... that you can remember being alive for, obviously. (In response to the other thread)
In my time following City (since 1999):
Joe Royle: Richard Dunne. £4m. 352 appearances, 7 goals. Captain for three years. Saved the club from falling into oblivion on several occasions and was named as the fans' Player of the Season four seasons running between 2004-05 and 2007-08. Was sad that he couldn't form part of the team that eventually won trophies, but he still left City with the First Division title in 2002. (Honourable mentions: Paulo Wanchope, Steve Howey, Darren Huckerby)
Kevin Keegan: Nicolas Anelka. £13m. 103 appearances, 45 goals. No idea how we managed to sign Anelka. Before he came to us he'd played for Arsenal, Real Madrid, and PSG. The best player in the team at the time and, over the course of the first season at the City of Manchester Stadium, he was the main reason we stayed up in 2004. He left under a bit of a cloud but by the time he'd left he'd made a big mark on the team. (Honourable mentions: Ali Benarbia, Eyal Berkovic, Sylvain Distin)
Stuart Pearce: Joe Hart. £810k. 348 appearances, 137 clean sheets. Hart wouldn't make regular appearances as City's keeper until 2007 under Sven, and then again under Mancini in 2010, but he was brought to the club and made his debut under Pearce. Two Premier League titles, 2 League Cups, 1 FA Cup, four Golden Gloves, two appearances in PFA Team of the Year. (Honourable mentions: Darius Vassell, Albert Riera, Emile Mpenza)
Sven-Goran Eriksson: Elano. £8m. 80 appearances, 18 goals. For the first half of that season under Sven I don't think we'd ever seen such a naturally skilful and gifted player at City. It was a delight to watch him after such dreck under Pearce. Things weren't so great for him under Hughes but you couldn't ever question his talent. (Honourable mentions: Martin Petrov, Vedran Corluka, Javier Garrido)
Mark Hughes: Vincent Kompany. £6m. 360 appearances, 20 goals. Hughes probably shouldn't get credit for Kompany because he'd have been sold before long before he turned into Mr. Manchester City had Mancini never come in. Then Mancini did come in, moved Kompany from being a rotation DM into the best defender and captain the club has ever had. Four league titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, legend. (Honourable mentions: Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Pablo Zabaleta)
Roberto Mancini: Yaya Toure. £24m. 316 appearances, 79 goals. Here's where things get tricky. To have Yaya as Mancini's finest signing means you have to leave out Aguero and David Silva. But Yaya scored the goals that took us to the first trophies we ever won in this era and continued to turn up in the big moments. His 13/14 season remains the best individual season by a Premier League midfielder of all time. (Honourable mentions: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Edin Dzeko)
Manuel Pellegrini: Kevin De Bruyne. £55m. 173 appearances, 40 goals. Again, this is another tricky one, but De Bruyne's won Player of the Season twice at City, as well as two Premier League titles, three League Cups, and one FA Cup. Has dominated and controlled more games than I can count and was the main reason for why we pulled away so quickly during the Centurions season. A genius. (Honourable mentions: Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi)
Pep Guardiola: Ederson. £36m. 100 appearances, 49 clean sheets. The football we're playing not only revolutionised our own game, but completely changed the way English football viewed playing out from the back. Ederson is the reason for this. As good with his feet as he is at stopping the opposition from scoring, he's perhaps the only goalkeeper in the world that you'd pay to watch. (Honourable mentions: Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane).
In my time following City (since 1999):
Joe Royle: Richard Dunne. £4m. 352 appearances, 7 goals. Captain for three years. Saved the club from falling into oblivion on several occasions and was named as the fans' Player of the Season four seasons running between 2004-05 and 2007-08. Was sad that he couldn't form part of the team that eventually won trophies, but he still left City with the First Division title in 2002. (Honourable mentions: Paulo Wanchope, Steve Howey, Darren Huckerby)
Kevin Keegan: Nicolas Anelka. £13m. 103 appearances, 45 goals. No idea how we managed to sign Anelka. Before he came to us he'd played for Arsenal, Real Madrid, and PSG. The best player in the team at the time and, over the course of the first season at the City of Manchester Stadium, he was the main reason we stayed up in 2004. He left under a bit of a cloud but by the time he'd left he'd made a big mark on the team. (Honourable mentions: Ali Benarbia, Eyal Berkovic, Sylvain Distin)
Stuart Pearce: Joe Hart. £810k. 348 appearances, 137 clean sheets. Hart wouldn't make regular appearances as City's keeper until 2007 under Sven, and then again under Mancini in 2010, but he was brought to the club and made his debut under Pearce. Two Premier League titles, 2 League Cups, 1 FA Cup, four Golden Gloves, two appearances in PFA Team of the Year. (Honourable mentions: Darius Vassell, Albert Riera, Emile Mpenza)
Sven-Goran Eriksson: Elano. £8m. 80 appearances, 18 goals. For the first half of that season under Sven I don't think we'd ever seen such a naturally skilful and gifted player at City. It was a delight to watch him after such dreck under Pearce. Things weren't so great for him under Hughes but you couldn't ever question his talent. (Honourable mentions: Martin Petrov, Vedran Corluka, Javier Garrido)
Mark Hughes: Vincent Kompany. £6m. 360 appearances, 20 goals. Hughes probably shouldn't get credit for Kompany because he'd have been sold before long before he turned into Mr. Manchester City had Mancini never come in. Then Mancini did come in, moved Kompany from being a rotation DM into the best defender and captain the club has ever had. Four league titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, legend. (Honourable mentions: Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Pablo Zabaleta)
Roberto Mancini: Yaya Toure. £24m. 316 appearances, 79 goals. Here's where things get tricky. To have Yaya as Mancini's finest signing means you have to leave out Aguero and David Silva. But Yaya scored the goals that took us to the first trophies we ever won in this era and continued to turn up in the big moments. His 13/14 season remains the best individual season by a Premier League midfielder of all time. (Honourable mentions: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Edin Dzeko)
Manuel Pellegrini: Kevin De Bruyne. £55m. 173 appearances, 40 goals. Again, this is another tricky one, but De Bruyne's won Player of the Season twice at City, as well as two Premier League titles, three League Cups, and one FA Cup. Has dominated and controlled more games than I can count and was the main reason for why we pulled away so quickly during the Centurions season. A genius. (Honourable mentions: Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi)
Pep Guardiola: Ederson. £36m. 100 appearances, 49 clean sheets. The football we're playing not only revolutionised our own game, but completely changed the way English football viewed playing out from the back. Ederson is the reason for this. As good with his feet as he is at stopping the opposition from scoring, he's perhaps the only goalkeeper in the world that you'd pay to watch. (Honourable mentions: Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane).