Manchester City is a giant of English soccer in the Premier League era. This club has won eight Premier League titles and dominated English soccer during the golden Guardiola era. Most of the greatest Man City players are from the modern era, but not all. These are six of the best Manchester City players to have starred for the Sky Blues.
Sergio Agüero is one of the best Manchester City players in history because he was a brilliant striker. He was a striker with an almost glue-like touch for elite ball control and high-speed dribbling that bamboozled defenders. Added to that was his explosive speed and unmatched predatory goal-scoring instinct.
Sergio Agüero is Manchester City’s record goal scorer with 220 goals scored for the Sky Blues. He won five Premier League titles with Man City. The undoubted highlight was Agüero’s late, late winner against QPR in the last game of the 2012 campaign that secured Man City’s first Premier League title.
Kevin De Bruyne was the creative heartbeat of Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester City teams. He is among the great midfielders in soccer history for his unmatched playmaking vision and passing range. De Bruyne was also lethal outside the penalty box with his explosive long-range striking.
Kevin De Bruyne assisted (set up) 119 goals and scored 72 times when playing for Man City. Man City won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and the Champions League with De Bruyne pulling the strings in midfield. De Bruyne was twice PFA Player of the Year as a Manchester City player.
Silva, otherwise El Mago, was another influential midfielder for Manchester City. His immaculate first touch and passing vision made him one of the best Manchester City players ever. Silva was a player who could find spaces and unlock Premier League defences with intricate passing.
El Mago was a loyal Manchester City midfielder who scored 77 goals and assisted 90 others. He won four league titles, five League Cups, and a couple of FA Cups when playing for the Sky Blues from 2010 to 2020. Today, there is a David Silva statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
Kompany was an elite center-back when playing for Manchester City. He is one of the best Manchester City players because of his great passing and distribution, aerial dominance, and formidable tackling. Yet, Kompany was also a natural captain whose leadership inspired Manchester City to glory.
He played for Man City from 2008 to 2019, winning four league titles, two FA Cups, and four League Cups for the Sky Blues. Aside from his defending, Kompany had a knack for scoring crucial goals for Man City, such as his spectacular long-range rocket goal against Leicester that secured vital points in the 2019 title race. His header against Man Utd was also a crucial winning goal in winning Man City’s first Premier League title.
When he played for Man City, Yaya Touré was a formidable midfielder and big-game player who helped the Sky Blues end their trophy drought. Touré’s elite ball control, unique long-range striking technique, and exceptional passing made him one of the very best Manchester City players to grace English soccer. Added to that was his set-piece mastery, and Touré scored some memorable free-kicks for the Sky Blues.
Touré scored an astonishing 20 goals from midfield during his best Man City season. He made a crucial contribution to ending Manchester City’s trophy drought by scoring winning goals in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final matches. Man City also won three Premier League titles and three League Cups when Touré played for the Sky Blues.
Colin Bell was the king of Maine Road during Man City’s first golden era. He was a terrific box-to-box midfielder with elite passing, great aerial prowess, and relentless stamina. Bell outran many players on the pitch and could often transition from breaking up opposition attacks to launching deadly late runs into opponents’ penalty boxes.
Although a midfielder, Bell was also one of the best Manchester City players for his goalscoring instinct, as he scored 153 Sky Blues goals. He was the club’s top goalscoring player in three league campaigns, including Man City’s title triumph. Bell won one league title, two League Cups, and the Cup Winners’ Cup as a Manchester City player.
The six best Manchester City players above are giants in the Sky Blues hall of fame. Those players injected midfield artistry, defensive resilience, and clinical goalscoring into some of the greatest Man City teams. Their legacies have shaped the fabric of Man City’s identity in the modern game.
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