THE BEST PLAYER FOR MANCHESTER CITY: Sergio Aguero will always be adored for THAT goal, and Kevin De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles. But who DO YOU think is the club’s greatest player of all time?
MANCHESTER CITY’S GREATEST PLAYER: Mike Summerbee paved the way, Sergio Aguero will forever be revered for THAT goal, and Kevin De Bruyne has secured six Premier League championships – but who do you believe is the club’s greatest player of all time?
Kevin de Bruyne is arguably the greatest midfielder of the last decade in the Premier League
Today we’re going to look at the great Manchester City players, from Erik Brook, who scored a lot of goals in the 1930s, to Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell, and even present-day stars like Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester City has always been a big club, but winning eight league titles in the last 13 years and doing so well in knockout tournaments, like winning the Champions League in 2023, has taken them to a whole new level.
Eric Brook scored 177 goals for the club between 1928 and 1939, which is 78 years. He helped them win the FA Cup Final in 1934 and was always on the field during their first title season, 1936–37.
Brook didn’t score the most that year, though. Peter Doherty did, with 32 goals, making him the top scorer in the First Division.
Len Shackleton, another great player, called Doherty a “genius of geniuses.” The Northern Ireland forward had a grace that set City apart from most teams of the time, who played with a lot of aggression.
The next great time for City was in the late 1960s, when Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison led them to victory in the league title, the FA Cup, and the European Cup-Winners’ Cup.
He was a goalkeeper who played a big role in modern British history. He was a German prisoner of wr, but he stayed in the UK after 1945 and became well-known, especially after playing with a broken neck to help Man City bat Birmingham and win the FA Cup in 1956.
Peter Doherty was a brilliant goalscorer for Manchester City, pictured here in 1936
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann had an important part to play in modern British history
Mike Summerbee helped lead City to promotion and is regarded as a club legend
Colin Bell scored all kinds of goals and is remembered very fondly at the club
The goalie
Francis Lee was a big, strong striker who joined City from Bolton for £60,000 and helped them become successful. He later became chairman after making a lot of money in business outside of football.
He scored in City’s unforgettable 4–3 win at Newcastle, which helped them bat Manchester United to win the 1968 title. He was famous for winning penalties and taking them. The most important penalty he took was in 1970, when City bat Gornik Zabrze of Poland 2-1 to win their first European title.
Mike Summerbee, a winger, gave United the glitz that his friend George Best gave the team across the street.
In 1965, City were in the Second Division when “Buzzer” came from Swindon to Maine Road. Summerbee was always there as they won promotion in his first season and then won the English title two years later. As an ambassador, he is still easy to spot at the club.
Colin Bell had 48 caps, and it would have been a lot more if he hadn’t hurt his knee badly at age 29 and had to quit playing rugby.
Bell was a powerful runner in the middle of the field, which is why people called him “Nijinsky” after the famous racehorse. He scored a wide range of goals, from poacher’s efforts to stunning strikes from outside the penalty area.
Bell died in 2021. There is a stand at The Etihad Stadium named after him, which shows how much people at City believe in him.
For The Citizens, defender Alan Oakes was reliable. He has played 680 times, more than anyone else. Oakes played for the club from 1959 to 1976. He would have played for England if he wasn’t fghting with Bobby Moore for a spot when he was at his best.
Oakes’s only real mistake was giving away a penalty on his debut when he was 17 years old. Trautmann saved the goal.
When owners from Abu Dhabi bought City in 2008, it was the start of a new era for the club.
Vincent Kompany signed just before the takeover, and the Belgian center back became leader of the team as they took over the domestic league.
After getting hurt several times, Kompany’s long-range goal against Leicester in 2019 was named Goal of the Season, and it helped City bat Liverpool in a thilling title race.
Then, a few weeks later, he finished his career in England by lifting the FA Cup after a 6-0 win over Watford at Wembley. This was City’s only domestic clean sweep.