From Colin Bell to Rodri, we count down the ultimate list of Man City legends and reveal the club’s greatest player of all time.
Manchester City have dominated the Premier League in recent seasons, won the treble in 2023 and are perennial favourites in the football betting to take home the sport’s biggest trophies.
They have been the most successful club in England for over a decade, but not all City’s greatest players donned the famous blue shirt in the Pep Guardiola era.
Here is a list of the top ten players to have made their mark for the club since it was formed in 1880.
Best Man City players ever
10. Bert Trautmann
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann was one of the first foreign players to feature in the old First Division after the German was repatriated to England after being a prisoner of war.
He became a City legend not only because he played 545 games for the club but for famously playing on in the 1956 FA Cup final against Birmingham City despite breaking his neck, with the injury not being discovered until three days after the game.
9. Vincent Kompany
Vincent Kompany’s arrival at the Etihad preceded Guardiola’s as he became an early figurehead after Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008.
The Belgian provided inspirational leadership and the highlight of his tenure was a screamer against Leicester which helped secure the 2019 Premier League title.
8. Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure started his career as a striker and played as a centre-back during his time in Spain, but it was as a box-to-box midfielder that he showed his brilliance after joining City from Barcelona in 2010.
The Ivorian’s strength made him impossible to play against at times and his big moment came in 2011, when he scored the only goal to win the FA Cup against Stoke.
7. Francis Lee
Francis Lee was one of the stars of the City team that regularly challenged their arch-rivals Manchester United for honours in the late 1960s.
His tenacious playing attitude adhered him to the Maine Road faithful as he helped the club win the First Division, the FA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup before becoming chairman of the club in the 1990s.
6. Kevin De Bruyne
It took a while for Kevin De Bruyne to realise his potential but he did that at Wolfsburg after an unsuccessful spell at Chelsea.
At the Etihad, he became one of the best creative players in Premier league history and the fulcrum of Guardiola’s all-conquering side, still playing a key role today.
5. David Silva
David Silva is regarded as the catalyst for the big changes at City and the gifted midfielder made more than 400 appearances in a 10-year spell at the Etihad which started in 2010.
The midfield magician attained legendary status by helping City to four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cup triumphs.
4. Rodri
It is impossible not to include Rodri, the only City player to have won the coveted Ballon d’Or.
His influence has been greatly missed this season as City have slipped in the league with the Spanish midfielder sidelined with a serious knee injury, but he will go down in club folklore as the scorer of the goal which gave them their first Champions League triumph in 2023.
3. Erling Haaland
Striker Erling Haaland has been nothing short of a phenomenon since he joined City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
The son of former City midfielder Alf Inge Haaland, he scored 82 goals in his first 90 Premier League appearances for the Citizens, including 52 in all competitions during the treble-winning season.
He seems destined to rewrite the club’s goalscoring records in the coming years.
2. Sergio Aguero
The Argentina striker was already a global star when he joined City from Atletico Madrid and he is the man Haaland will be looking to depose as the club’s top goalscorer.
A great finisher, he will always be remembered for scoring the goal that gave the club, then managed by Roberto Mancini, their first Premier League title with their last-gasp winner against QPR in 2012, one of the most memorable moments in the competition’s history.
1. Colin Bell
While City have had so many superstars playing for them in the last decade or so, no player is held in greater affection than Colin Bell.
The England midfielder was a key member of the successful side of the late 1960s and was regarded as one of the most gifted players of his generation.
Combining tremendous workrate and deft skill, the man nicknamed the King of the Kippax was a fan favourite and the West Stand at the Etihad is named after him.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 best Arsenal players ever
Man City all-time XI
Here’s how 11 of Man City’s greatest ever players might have lined up together in a match.
GK: Bert Trautmann
RB: Kyle Walker
CB: Vincent Kompany
CB: John Stones
LB: Glyn Pardoe
RM: Kevin De Bruyne
CM: Rodri
CM: Colin Bell
LM: David Silva
ST: Sergio Aguero
ST: Erling Haaland
Who is Man City’s best player of all time?
Colin Bell is arguably Manchester City’s greatest player ever. The English midfielder played for City for 14 years and won numerous honours, including the Football League First and Second Divisions, the FA Cup, two League Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Bell played nearly 400 league games for City and scored over 117 goals.
There is fierce competition among Man City legends, though, and more recent superstars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero could also claim to be the club’s best ever player.
Man City captains list
Many of Man City’s best players were given the honour of leading the team as club captain. Here is a list of all the players who have worn the armband for Man City.
Billy Meredith (1904-1906)
Lot Jones (1906-1914)
Eli Fletcher (1919-1923)
Max Woosnam (1923-1925)
Charlie Pringle (1926-1928)
Jimmy McMullan (1928-1932)
Sam Cowan (1932-1935)
Matt Busby (1935-1936)
Les McDowall (1937-1939)
Frank Swift (1946-1947)
Eric Westwood (1947-1950)
Roy Paul (1950-1957)
Ken Barnes (1957-1961)
Bill Leivers (1961-1964)
Johnny Crossan (1965-1967)
Tony Book (1967-1974)
Colin Bell (1974-1975)
Mike Doyle (1975-1976)
David Watson (1976-1979)
Paul Power (1979-1986)
Kenny Clements (1986-1988)
Steve Redmond (1988-1992)
Terry Phelan (1992-1993)
Keith Curle (1993-1996)
Kit Symons (1996-1998)
Jamie Pollock (1998)
Andy Morrison (1998-2000)
Alfie Haaland (2000-2001)
Stuart Pearce (2001-2002)
Ali Benarbia (2002-2003)
Sylvain Distin (2003-2006)
Richard Dunne (2006-2009)
Kolo Touré (2009-2010)
Carlos Tevez (2010-2011)
Vincent Kompany (2011-2019)
David Silva (2019-2020)
Fernandinho (2020-2022)
İlkay Gündoğan (2022-2023)
Kyle Walker (2023-2025)
Kevin De Bruyne (2025-present)