Manchester City’s top 25 signings of all time, ranked

When the Borussia Dortmund midfielder was set to join City, nobody expected him to be so good for the club.

İlkay Gündoğan signed for £21m in 2016. Upon his arrival, director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “I believe he will be a very important player for us in the coming years.”

Nine years later, and Begiristain was so right.

In his first season, he made just 10 Premier League appearances, but after this, he grew into City blue and became a key player for Guardiola’s men.

The German midfielder wasn’t shy about scoring in a big game, sealing the club’s dramatic comeback victory against Aston Villa to win the 2022 Premier League title.

Gündoğan also scored the stunning opening goal – YES, that goal – in the 2023 FA Cup final victory over rivals Manchester United. This led to City completing their extraordinary treble the following week against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

The midfield maestro left the club after winning the treble in 2023 but returned to them on a free transfer in 2024.

He’s made 354 appearances for The Citizens, scoring 63 goals and assisting 46.

24 – Pablo Zabaleta

Mr Consistent.

Pablo Zabaleta was a stalwart in the City side throughout his nine-year tenure. He joined the club in 2008 for just £6.45m, a day before Sheikh Mansour was announced as the new owner of the club.

The Argentine made 333 appearances under four different managers at The Citizens – Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola.

He won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and a Super Cup in his time at the club.

One of the crucial players to start City’s golden era.

23 – Carlos Tevez

Hated in one end of Manchester, a hero in the other.

Carlos Tevez splits opinion wherever he goes but for those in Manchester blue – he’ll always be fondly remembered.

Tevez crossed over from red to blue – United to City – in the summer of 2009 after winning back-to-back Premier League titles with the Red Devils and a Champions League.

It wasn’t a direct transfer as United only had Tevez on loan, so City picked him up once he refused to sign for the Red Devils permanently.

In the blue half of Manchester, the Argentinian scored 73 goals, assisting 32 in 148 appearances. He helped the side win the 2011 FA Cup and their first Premier League title in 2012.

Despite changing allegiances, Tevez’s controversial side never left. The Argentinian submitted a transfer request in 2010, which he later withdrew. He was then accused of refusing to come off the bench, which led to his suspension and him being put on gardening leave.

He was a turbulent player but a great one for City.

Tevez represented the pendulum swinging in favour of the ‘noisy neighbours’ ahead of United who’d been the dominant force in Manchester for so long.

22 – Horace Barnes

One of City’s first-ever goalscoring machines.

Horace Barnes joined the club in 1914, having been at Derby County for six years.

In his decade at City, he scored 127 goals in just 235 appearances, netting the first-ever goal at Maine Road.

21 – Dennis Tueart

Fast-forward over half a century, and Dennis Tueart arrived on the scene in Manchester. He joined in 1974 from Sunderland.

Tueart was a traditional winger with an eye for goal. He scored 109 goals in 275 appearances. This was split into two periods: 1974-1978 and 1979-1983.

He went on to represent England six times as well.

20 – Riyad Mahrez

With a first touch of gold dust, Riyad Mahrez was just spectacular.

The tricky winger won the 2015/16 PFA Players’ Player of the Year in Leicester City’s historic Premier League title win, and City swooped him up a few years later in 2018.

He put pen to paper in a £60m deal, which at the time broke the club’s record transfer fee.

Over the next five years, Mahrez made 236 appearances, scoring 78 goals and assisting 59.

Many of these goals came in the Champions League, where Mahrez shone to become the fifth African player to score 20 goals in the competition.

This was topped off with Mahrez winning the Champions League in City’s iconic treble lift.

He left the club in 2023 for Al-Ahli.

19 – Bernardo Silva

From one technically gifted player to another – Bernardo Silva is a joy to watch.

The Portuguese midfielder joined City in 2017 and is still a key player for Guardiola eight years later.

For just £43m, Silva has become a bargain.

While Guardiola loves signing players who excel on the ball, Silva sets himself apart with his tremendous work rate.

Despite his small stature, the Portuguese midfielder doesn’t stop running and is a nuisance for the opposition on and off the ball.

He’s scored 71 goals and assisted 72 in his 404 appearances for the club.

But stats don’t do Silva justice – you just have to sit back, feet up, cup of tea in hand and watch the brilliance of Silva with your own eyes.

18 – Joe Hart

The man with the joint-most Golden Gloves in Premier League history.

Joe Hart joined The Citizens in 2006, spending the next few years out on loan before he nailed down his spot as City’s first-team goalkeeper in 2010.

Once the main man between the sticks, Hart was terrific for City.

He won the Golden Glove in three successive years, also winning the Premier League title in 2011/12.

Then in 2013 he won his fourth and final Golden Glove, level with Petr Čech, but the triumphs didn’t end there as he secured his second Premier League title the following season.

After a few more seasons, the arrival of Guardiola signalled the end of his reign as City’s number one as the Catalan coach favoured bringing in Claudio Bravo from his former club, Barcelona.

Despite this, Hart will always be fondly remembered for his fantastic years in the early 2010s.

17 – Giorgi Kinkladze

Joining in 1995, Giorgi Kinkladze arrived as a nobody and left three years later as a cult hero.

Kinkladze made the long journey over from Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia to the lovely weather of Manchester, becoming a fan favourite instantly.

He won the club’s Player of the Year award for two years running, sticking with the club despite back-to-back relegations.

16 – Eric Brook

Beginning his career at Barnsley, Eric Brook quickly attracted interest from City and in 1928, the winger swapped Yorkshire for Manchester.

He made 493 league and cup appearances, scoring 158 in the league and 19 FA Cup goals.

But he wasn’t just any ordinary winger – Brook built up a reputation for being hard as nails.

He helped guide City to two consecutive FA Cup finals in 1933 and 1934.

The first was a 3-0 defeat to Everton but the second was a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth.

A few years later, Brook was an instrumental part of City winning the 1936/37 league campaign.

15 – Kyle Walker

In the summer of 2017, Kyle Walker became the most expensive defender of all time with his £50m transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to City.

This has since been broken several times, but it was still a huge feat at the time.

Eight seasons later, Walker has more than repaid that big sum.

The English full-back joined Guardiola’s City after the Citizens hadn’t won a Premier League title in three years, finishing third in Guardiola’s first league campaign.

Walker is set to leave City this summer, having won six Premier League titles and a Champions League.

An extraordinary impact.

14 – Ederson

The signing of Ederson was not only crucial to Guardiola’s success at City but also marked the shift in the European market towards ball-playing keepers ahead of shot-stoppers.

For as long as football had been played, a goalkeeper was rated by his ability to make saves, but Ederson wasn’t brought in for that.

Instead, Guardiola saw his potential because of his tremendous quality on the ball.

Ederson joined City in 2017 for £35m, and he’s been number one practically ever since.

Such ball-playing ability has let Guardiola impose a style which always builds up from the back using Ederson’s gorgeous passing range.

There is no goalkeeper on the planet who is better with his feet than Ederson. This has led to him racking up a few assists in his tenure at the club as well as taking some penalties.

13 – Fernandinho

A good way to spot a top-quality player is whether they’re annoying to play against – Fernandinho was certainly that.

The Brazilian midfielder signed for The Citizens in 2013 for £30m from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

Crossing over to the English Channel at 28, few expected Fernandinho to leave with a legacy so strong.

But for seven seasons, the Brazilian was the heartbeat of that City squad, sweeping up anything in his sight.

He was the perfect defensive midfielder to combat Guardiola’s desire to press high and play front-foot football.

In his final years, Fernandinho’s minutes decreased, particularly as Rodri grew into the Ballon d’Or winner he is today.

But his tremendous service at the club will never be forgotten by City fans.

12 – Erling Haaland

Some might argue it’s too soon for Erling Haaland to be on this list, but his outrageous goal record simply cannot be ignored.

Since arriving at City in 2022, the Norwegian striker has scored 121 goals and assisted 20 in 142 appearances.

That is staggering.

For a fee of just £51.2m – he’s sensational value.

There is no better goalscorer on the planet, and at only 24, he could become one of the greatest forwards – if not players – to grace the game.

11 – Mike Summerbee

Joe Mercer, who was City’s manager at the time, made Mike Summerbee his first signing as boss.

What a decision that was.

He was a fantastic winger with a feisty attitude.

Summerbee was an instrumental part of City’s golden generation in the late 60s.

He won the First Division in 1967/68, the FA Cup in 1969, the League Cup in 1970 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1969/70.

No doubt a City legend.

10 – Francis Lee

Another of the late 60s golden generation, Francis Lee was spectacular for The Citizens.

He signed for the club in 1967 for a then-record transfer fee of £60,000.

Lee went on to be the club’s top scorer for five consecutive seasons from 1969/70 to 1973/74.

Like Summerbee, he was incredibly successful in winning the same array of trophies.

He made 330 appearances at City in total, scoring 148 goals.

Iconic.

9 – Ruben Dias

Like a gladiator at the back, Ruben Dias has been a critical figure in preventing City from conceding goals.

Dias signed in 2020 for £65m from Benfica.

The Portuguese defender settled quickly and has been a stalwart of City’s side ever since.

The Citizens’ back line never looks as assured when he’s unavailable.

Dias has made 219 appearances for City so far and looks set to become one of the Premier League’s greatest defenders.

8 – Bert Trautmann

The players in this list span from goal-scoring greats to ferocious defenders, but none have a story quite as remarkable as Bert Trautmann.

Trautmann – a German citizen – joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War.

He was captured by the British on the Western Front and was sent to a Prisoner-of-War camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

The German excelled in football matches during training sessions.

After the war, he decided to stay in England and began playing for St Helens Town. His terrific performances attracted the eye of the Citizens, who later offered him a contract.

Just four years after the end of the Second World War, City signed the former German soldier.

Unsurprisingly, the reception to his arrival wasn’t positive, but over time, with consistent brilliant performances, he won over the crowds.

Trautmann went on to make 545 appearances for the club.

But he’s especially remembered for his heroic antics in City’s 1956 FA Cup final victory over Birmingham City, where with 17 minutes to go, he was knocked out in a collision but carried on.

Trautmann went on to make another crucial save despite the injury.

Three days after City’s win, it was revealed that Trautmann had broken his neck in the challenge but carried on anyway.

The German goalkeeper put his body on the line for City and was a stalwart in their defence for many years.

7 – Yaya Toure

For just £24m, The Citizens brought in a midfielder who ran the show at the Etihad.

He was big and strong but effortlessly skilful.

For a man his size, he had ballerina-like twinkle toes.

But this gracefulness was paired with a fantastic final product, be it goals or assists.

In 316 appearances for City, Toure scored 80 and assisted 45.

6 – Rodri

When Guardiola splashed £62.8m in 2019 to break the club’s record transfer fee on Rodri, no one could have foreseen the impact the Spaniard would have.

Six years later ,and Rodri, when fit, is undoubtedly the best midfielder in the world and arguably one of the greatest to step foot in the Premier League.

He has the tremendous defensive awareness Fernandinho had, matched with the passing range of a creative midfielder.

He’s the perfect player.

So it’s no surprise that he won the 2024 Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.

5 – Vincent Kompany

There haven’t been many better defenders to play in the Premier League than Vincent Kompany.

The Belgian signed for £6m from German side Hamburg SV in 2008 as just a 22-year-old talent.

But he left 11 years later as a legend.

Kompany made 360 appearances for City, captaining them for eight years.

He was an incredible leader who ensured his side were always organised.

Kompany won the Premier League four times in his time at the club.

4 – David Silva

The reason some people believe in magic is because of David Silva.

He could do things on a football pitch that most wouldn’t even dream of.

Arriving in the same window as Jerome Boateng and Toure, Silva went on to become one of City’s best-ever players.

He was a major reason why City were so successful in the 2010s.

Silva scored 77 goals and assisted 136 in his 436 appearances for The Citizens but stats can never paint the true picture of the magical Spaniard and his mind-blowing ability.

Like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Silva always stood out despite his small frame.

3 – Kevin De Bruyne

If this list is anything to go by, then City have been absolutely treated with midfield excellence in the past 15 years. Toure, Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are all geniuses of the game.

The Belgian just pips Silva, though.

De Bruyne signed for City in 2015 for £55m – in a move which many weren’t sure about.

The midfielder had been labelled a flop at Chelsea, who had offloaded him to VFL Wolfsburg.

But it didn’t take long for the Belgian to show his exceptional talent.

De Bruyne scored seven goals and assisted nine in his first season before really finding his feet in England.

The following year, he scored six goals and assisted 18.

This excellent output has continued year after year with the Belgian building up a reputation as the best midfielder in England, if not the world at points.

Like Silva, he does things no one else could.

His performances at City have forced him into conversations with Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

That says everything you need to know about the Belgian.

2 – Colin Bell MBE

When you think of an old City legend, you think of Colin Bell.

He epitomises what the club is.

Bell signed from Bury in 1966 for £45,000 – he went on to make 498 appearances scoring 153 goals.

He was part of the iconic trio with Lee and Summerbee, so he had his fair share of success in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

He was inducted into Manchester City’s Hall of Fame in 2004 and the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Because of his achievements at the club, he’s the only player to have a stand named after him at the Etihad.

1 – Sergio Aguero

Who else?

Sergio Aguero was simply scintillating.

Everything the Argentinian touched turned to gold. This led to him scoring 260 goals and assisting 65 in 390 appearances.

That’s an 83.3% goal and assist contribution per game.

Let that sink in for a moment.

83.3% over almost 400 appearances – that is just mind-blowing.

The Argentinian forward was unplayable for most of his career, with defenders bound to have had sleepless nights, before and after facing him.

At just £38m, Aguero was worth every penny and more, which is backed up by his five Premier League titles.

Some may argue De Bruyne is the better player, but Aguero was monumental in guiding City to their English football dominance in the 2010s.

Without him, City may not be where they are today…

The best.