Manchester City is a football club based in Manchester, England. They are nicknamed  ‘The Citizens’ though it’s perhaps a nickname that doesn’t hold the same level of prominence as some teams. The team were formed way back in 1880 and their home ground is the Etihad Stadium which has a capacity of 55,057.

City Football Group is the owner of Man City and the chairman is Khaldoon Al Mubarak . Manuel Pellegrini is the current manager of the club.

Achievements
– 1 European Cup
– 1 League Championship
– 4 League Cups
– 5 FA Cups
– 2 Premier League titles.
– 4 FA Community Shields

History
Founded in 1880,  Manchester City is approximately 122 years ago. The club won their first major title in 1899,when they won the Division 2 title. In doing so, they made history by becoming the first football team in Manchester to win a major honour.

The club moved to a new stadium in Maine Road, following a fire that destroyed the main stand of their previous stadium.

Man City won the Division 1 title in 1937, only to be relegated the following season. After war time years, the team bounced back by winning the Division 2 title in 1946-47 under the management of Joe Mercer – it as his first season at the club. It wasn’t a flash in the pan either and opened the door to many more trophies and accolades.

City also accomplished another record when they became the first team in England to win a domestic trophy and an European trophy in the same season.  On April 27, 1974 a memorable moment for many a city fan is when they relegated their arch-rivals Manchester United, defeating them 1-0 at Old Trafford. Denis Law, who had played for Man Utd for the first half of the season before switching on a free transfer scored the winning goal.

The club has undergone a series of relegations from the top flight league but their fortunes changed when the club was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group. The appointment of Roberto Mancini contributed to this change of fortunes as they cruised to their first Premier League title after waiting for 44 years.

In recent years they have signed some marquee signings like David Silva, Sergio Aguero and also Mario Balotelli. These players played a significant role in ensuring that the club won its first Premier League title in the 2011-12 season. Many great players like Robinho who was signed from Real Madrid have played for the club and their experience and ability ensured that their long wait for the title came to an end.

Their triumph in the 2011-12 season was termed by many as the greatest moment in the history of the English Premier League.

Notable Records And Statistics
– Manchester City’s record league victory was an 11-2 victory against Lincoln City.
– Their biggest loss came when they suffered an 8-0 loss at the hands of Burton Wanderers.
– The record goalscorer for the club is Eric Brook, who managed to score 177 goals during his time with the club.
– Alan Oakes holds the current record for most appearances, playing 680 games for the club.

Players
First Team Squad
– Joe Hart, GK
– Bacary Sagna, DF
– Vincent Kompany, DF ( Captain )
– Pablo Zabaleta, DF
– Raheem Sterling, MF
– Kevin De Bruyne, MF. He is currently the club’s record signing after he was signed from VFL Wolfsburg for 55 million euros.
– Sergio Aguero, FW
– Fernando, MF
– Yaya Toure, MF
– Jesus Navas, MF
– Fernandinho, MF
– Willy Caballero , GK
– Aleksandar Kolarov, DF

2015-16 Season
The 2015-16 season for Manchester City was not a Chelsea-like disaster but equally wasn’t an especially very successful one. On the bright side though, they made history by reaching their first semifinal in the UEFA Champions League (before being knocked out by Real Madrid).

The future looks brighter especially after Pep Guardiola accepted to be the club’s manager for next season.

Current odds (6th May 2016) to win the Premier League 2016/17 – 7-4 (favourites)