Mail Sport, along with the help of our readers, is on a mission to find the greatest player of all-time at each of the 20 Premier League clubs. Today, we’re focusing on the legends of Manchester City, from the 1930s goal machine Erik Brook to present-day superstars like Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester City have undergone a remarkable transformation, winning eight league titles in the last 13 seasons, as well as achieving outstanding success in knockout competitions, including their 2023 Champions League triumph. This has propelled them onto a new level of success.
Peter Doherty was a brilliant goalscorer for Manchester City, pictured here in 1936
For 78 years, Eric Brook held the record as the club’s top scorer, netting 177 times between 1928 and 1939. He also provided an assist in the 1934 FA Cup Final win and was ever-present in their first championship season, 1936-37.
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann had an important part to play in modern British history
Brook didn’t top score in that year, however; the honour went to Peter Doherty, whose 32 goals made him the leading marksman in the First Division.
Fellow great Len Shackleton tagged Doherty ‘genius of geniuses’, and the Northern Ireland forward possessed an elegance that lifted City above the blood-and-thunder approach of most teams in the era.
City’s next glorious period came in the late 1960s, when they won the league championship, FA Cup, and European Cup-Winners’ Cup in a swashbuckling style under managerial duo Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison.
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann had an important part to play in modern British history. A German prisoner-of-war, he stayed in this country after 1945 and became a popular figure, particularly after playing on with a broken neck to help Man City beat Birmingham to lift the FA Cup in 1956.
Goalkeeper
Francis Lee, who later became chairman after amassing a business fortune outside football, was a stocky and powerful striker whose £60,000 arrival from Bolton triggered City’s success.
He scored in City’s 4-3 win at Newcastle, which saw them famously pip Manchester United to the 1968 championship. Renowned for winning and taking penalties, his most important penalty came in 1970 when City defeated Gornik Zabrze of Poland 2-1 to win their first European trophy.
Winger Mike Summerbee provided the glamour that his good friend George Best gave United across the road.
Mike Summerbee helped lead City to promotion and is regarded as a club legend
When ‘Buzzer’ arrived at Maine Road from Swindon in 1965, City were in the Second Division. Summerbee was ever-present as they won promotion in his debut season and two years later they were champions of England. He is still a visible presence at the club as an ambassador.
Colin Bell won 48 caps and it would have been a lot more without a serious knee injury that effectively ended his career at 29.
Bell’s running power from midfield earned him the moniker ‘Nijinsky’ after the legendary racehorse, and he was able to score all types of goals from poacher’s efforts to stunning strikes from outside the penalty area.
Bell passed away in 2021. As a sign of how respected he is at City, there is a stand named after him at The Etihad Stadium.
Colin Bell scored all kinds of goals and is remembered very fondly at the club
Providing dependability was defender Alan Oakes, who has played for The Citizens more times, 680, than anyone else. Oakes was at the club from 1959 to 1976 and would have played for England had he not been competing with Bobby Moore for a place during his prime.
Just about the only mistake Oakes made came on his debut aged 17, when he gave away a penalty – saved by Trautmann.
The purchase of City by Abu Dhabi owners in 2008 revolutionised the club and marked the dawning of a new era.
Vincent Kompany had actually signed just before the takeover and the Belgian centre-back went on to captain the club as they began to dominate the domestic game.
Overcoming a series of injuries, Kompany’s long-range strike against Leicester in 2019 was voted Goal of the Season as City pipped Liverpool in an epic title race.
A few weeks later, he then ended his career in England by lifting the FA Cup following a 6-0 romp against Watford at Wembley, completing a unique domestic clean sweep for City.
