It has been a truly unforgettable season for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. Their recent FA Cup success over Watford marks an unprecedented domestic treble, the first team that any English club has achieved the feat.
However, the following day it was announced that their much-loved captain, Vincent Kompany would be departed the club following eleven trophy-laden years at the club. Kompany has almost every major honour that there is to win in England, and has been a large stable in the success that the club has achieved since 2008. The Belgium international announced that he was to move to Anderlecht to become the player-coach at the club in his homeland after 360 games for the Citizens and four Premier League titles.
It is sure to be an emotional moment for the City fans, as Kompany optimised everything that has been right with the club following the 2008 takeover, and he will undoubtedly go down as one of the clubs best ever players. However, how does he rank among some of the other big-money signings that have been made since 2008? Let’s explore.
Sergio Aguero
When putting together a list of the best City players since 2008, it seems almost impossible to leave out the all-time top goalscorer for the club. That achievement is even more remarkable since Aguero only moved to City from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011. His first season ended with him scoring the most instantly recognisable goal in the clubs history, the 94th-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers which ensured City a first domestic title.
The honours kept coming for Aguero and City, and the Argentine was a fundamental reason for the success. Three more Premier League titles followed their 2010-11 success, while he also added four League Cups, two Community Shields and the solitary, FA Cup. The arrival of Guardiola at City raised questions about his long-term future, with the Spaniard often favouring Gabriel Jesus over the City number ten. However, Aguero has proven over recent seasons that he is still the main striker at the club, and as long as he remains at the club; City will always be among the favourites for honours in the odds with the best betting sites UK.
David Silva
Widely considered the most talented City player ever to grace the sky blue shirt, his move from Valencia to Manchester in 2010 has seen much joy brought to football fans around England. His ability on the ball is something that many football viewers in England have never seen before. His dribbling, passing and vision mean that he also ranks high among the best foreign exports to have ever graced the pitch in the Premier League era. No matter which club fans support, the little Spanish magician was a player that any spectator would have loved to have played for their club.
Silva has played a crucial role in every trophy success that City have achieved since his signing, and that has been shown by the fact that he has been voted in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions. It is likely that Silva may be slowly eased out of the team next season due Guardiola likely to opt for a younger team in the hope of sustaining their dominance. Phil Foden is expected to play in Silva’s position, but the Englishman will likely flourish under the stewardship of Silva.
Yaya Toure
When Toure arrived from Barcelona is the summer of 2010, very few people would have foreseen the dominance that he would enjoy in the middle of the Manchester City midfield. He was the muscle that led the club to Premier League titles in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons. He also won the league in 2017-18, but he played a bit part in the team due to Guardiola opting for younger players and a change in the system.
The African player was a sign of what the club stood for before Guardiola’s arrival at the club. As along with Kompany and Aguero, they were the spine of the dominant City team that collected trophy after trophy from 2010 until 2018. While he has left the club now, City fans still remember the tall midfielders time at the club with fondness and the players equally so. That was shown during the title celebrations after the 2018-19 season, when Toure was invited to take part along with the team, despite not kicking a ball for the team all season.
