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The 25 Best Man City Players of All Time—Ranked
When compiling a list of the greatest Manchester City players of all time, it’s only natural that many from the Sheikh Mansour era feature heavily. After all, those players helped transform City from Premier League strugglers into the most dominant club in 21st century English soccer.
That is particularly true of the stars who played under Pep Guardiola, whose decade-long tenure has produced some of the greatest teams the sport has ever seen.
But City’s history stretches far beyond the modern era, and the club has never been short of star quality, even going back 100 years or more.
From the title-winning sides of the 1930s and 1960s to the trophy-laden teams of today, an abundance of top-tier talent has graced the Sky Blue. Superstar strikers, midfield maestros, daring defenders and gracious goalkeepers have all left their mark on the club.
So, with more than a century of history to consider, Sports Illustrated ranks the 25 best Manchester City players of all time.
25. Glyn Pardoe
Glyn Pardoe made Manchester City history in 1962 when, aged just 15, he became the youngest player ever to represent the club.
A right footer who initially played as a forward, Pardoe found his calling after switching to left back in 1966. His composure and technical ability made him a cultured defender and an important part of City’s great late-1960s side.
He helped the club win the First Division, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup in just three years. Sadly, a leg-breaking tackle from George Best effectively ended his career prematurely, but not before Pardoe had played a key role in one of City’s greatest eras.
24. Billy Meredith
From Manchester City’s youngest player to its oldest, Billy Meredith’s final appearance for the club came in 1924, when he was 49 years and 245 days old. Yes, nearly 50.
By then, Meredith was well past his prime and had lost some supporters after spending many successful years with rivals Manchester United, where he made more than 300 appearances, won two league titles and an FA Cup.
But during his first spell at City, he was the club’s star attraction.
A gifted right-sided forward, Meredith combined brilliant dribbling with a powerful shot and scored 151 goals for City. His best scoring years, however, came in the second division, where he helped the club win the title in 1898–99, with rough treatment from top-flight defenders making life considerably tougher in the first tier.
23. Joe Hart
Joe Hart rarely gets mentioned alongside Manchester City’s biggest modern legends, but his contribution to the club’s transformation should not be overlooked.
While Sergio Agüero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany became the faces of City’s rise from Premier League mediocrity to national powerhouse, Hart was quietly building a legacy of his own in goal. Remarkably, the Englishman had risen from non-league soccer to become one of the league’s most accomplished goalkeepers.
During his City career, Hart recorded 127 clean sheets in 340 appearances. His finest campaign came in 2011–12, when he had 17 league shutouts and claimed the Golden Glove as City won their first Premier League title.
He may not have received the same headlines as his more celebrated teammates, but Hart was a vital part of the foundation on which modern Manchester City was built.
22. Tommy Johnson
Tommy Johnson left his mark on Manchester City in more ways than one. He scored in the club’s first-ever league match at Maine Road, and years later, a nearby street was named in his honor.
Representing the club from 1919 until 1930, his numbers tell the story of his impact. Johnson found the net 158 times in league competition, including a remarkable 38 goals in 39 games during his best season—a club record that still stands. He even scored five in one match against Everton.
Oddly, despite that extraordinary output, Johnson’s only major trophy with City was a Second Division title. The club’s fortunes fluctuated, but his goals rarely did.
21. Carlos Tévez
Chaos has followed Carlos Tévez almost everywhere he has played, but so have goals—and Manchester City was no exception.
“Welcome to Manchester,” proclaimed the infamous poster when the Argentine swapped Manchester United for City, and he quickly backed up the bravado. Tévez scored 29 goals in his first season, proving an instant hit despite the circumstances of his arrival.
His time at City was never short on drama, though. A high-profile falling-out with Roberto Mancini in 2011–12 saw the striker suspended after the manager claimed Tévez wanted to leave. He eventually returned, played a role in City’s first Premier League title triumph and then scored 17 goals in his final season before another controversial 2013 switch to Juventus.
Whatever the off-field turmoil, Tévez was an outstanding forward: powerful, relentless, technically gifted and fiercely competitive.
20. Dennis Tueart
Dennis Tueart was a wonderfully gifted winger, combining clever footwork with a sharp eye for goal, and his two spells at Manchester City produced an impressive 109 goals.
Few players in City’s history could take over a game quite like the former England international. At his best, Tueart was capable of producing moments of magic from nowhere, and during one remarkable season at Maine Road, he even scored three hat-tricks.
Still, one moment stands above the rest. In the 1976 League Cup final against Newcastle United, Tueart produced a spectacular overhead kick to put City ahead in a 2–1 victory, securing the trophy in unforgettable fashion.
19. Eric Brook
Eric Brook was hardly the conventional winger of his 1930s era.
Rather than relying on the quick feet, delicate dribbling and slight frame typically associated with wide players, Brook was built more like a battering ram. Stocky, powerful and relentlessly direct, he was feared for the sheer force of his shooting more than any fancy footwork. In fact, Brook was widely regarded as possessing “one of the fiercest shots” in inter-war soccer.
By the time he retired, Brook had scored 177 goals for Manchester City, making him the club’s all-time leading scorer. Remarkably, that record survived for almost 80 years before Sergio Agüero finally surpassed it in 2017.
18. Fernandinho
Before Rodri, there was Fernandinho—the Brazilian midfielder who became the unsung backbone of Manchester City’s rise to dominance.
For almost a decade, he anchored City’s midfield and played a crucial role in five Premier League title triumphs. Tough, intelligent and endlessly energetic, Fernandinho was a relentless ball-winner who could also dictate play from deep.
Pep Guardiola’s arrival in 2016 only enhanced his importance. Fernandinho adapted seamlessly to City’s possession-heavy style, providing the defensive cover that allowed the team’s creative stars to flourish.
Rodri may have taken his place, but for years, Fernandinho was the man holding City’s midfield together.
17. Tony Book
Tony Book is proof that age really is just a number—at least if you’re willing to bend the truth a little.
Book’s professional career began unusually late, and when Joe Allison signed him for Toronto City in 1964, he was already 30. Allison apparently told Plymouth’s directors that Book was 28, even advising the fullback to alter his birth certificate to knock two years off his age.
Two years later, Book arrived at Manchester City at the remarkably advanced age of 32. Rather than treating him as a veteran nearing the end of his career, City handed him the captaincy, and Book went on to lead the club to four major trophies, making him the second-most decorated captain in City history.
His performances earned him the joint 1968–69 FWA Footballer of the Year award, while George Best offered perhaps the ultimate endorsement, describing Book as his “most difficult opponent.”
For a player who had taken such an unconventional route to the top, Book certainly made up for lost time.
16. Ederson
Ederson may not be Manchester City’s all-time clean-sheet record holder—that distinction belongs to Joe Corrigan, who deserves an honorable mention—but the Brazilian has the edge when it comes to clean-sheet percentage.
Across 372 appearances, Ederson kept 160 clean sheets, shutting out the opposition in roughly 43% of his games.
Agile, commanding and physically imposing, he possessed excellent reflexes, but it was his passing that truly set him apart. Ederson revolutionized the role of the modern goalkeeper at City, regularly launching attacks from inside his own box and effectively operating as a playmaker from deep. He even chipped in with a handful of assists along the way.
His influence went far beyond the numbers. Thanks to Ederson, goalkeepers around the world began trying to replicate his ability to act as an extra outfield player—but few have been able to deliver it with quite the same brilliance.
15. Mike Doyle
Manchester City fans had two very good reasons to adore Mike Doyle.
First, he was a superb defender. A tough, uncompromising presence at the heart of City’s back line, Doyle became one of the defining players of the club’s most successful era before Pep Guardiola. His combative style earned him a reputation as one of English soccer’s hardmen, while his extraordinary 563 appearances underlined his durability and importance.
Then there was his devotion to City—and his unmistakable dislike of Manchester United. A boyhood Blue, Doyle made no secret of his feelings toward City’s neighbors, something that predictably made him a favorite among the supporters and a regular subject of attention from the press.
The rivalry reached its most memorable point in a 1970 Manchester derby. Doyle scored the winning goal in a 2–1 league victory before turning toward the Stretford End at Old Trafford and delivering what he later described as a “two-fingered salute” to the United supporters.
For City fans, it was about as personal as a derby gets.
14. Peter Doherty
Manchester City’s record signing in 1936, Peter Doherty quickly showed exactly why the club had paid Blackpool £10,000 for his services.
Playing at inside-left, Doherty was a nightmare for defenders, using his exquisite close control, sudden changes of direction and clever feints to leave markers guessing. He was the standout player as City captured their first league title in 1936–37, scoring 30 goals in the league alone. Eleven of those came during the final seven games, including a goal on the final day against Birmingham City that helped secure the championship.
Doherty followed that with another 25 league goals the next season, but remarkably, City were relegated despite his prolific scoring.
The 1939 outbreak of World War II brought competitive soccer to a halt, with Doherty serving in the RAF while remaining registered as a City player. He still featured regularly in unofficial wartime fixtures, scoring 60 goals in 89 appearances—a remarkable return, even if those matches are not generally included in recognized career statistics.
13. Bernardo Silva
Few players ever gave Pep Guardiola more tactical freedom than Bernardo Silva. Over the course of his Manchester City career, the Portuguese became a Swiss (or Portuguese in his case) Army knife for one of the greatest teams in English soccer, helping the club claim six Premier League titles and a Champions League.
Silva could start on the wing, tuck inside as a No. 8 or operate higher up as a No. 10, where his influence was perhaps greatest. His low center of gravity, razor-sharp feet and remarkable awareness allowed him to wriggle through crowded areas, evade pressure and pick apart defenses with subtle passes and intelligent movement.
For all his creativity, Silva brought plenty of goals, too, finding the net 76 times for City.
12. Rodri
Only one player in history has won the Ballon d’Or while representing Manchester City.
That man was Rodrigo Hernández Cascante—better known as Rodri—who claimed soccer’s biggest individual prize in 2024 after a stellar season for Manchester City and Spain, helping the club win the Premier League title and his country lift the European Championship.
“Helped” is arguably an understatement. Rodri was the driving force behind both triumphs, controlling games from midfield with his precise, progressive passing while also providing a defensive shield with his strength, intelligence and ability to win the ball back.
His influence had already been clear the year before, when City won the Champions League, with Rodri scoring the winning goal in the final. He was equally important to Spain’s run to 2026 World Cup glory, further cementing his status as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
When he eventually exited City for Barcelona, the club was left with an almost impossible void to fill in the heart of its midfield.
11. Alan Oakes
When midfielder Alan Oakes first arrived at Manchester City as a 15-year-old, his job was simply to clean goalkeeper Bert Trautmann’s boots.
Nearly 20 years later, Oakes had made a record 680 appearances for City, a landmark that remains untouched to this day.
His remarkable longevity was matched by his consistency, professionalism and loyalty. Never one to seek the spotlight, Oakes became a dependable presence at the heart of City’s midfield, quietly anchoring the team throughout an era that stretched from the late 1950s into the mid-1970s.
10. Erling Haaland
Across Manchester City’s long and glorious history, no striker has ever been as lethal in front of goal as Erling Haaland.
Arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, the Norwegian goal machine has scored at an astonishing rate, collecting Golden Boots for fun and helping fire City to multiple Premier League titles and a long-awaited Champions League triumph.
Already the club’s second-highest all-time scorer, Haaland is rapidly closing in on a certain Argentine ahead of him. City is in his blood, with his father, defensive midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, signed 22 years earlier.
9. Mike Summerbee
While Manchester United had George Best mesmerizing on the wing, Manchester City had a dazzling wide man of their own in Mike Summerbee.
Summerbee may never have enjoyed the same level of fame as his Northern Irish friend—with whom he famously shared a taste for the nightlife—but he was a formidable talent in his own right. Quick, fearless and direct, he was at his best running at defenders, bursting into space and arriving in dangerous areas.
Signed from Swindon Town, Summerbee quickly became a key figure in Joe Mercer’s 1960s side. He played all 52 competitive matches in his debut season, scoring 10 goals as City won promotion to the top flight.
Two years later, they were champions. Summerbee enjoyed the best scoring season of his career with 20 goals, before making his mark on the 1969 FA Cup final by setting up Neil Young for the decisive goal.
8. Yaya Touré
Yaya Touré’s 2013–14 season may just have a shout as the best individual campaign a Premier League player—and certainly a midfielder—has ever produced.
Twenty goals—many of them long-range beauties—nine assists, countless surging runs through midfield, devilish footwork for a man of his size and crunching tackles—the Ivorian was everywhere, all the time. More often than not, he made the rest of the division look like he was a man playing among boys.
But Touré was about far more than one spectacular season. He was the lynchpin of Manchester City’s midfield for seven wonderful years, helping the club win three Premier League titles along with a host of other honors.
7. Francis Lee
When Francis Lee arrived at Manchester City from Bolton Wanderers in 1967 for a club-record £60,000, legendary manager Joe Mercer described him as “the final piece in the jigsaw.”
It did not take long for Lee to prove his manager right.
The English striker became City’s leading scorer for five consecutive seasons between 1969–70 and 1973–74, establishing himself as one of the defining attacking players of Mercer’s great side.
Lee’s trophy cabinet tells the rest of the story. During his City career, he won the First Division, FA Cup, League Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup, two Charity Shields and the Second Division. He eventually departed with 148 goals to his name, a tally that has kept him firmly among the club’s all-time greats. After making millions selling toilet paper after hanging up his boots, Lee later returned as City owner and chairman in 1994.
6. Vincent Kompany
Vincent Kompany arrived at Manchester City from Hamburg in 2008 as a midfielder. He would leave 11 years later as one of the Premier League’s finest center backs and a defining figure in City’s rise to the top. For someone who predated (just about) the Sheikh Mansour takeover, he defined the success it soon brought to east Manchester.
His early days in midfield were unremarkable, but a switch into central defense changed everything. Strong, quick and aggressive in the tackle, Kompany was an outstanding reader of the game. But that midfield background also gave composure and technical ability to play out from the back.
More than anything, though, he was a leader. After becoming captain in 2011, Kompany guided City to four Premier League titles and became one of the most important figures in the club’s modern history.
5. Bert Trautmann
Bert Trautmann’s life story really is one you could make a movie about ... and someone actually did—The Keeper was released in 2018.
A German paratrooper during World War II, Trautmann was captured by British forces and spent the final stages of the conflict as a prisoner in Lancashire, northwest England. After the war, rather than return home to Germany, he stayed and turned his attention to soccer, quickly emerging as a talented goalkeeper with St. Helens Town.
Manchester City took a chance on him in 1949, though his arrival was anything but popular. Supporters protested the signing because of his wartime service, but Trautmann gradually won them over with his performances. More than 500 appearances later, he was unquestionably a City great.
His finest hour came in the 1956 FA Cup final. With City 3–1 ahead, Trautmann launched himself at Birmingham’s Peter Murphy and suffered a broken neck in the collision. Somehow, he remained in goal, producing several more saves to see City over the line.
From enemy soldier to Manchester City icon, few soccer stories can match his.
4. David Silva
Rather than attempt to describe the genius of David Silva—Manchester City’s all-time Premier League appearance maker and a four-time Premier League champion—we’ll let his former managers and teammates do the talking.
“Quite simply David Silva is the wizard. He knows which pass to pick. As much quality as we have in the team, there is only David that can pick certain passes and I think he sets the tone with that,” Vincent Kompany once said.
Pep Guardiola, who has also counted Silva among the best players he has ever coached, was similarly effusive: “He is one of the most incredible players in the world at playing in the pockets. He is maybe the strongest in the world in those spaces.”
John Stones once admitted, “I’d pay a lot of money to watch him play for the rest of his life,” while former Spain teammate David Villa called him “one of the best players in the last 10 years in Spain. He’s an amazing talent.”
Perhaps, though, Santi Cazorla summed Silva up most perfectly—and most succinctly.
“The master,” he called him.
Couldn’t have put it better.
3. Colin Bell
The various nicknames Colin Bell picked up during his 13 years with Manchester City paint a pretty vivid picture of the player—and just how good he was.
He was known as ‘Nijinsky’ in reference to the famous racehorse and a nod to Bell’s remarkable stamina. He was also crowned the ‘King of the Kippax,’ after the famous Maine Road stand where City’s supporters made their voices heard.
And then there was the ‘Ballet on Ice.’ Bell was the star of City’s iconic 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Maine Road in 1967, a game played in heavy snow that earned its unforgettable nickname. There was even an amusing coincidence: the racehorse Nijinsky was itself named after legendary Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky.
On the pitch, Bell was every bit as elegant as his nicknames suggested. A majestic and versatile midfielder with a superb eye for goal, he helped City win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the First Division title, the FA Cup, two League Cups and two FA Charity Shields. He also famously provided the assist for the goal that clinched that 1967–68 league triumph.
Today, his legacy lives on at the Etihad Stadium, where one of the stands bears his name—a fitting tribute to one of the greatest players in Manchester City history.
2. Sergio Agüero
“AGUERRROOOOOOO!”
You can hear Martin Tyler’s voice already. We know you can.
The English commentator’s legendary proclamation of Sergio Agüero’s name as the Argentine striker found the net in the dying moments against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 to seal Manchester City’s first Premier League title remains etched into the history of the competition, the club, and everyone lucky enough to witness it.
It was arguably the greatest moment in English soccer history, and it perfectly captured what made Agüero so special. Short, stocky and utterly lethal in front of goal, the Argentine became the ultimate City finisher.
He also remains the club’s all-time leading scorer, having found the net 260 times. Not a bad legacy to leave behind.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
There were very few things Kevin De Bruyne could not do with a soccer ball at his feet, but his passing was no doubt his greatest weapon.
He could carve open a defense with a perfectly weighted through ball, whip a cross into the box from seemingly impossible angles or spot a teammate in a pocket of space that nobody else had even noticed.
The numbers only reinforce the eye test. De Bruyne finished his Premier League career with 119 assists, second-most in the history of the competition, and became the creative engine of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. From midfield between 2015 and 2025, he helped orchestrate one of the most dominant eras English soccer has ever seen, winning six Premier League titles along the way.
City may eventually find another great midfielder, but replacing De Bruyne’s particular blend of imagination, technique and sheer creative force is another matter entirely.
Players like him do not come around often.
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Barnaby Lane, better known as Barney, is a soccer writer for SI FC. With nearly a decade of experience in the industry, he has worked for a range of household-name publications in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and has interviewed some of the world’s biggest athletes—from Usain Bolt and Rafael Nadal to Christian Pulisic (though his favorite interview remains Adebayo Akinfenwa). Barney specializes in Premier League soccer, covering everything from the nostalgia of years gone by to the modern, vastly different landscape of today’s game. He also has experience reporting on La Liga and Major League Soccer, the latter of which he developed a particular affinity for during his university days at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.