explosion near Hyde Road which caused the deaths of 23 miners. Ardwick and Newton Heath , who later became Manchester City and Manchester United , held a friendly match under floodlights, in order to raise funds for disaster relief.
In 1885 the Manchester Cup ( English : Manchester Cup ) was held for the first time. Ardwick AFC became more widely known in 1891, after winning the Manchester Cup for the first time, beating Newton Heath 1–0 in the final. [11]
This success influenced the Football Alliance's decision to accept Ardwick as a member for the 1891-1892 season. When the Football Alliance merged with the Football League in 1892, Ardwick AFC became one of the founding members of Division Two.
Financial problems in the 1893–1894 season led to a reorganization within the club, and Ardwick became Manchester City, with the official name Manchester City Football Club Company Limited and becoming a registered company on 16 April 1894 .
Early days of Manchester City FC (1894–1928)
Development Period (1894–1898)
Billy Meredith "The Welsh Wizard" was a key player for City in its early days
Starting in 1894 the club was reorganized by management. Manager Joshua Parlby recruited 19 year old Billy Meredith from Northwich Victoria. "The Welsh Wizard" is very great because he has high talent and a good future. Billy played for the Wales national team and won for the first time in 1895. However, he continued to work underground as a miner during the week until 1896, when Manchester City finally insisted that he give up his colliery job.
The club grew rapidly and by 1895, it had attracted more than 20,000 people as supporters. Manchester City supporters at that time were known as carefree fans of their club, often channeling their enthusiasm and creating a lively atmosphere at Hyde Road, with trumpets. Sometimes they wear luxurious clothes.
Manchester City FC won the FA Cup in 1904
In 1899, the club won Division II and earned promotion for the first time to the highest level in English league football at that time, Division I.
The club finally recorded its first title on 23 April 1904, by beating Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at Crystal Palace in the final of the most prestigious knockout tournament in English football, namely the FA Cup or better known as the FA Cup . The club nearly achieved a double in 1904 as it finished the Division I league as runners-up in the 1903-1904 season.
Moving to Maine Road (1923)
In 1920, Hyde Road became the first football stadium outside London to be visited by a reigning monarch. [12] On 27 March 1920 King George V was present at Hyde Road to watch a match between Manchester City and Liverpool . [13]
In November a fire caused by cigarettes destroyed the main stand and Manchester City finally began looking for a new home. Initially it was proposed the possibility of sharing Old Trafford Stadium with neighbours, Manchester United . However United's proposed rent was too expensive, so Hyde Road was repaired and City continued to play at Hyde Road.
Plans to move from east Manchester to south Manchester at Maine Road , Moss Side angered John Ayrton , the then Director of Manchester City. John eventually split from the club and founded Manchester Central FC, because he felt there should be a football team from east Manchester.
Eventually plans for the club to move to a new base at Maine Road , Moss Side were announced in 1922. Manchester City's final match at Hyde Road was a league match against Newcastle United on 28 April 1923 , and in August 1923 it became the last football match to be held at Hyde Road. Manchester City began the 1923–1924 season at Maine Road , which at that time had a capacity of 85,000 and was nicknamed the Wembley of The North.
After that some parts of Hyde Road were still in use. The roof of the main stand was sold to Halifax Town, and The Shay Stadium was built where the roof of the main stand is still in use. [14] Over the course of a decade, all traces of football disappeared from Hyde Road. In 2008, the location of the former field was a bus depot, as a training ground for drivers. [15]
In 1926 the club reached the FA Cup Final, and scored 31 goals in 5 games on the way to the final. However, in the final match City were defeated 1–0 by Bolton Wanderers. Disappointment increased, because in the league City were relegated at the end of the season. In 1928 City became champions of Division II and were promoted again to Division I.
Period 1928-1965
Teams of the 1930s
In the 1930s City began to become serious contenders, on various occasions in the FA Cup. In the 1930s City had several famous names such as Matt Busby who later became Manager of Manchester United, Frank Swift , a goalkeeper with a hand range of up to 12 inches , who is still considered one of the best goalkeepers of all time. Then there is a striker whose character is difficult to understand but prone to injury, namely Fred Tilson and the very influential captain, namely Sam Cowan . In a final match, before the match at the time of shaking hands, Sam Cowan told the King, saying, "Your Majesty, this is Tilson. He is today playing with a broken leg".
Cowan became City captain, replacing Jimmy McMullan . During his time as captain, City reached the FA Cup final 2 times. The first was in 1933, against Everton . During the match Cowan often came face to face against Everton Captain Dixie Dean . Both players are renowned for their ability to defend their areas. Matt Busby said that "Cowan could head the ball as far if we kicked with our feet". But Dean prevailed in the aerial battle, scoring Everton's second goal with a header. Dean's presence gave Cowan a dilemma, he was torn between the determination not to leave Dean and the desire to help attack forward. Finally Everton won 3-0.
But by the time Cowan received his runner-up medal from the Duke of York , he said he would return next year as a winner. True to Cowan's words, City returned to Wembley the following year (1934), and finally won the FA Cup, Cowan fulfilled his promise. The club finished the league in 1930 in third place, and were narrowly beaten by Arsenal by Herbert Chapman's last-minute goal in the 1932 FA Cup semi-final.
FA Cup Specialist
City gained a reputation as FA Cup specialists in those years. In 1934, 84,559 fans packed Maine Road to watch City play Stoke City in the quarter-final. This attendance record still stands today.
In the 1934 FA Cup final, Cowan became the first and only City player to appear in three FA Cup finals. He was captain in City's 2–1 win over Portsmouth . As team captain Cowan is very responsible for motivating fellow players and maintaining match tactics. In that era, a captain could be like a manager, who could provide administrative input on tactics.
A season after the FA Cup win, the club finished fourth in the league in the 1934–35 season and failed to improve their FA Cup record after losing 1–0 to Tottenham in the third round. In the following 1935-1936 season City had to fight to end the league in ninth position.
First League Champion (1937)
City finally captured their first Division I league title in 1937 after finishing runners-up twice in 1903-04 and 1920-21, and finishing in third place three times in 1904-05, 1907-08 and 1929-30. City emerged as champions and the only team to score more than 100 goals, and were unbeaten for 22 matches in the league.
Defending Champions Relegated (1938)
In the following 1937-1938 season they were immediately relegated to the Second Division, despite scoring more goals than any team in the league. This event is associated with typical City syndrome . City are the only defending champions to be relegated in English football history.
After one season in Division II, the league was finally stopped due to World War II. Over a six-year period, War Leagues were introduced, but these were primarily a recreational sport aimed at encouraging the people of towns and cities throughout England. Some players chose to play for City during the war and some played as guests for other teams such as Frank Swift. Meanwhile, Jackie Bray joined the British Royal Air Force in 1940 to help with the war and was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services during the war.
20 years later, Manchester City, inspired by a tactic called the Revie Plan, managed to enter the 1955 FA Cup final. They lost in the final against Newcastle United , but the following year they won the FA Cup by beating Birmingham in the final 3-1. The 1956 final was an FA Cup final that many people remember because in that match City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann continued to play despite suffering a broken collar bone.
After that City sank and only emerged to the surface when Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison were appointed to become the club's managerial duo in 1965.
Period 1965-2001
Heyday (1965-1977)
In the summer of 1965, club management appointed Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison as City manager and assistant manager. The 1965-66 season was City's third season playing in Division II (second tier) of the English football league. After Joe Mercer was appointed manager, they made their most important purchases in Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell . The first season under Mercer, the club won the Division II title and earned promotion back to Division I.
Two seasons later, the 1967-1968 season, Manchester City won Division I of the English Football League for the second time, beating city rivals Manchester United who were in second place. [16] They secured the title in the final match with a 4–3 win at home to Newcastle. Trophies and achievements then started to flow in.
The following season, 1968-69, they won the 1969 FA Cup again after beating Leicester City 1-0 in the final. After winning the FA Cup in 1969, City had the right to appear in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the following season. Appearing in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the 1969–70 season was the second time City competed in European competition, after competing in the previous season in the UEFA Champions League . In the 1969-70 season, City became the first club from England to win two domestic and European trophies in one season. [17] In 1970 City won the UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup for the first time by beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in the final. In the same season they also won the League Cup by beating West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in the final which was held at Wembley Stadium .
After that, throughout the beginning of the decade until the mid-1970s, the club continued to strive to achieve achievement after achievement. In the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, they only reached the semi-finals after being defeated by Chelsea .
In October 1971 Joe Mercer resigned and was replaced by Malcolm Allison . Under Allison, the club again took part in the European club championship in the 1972-73 season by competing in the UEFA Champions League , although only reaching round 1. The title obtained during Allison's time was winning the Charity Shield at the start of the 1972-73 season.
The rivalry with the city club, Manchester United , is always fierce. One of the most memorable matches was the final match of the 1973–74 league season. A hot derby inevitably occurred at Old Trafford when both City and United had to win in order to survive relegation. Former United player, Denis Law , scored City's only winning goal which also automatically caused city rivals United to be relegated to the 2nd division.
Malcolm Allison resigned in March 1973 and was replaced by Johnny Hart. Hart only briefly managed the club before being replaced temporarily by Tony Book (City captain at that time). Ron Saunders finally became club manager from November 1973 to April 1974 and was finally replaced again by former club captain Tony Book .
Under Tony Book , City won the League Cup again in 1976 after beating Newcastle United 2-1 in the final. In the 1976-77 season City almost became Premier League champions after finishing the league in second place, with only one point difference from Liverpool . During Tony Book's time, City always competed in the UEFA Champions League for three consecutive seasons, from the 1976-77 to 1978-79 seasons.
Hard times (1982-2001)
After being runners-up in the 1981 FA Cup , Manchester City did not produce any important titles and only drifted in and out of the Premiership. They were only promoted to the top division but then relegated again to the 2nd division.
In the 1982-83 season the club ended the league in 20th position, causing them to be relegated to the Second Division. After two seasons playing in division II, in the 1985-86 season they returned to division I, but they were relegated to division II again two seasons later after the 1986-87 season ended the league in 21st position. In the 1989-90 season, City returned to playing in Division I, and played stable, always ending the league in 5th position in two consecutive seasons.
The 1992-93 season began a new era with the name Premier League ( English : Premier League ) in which City became one of the founding clubs. However, the club's journey in the Premier League era has not been smooth, in fact it tends to continue to decline. The peak was in the 1998-99 season they were relegated and had to play up to division 3 (now called: Football League One ). After the arrival of David Bernstein in March 1998 as the new chairman , City began to improve. Luckily, they only played one season in division 3 and then were promoted to division 2 (now called: Football League Championship ).
Period 2001-Present
In 2001, Kevin Keegan was appointed to manage the Citizens , at that time City played in division 2 ( Football League Championship ). Under Kevin Keegen they managed to win the Football League Championship and they also managed to be promoted to the English Premier League .
2011 FA Cup Champions Parade
2012 Premier League Champions Parade
March 2005 Keegan resigned and Stuart Pearce replaced him as caretaker or temporary manager. City's brilliant performance resulted in Pearce being appointed as full manager and in the 2005-2006 season Pearce brought City to 6th place in the Premier League. The following season City's performance declined drastically and they only finished at the bottom of the standings even though they were not relegated. Pearce was eventually fired and replaced by former England national team manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson . At that time Manchester City was owned by an ambitious billionaire who was also the former prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Under Eriksson, City appeared strong at the start of the competition but began to lose balance from the middle of the competition, however they were able to reach the UEFA Cup zone thanks to their fair play performance . The impatient Thaksin wanted to fire Eriksson before the end of the competition if he hadn't been arrested by Citizen fans who felt that Thaksin was too arbitrary and didn't pay attention to the wishes of City fans. Eriksson's dismissal was only delayed briefly and was actually carried out at the end of the competition.
Mark Hughes , manager of Blackburn Rovers and also a former favorite player for city club Manchester United , was appointed to replace him. Under Hughes, City managed to occupy a Premier League position in the 2008–09 season and also managed to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup . Hughes only lasted half the 2009–10 season, he was replaced by Roberto Mancini .
Era Roberto Mancini (2009-2013)
Under Mancini, City managed to finish fifth in the English Premier League in the 2009–10 season. The following season, City managed to win the FA Cup after beating Stoke City 1-0 and managed to occupy third place in the Premier League, only the difference in goal difference meant that City failed to displace Chelsea from second place.
The 2011–12 season marked the club's success in ending a 44-year drought for a League title (last in 1968) in tight competition with Manchester United. Manchester City managed to become champion with a better goal difference.
Ownership
On 22 June 2007 the Club Board approved an offer of £81.6 million by a Thai billionaire and former Prime Minister of Thailand to buy City. [18] Finally on 6 July 2007 Thaksin Shinawatra officially owned the club by controlling 75% of City's shares, [19] so the club became one of the English clubs owned by foreign parties.
By the time Hughes rose to become club manager, Thaksin's assets were actually on the verge of being frozen due to allegations of corruption during his reign as prime minister in Thailand . Thaksin understood that his position no longer allowed him to continue funding the club. Finally, on September 23 2008, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group , officially owned the club, after buying it from Thaksin Shinawatra for 200 million pounds. [20]
Just a few days after confirming his ownership of Manchester City, he immediately set a record for purchasing the most expensive British player with the purchase of Robinho from Real Madrid. The record price of £32.5 million exceeds the £28 million Chelsea offered for the Brazilian.
Club colors and crest
Club colors
Manchester City's home kit is Sky Blue and White trousers. Since the 2011-2012 season, City's home uniform, both shirts and trousers, has used the same color, namely sky blue. The origins of the club's home kit color are unclear, but there is evidence that the club has used sky blue since 1892 or earlier.
Meanwhile the away uniform is Maroon, or red (since the 1960s) and Black Trousers. But in recent years, several different colors have been used. A brochure entitled Famous Football Clubs - Manchester City published in the 1940s shows that West Gorton (St. Marks) originally played in red and black. Reports dating back to 1884 depict the team wearing black jerseys carrying white crosses, indicating the club's origins as a church side.
The idea to use red and black shirts came from former assistant manager Malcolm Allison, who believed that adopting AC Milan's colors would inspire City to achieve greatness.
Symbol
The club's current crest came into use in 1997, due to the fact that the previous crest did not qualify for registration as a trademark. The badge is based on the arms of the city of Manchester, and consists of a shield in front of a golden eagle. The ship's shield features on the top half depicting the Manchester Ship Canal, and three diagonal stripes on the bottom half, depicting the city of three rivers. At the bottom there is a ribbon with the words Superbia in Praelio , which in Latin means Pride in Battle or in English Pride in The Battle . Above the eagle are three triple stars, which are purely for decoration.
City previously had 2 symbols, which were used in the 1960s and from 1972 to 1997. However, this symbol is no longer used because it does not meet the requirements to be registered as a trademark.
However, on the occasion when City competed in the FA Cup final , this symbol was not used. City uses the Manchester City emblem on its shirts as a symbol of pride for the city of Manchester at major events. This practice was carried out because before the 1960s, City uniforms did not use any symbols, so to complete the club's history the Manchester City Coat of Arms was used . [21]
The coat of arms of the City of Manchester began to be used by City in the 1926 FA Cup Final until the 1981 FA Cup Final , in both of which City were runners-up. In the 2011 FA Cup final , City reused their usual crest with a special legend, but the Manchester City Crest was included as a small monochrome logo in the numbers on the back of the players' shirts. [22]
Manchester City Logo Change
Costume suppliers and sponsors
PeriodCostume supplierShirt sponsor (chest)Shirt sponsor (sleeve)1974–1982UmbrianThere are no sponsorsThere are no sponsors1982–1984Saab1984–1987Philips1987–1997Brother1997–1999Kappa1999–2002The Coq SportifEidos2002–2003First Advice2003–2004Reebok2004–2007Thomas Cook2007–2009The Coq Sportif2009–2013UmbrianEtihad Airways2013–2017Nike2017–2019Nexen Tire2019–Puma
Squad
Main team
Per 1 September 2023.[23]
The Manchester City first team, along with the mascot , will face Southampton in the 2022–2023 English Premier League . From left to right in the back row: Moonchester, Manuel Akanji , Nathan Aké , Ederson , Rodri , Rúben Dias , Phil Foden , Kevin De Bruyne , João Cancelo , Riyad Mahrez , Bernardo Silva , Erling Haaland , and Moonbeam.
Note: Flags indicate national teams according to FIFA regulations . Players can have more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.Pos.CountryPlayer2DF ENGKyle Walker ( Vice captain )3DF BYRúben Dias ( third captain )4MF ENGKalvin Phillips5DF ENGJohn Stones6DF NEDNathan Ake8MF CROMateo Kovačić9FW NORErling Haaland10MF ENGJack Grealish11FW BELJérémy Doku13GK USAZack Steffen16MF ESPRodri ( fourth captain )17MF BELKevin De Bruyne ( Kapten )No.Pos.CountryPlayer18GK GERStefan Ortega19FW ARGJulian Alvarez20MF BYBernardo Silva ( fifth captain )21DF ESPSergio Gomez24DF CROJosko Guardiol25DF SUIManuel Akanji27MF BYMatheus Nunes31GK BRAEderson33GK ENGScott Carson47MF ENGPhil Foden52FW NOROscar Bobb82DF ENGRico Lewis
Loaned
Note: Flags indicate national teams according to FIFA regulations . Players can have more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.Pos.CountryPlayer7DF BYJoão Cancelo (in Barcelona until 30 June 2024)32MF ARGMáximo Perrone (from Las Palmas Sampai June 30, 2024)97DF ENGJosh Wilson-Esbrand (at Reims until 30 June 2024)
EDS and Academy
The following players have appeared in matches or appeared as first team reserves previously.
Note: Flags indicate national teams according to FIFA regulations . Players can have more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.Pos.CountryPlayer75MF ENGNico O'ReillyNo.Pos.CountryPlayer96FW ENGBen Knight
Loaned
Note: Flags indicate national teams according to FIFA regulations . Players can have more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.Pos.CountryPlayer12DF ENGTaylor Harwood-Bellis (at Southampton until 30 June 2024)37FW BRAKayky (in Bahia until 31 December 2023)39DF BRAYan Couto (in Girona until 30 June 2024)48FW ENGLiam Delap (at Hull City until 30 June 2024)69MF ENGTommy Doyle (at Wolverhampton Wanderers until 30 June 2024)No.Pos.CountryPlayer79DF ENGLuke Mbete (in Den Bosch until 30 June 2024)87MF ENGJames McAtee (at Sheffield United until 30 June 2024)93MF OUT OFAlex Robertson (at Portsmouth until 30 June 2024)94DF ENGFinley Burns (at Stevenage until 30 June 2024)—FW SRBSlobodan Tedić (at Charlton Athletic until 30 June 2024)
Retired number
Since 2003, Manchester City have not issued the number 23 shirt. 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 playing field while playing for Cameroon in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup . [24]
Note: Flags indicate national teams according to FIFA regulations . Players can have more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.Pos.CountryPlayer23MF
Management team
Pep Guardiola, current manager of the club.DepartmentNoDirector of Football