When Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi Group bought into Manchester City in 2008 the club had gone 32 years without winning a major trophy.
5 Explosive Manchester City Transfers That Shook the Football World
In the 17 years since the takeover City have collected 19 major pieces of silverware. During that time millions has been gambled on players, most paying off, others not. So which have been the most explosive transfers seen at the Etihad Stadium over recent years?
Manchester City Transfers: Robinho – £32m (August 2008)
The Abu Dhabi Group’s bank transfer to buy City had barely gone through when the first jaw-dropping deal of the new era was confirmed – signing Brazilian ace Robinho from Real Madrid for a then-British record £32m. And what made the transfer all the more spectacular was that the 24-year-old didn’t even know he was going to City until the last minute.
Chelsea thought they had a deal for Robinho all sewn up and the Brazilian international himself admitted when he arrived at the airport in Madrid he thought he was heading to London. But City were the new big spenders, hijacked the deal and Robinho was the first glitterball signing at the Etihad, finishing his first season as the club’s top scorer.
Manchester City Transfers: Carlos Tevez – £25.5m (July 2009)
The balance of power in Manchester still lay with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United in 2009, so City understandably milked it when Carlos Tevez was poached direct from Old Trafford in July of that year. Just two months earlier, Fergie had chided City as the “noisy neighbours”.
City in return posted billboards all over the city of Tevez wearing their blue rather than United red. Tevez, an incredibly talented if temperamental character, produced fitfully for City, lifting the FA Cup in 2011 but also constantly falling out with management and directors and insisting he was homesick for Argentina.
Manchester City Transfers: Mario Balotelli – £18m (August 2010)
Everyone remembers THAT goal from Sergio Aguero in the final seconds of the 2011-12 season against QPR that clinched City the Premier League title. But can you remember who assisted? It was, of course, Mario Balotelli, the hugely talented hot-headed Italian who had two-and-a-half years at the Etihad when the manager was another hugely talented hot-headed Italian, Roberto Mancini.
To say Balotelli’s time in Manchester was fiery would be the most magnificent of understatements – (he had four red cards in the title-winning season) – and Mancini couldn’t wait to see the back of him.
Manchester City Transfers: Kevin de Bruyne – £55m (July 2015)
Accusations that City were overspending on average players were certainly levelled when they took a costly £55m punt on Chelsea flop Kevin de Bruyne.
The Belgian, exiled by Chelsea to Germany, was snapped up from Wolfsburg with no great fanfare and plenty to prove. Six Premier League titles, a Champions League winner’s medal, two PFA Players’ Player of the Year gongs and second only behind Ryan Giggs in career assists, it’s safe to say it was money well spent.
Manchester City Transfers: Jack Grealish – £100m (August 2021)
When money really is no object, what’s £100m when the darling of the English game is the prize. Sure, there were coughs and splutters around the country at the size of the transfer fee for the Aston Villa winger, who was under even more pressure having been handed the No.10 shirt just vacated by the incomparable Aguero.
It’s safe to say Grealish has found it difficult to live up to the price tag with more stints on the bench than match-winning moments, though a cabinet full of winner’s medals suggest he’s done better than okay.
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