Our best ever player

[paulchapo]

Buster Phillips.
Phillips was born in Exeter and began his football career as a trainee with his local side Exeter City, turning professional in July 1994. He soon attracted the attention of higher division clubs and moved to Manchester City in November 1995 for a fee of £500,000. This remained Exeter's record sale until they sold Matt Grimes for around £1.75 million in 2015.[1] Upon signing Phillips, City manager Alan Ball predicted "Buster will be the first British £10 million pound player."[2] He struggled to establish himself at Maine Road and was loaned to Scunthorpe United in January 1998 and back to Exeter City in March 1998.

He left Maine Road in August 1998, moving to Portsmouth for a fee of £100,000. He retired in 2007 suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

Yaya was fucking immense forget the nonsense about agents/ cakes etc he was world class Lee above YaYa your having a laugh

On his day yaya was immense, but it wasn't always his day.

If you pick on peak form then yeah he could be the one, but if you factor in every game then yaya drops down the list. Silva D probably the best based on every game, just immensely talented and consistent.

 

[OB1]

I think you really need to wait until a player's career is over (or the City part of it is) before assessing them in this context.

The great thing is that for many years I could not look beyond The King but now we have several candidates.

Applying my opening rule, it's Yaya for me, closely followed by Bell, David Silva and Sergio.

Of those still playing, KDB remains the guy most likely to top the charts from my perspective but Rodri has entered the conversation. Being our only B' D'or winner doesn't automatically put him top of the list: Haaland should have been awarded it last year and KDB is unfortunate not to have won it.

I still think Yaya had the best single season I have seen from a City player and I think he is the most complete player I have seen in Sky Blue; although Bell was close. As others have mentioned peak Yaya was a monster, a real force of nature.

 

[youngbob]

In my lifetime, Yaya always used to be my favourite, no question. But I think Kevin has pipped him in recent years.

Closely followed by David Silva, Sergio, Rodri, Vincent and Pablo, Ruben and Phil.

How spoilt we've been in the 2010s and 2020s that we have so many to choose from in this debate.

 

[WesthoughtonJohn]

Dave and kev are tied , how they never won the barn door is beyond me

Because they played for us and weren't Tranny or Messi??

 

[its a Barm]

Just sat on the loo reading everyone's opinion and just had a thought, best or most important player, now that goes to rodders, he's our most important player in any team.

 

[Bluesince1979]

You actually think Pep would countenance picking him?

And if so, why?

Well that i dont know. Was kinkladze a better dribbler than Doku for example? Id say so yes. Was he a better passer? Yep again.
Better than mahrez at those specifics? A big yes

Would he have worked hard like pep insists? Not at the time no but under pep could he have adapted? Well aguero did and mahrez didnt exactly graft back did he.

Kinkladze was a huge ray of sunshine during a shit time. Id love to have seen him under pep to see if he would listen, adapt, learn and be a world class player
Never know tho will we

 

[Dribble]

You can divide the recent legends into those who made City a domestic force (David, Kun, Yaya, Ferna, Kompany...) and those who have made us best in the world - Kevin, Rodri, Gundo, Haaland....

Given the starting point in 2008, was the former more difficult than the latter?

You can have good arguments in both directions. Kevin was part of both the best domestic seasons (17-19), the Treble season, and the 4 in a row season.

Whereas David, Aguero, Yaya contributed to us being a domestic force, they didn't succeed in the CL. And it wasn't only about luck, the quality of the individual performances wasn't the best. In contrast, Kevin, Rodri and Haaland have been outstanding in the CL too, while also winning 4 in a row. Haaland has played only 2 full seasons, so it's between Kevin and Rodri. Only the latter has been recognized as the best in (multiple) non-domestic competitions, though, which is another thing he has over the other legends.

But don't you think the relative starting points of these eras has a serious bearing? Silva, Kun & Yaya followed Jo, Vassell, Barton, Corradi & the Stuart Pearce era.

It's said the first is the hardest, & for me that was in 2011 & beating ManUre in the FA Cup semi, & then going on to beat Stoke in the final. Then came the Sick Swan, & followed by the legendary Agueroooooo moment...

The first time I witnessed the modern iteration of Manchester City was us beating the Rags at Wembley. That was the day we came of age, because as Mancini opined, up until then we were mentally inferior to the Rags & that was the biggest hurdle we had to overcome.

The Rags may have beaten us since, but we've never been beaten before we took to the field, & have always faced them as equals & superiors. It's on those shoulders we now stand under the management of Guardiola, & that for me is the genesis of our subsequent success.

When I think back to nearly getting relegated from the CL in 2015/16, I seriously feared our wagon was in danger of being irreparably derailed, but along came the Bald Fraud, & within two seasons we were smashing all records with an evolution of the side who set us on the path to all we've achieved with that crucial Wembley win against the Rags.

The rest, as they say, is history...

 

[kismet]

Peter Doherty

 

[SamBlue]

And Villa just made this special with their kit like a bunch of jesters.