MY TOP FIVE
Joe Hart
joined City: 24/05/06
Past clubs: Shrewsbury (2003-06), Tranmere (loan, 2007), Blackpool (loan, 2007), Birmingham (loan, 2009-10)
Team honours:
City:
Premier League (2012, 2014)
FA Cup (2011)
League Cup (2014)
Community Shield (2012)
Individual:
Premier League Golden Glove (2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15)
Premier League PFA Team of the Year (2009–10, 2011–12)
League Two PFA Team of the Year (2005–06)
Birmingham City Player of the Year (2009–10)
Manchester City Performance of the Season (2010–11)
2010–11 FA Cup Player of the Round: Semi-Finals
City’s last line of defence is a talismanic force and one of the finest all round goalkeepers in the world.
The England international was signed by Stuart Pearce in May 2006 from hometown club Shrewsbury.
Since then, the shot-stopper has gone on to cement his place between the sticks as a pivotal member of the team.
Now one of the most experienced players in the City ranks, Hart is also one of the most passionate - evidenced by his celebrations following the Blues’ recent successes.
Along with his desire, he is most admired for his shot-stopping and one-on-one ability and has rescued his side on a number of occasions over the years, preserving crucial leads which have proven decisive in title run-ins and cup journeys.
Though there have been many, he describes his favourite display so far as the one which earned a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the 2012/13 Champions League campaign.
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Vincent kompany
City on Kompany:
Joined City: 22/8/08
Past clubs: Anderlecht (2003-06), Hamburg SV (2006-08)
Team honours:
Anderlecht: Jupiler Pro League (2004, 2006)
Hamburg: UEFA Intertoto Cup (2007)
City: Premier League (2012, 2014), FA Cup (2011), Capital One Cup (2014), Community Shield (2012)
Individual honours:
Belgian Golden Shoe (2004), Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year (2004, 2005), Belgian Ebony Shoe (2004, 2005), Premier League Player of the Season (2012), Premier League PFA Team of the Year (2011, 2012, 2014), ESM Team of the Year (2012), Etihad Player of the Year (2011), MCFC Players’ Player of the Year (2011), Thomas Cook Player of the Month (December 2008), Etihad Player of the Month (February 2009, September 2010, March 2011)
Bio: Captain, leader, defensive rock – Vincent Kompany is one of the most decorated skippers in the club’s history.
Strong in the air, comfortable on the ball, accurate in the tackle and always ready to nip in and pinch the ball off a striker’s toes, the Belgian was a steal from Hamburg at just £6million in 2008.
A natural leader, he was handed the armband in 2011 and has since captained the side to two Premier League titles and the Capital One Cup.
Multi-lingual and multi-talented, Kompany began his career with Anderlecht and scooped a host of awards for a series of composed performances in the Belgian Premier League and Champions League that attracted interest from across the continent.
A further two years at Hamburg was enough to convince Mark Hughes and with more than two centuries of appearances Kompany proved one of the Welshman’s most astute buys, coming of age in the 2010-11 campaign when he was voted into the Premier League Team of the Year and collected the City Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year gongs.
A key figure in the title triumph of 2012 – including that goal in the Manchester derby in April – Kompany has gone from strength to strength in a City shirt and has collected a clean sweep of England’s domestic honours.
David Silva
David Silva must have felt at home straight away at the City of Manchester Stadium, having conjured the winning goal on his previous visit.
The Spanish international has happy memories of his new home ground after scoring for Champions League outfit Valenciain a pre-season opener against City in 2007.
He was joint top scorer with four goals in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships, helping Spain to reach the quarter-finals, and made his senior debut in November, 2006.
David scored his first goals in a 3-2 win over Greece in 2007 and played a key role in Spain's 2008 European Championship success, including a semi-final goal against Russia.
He came to prominence when Valencia loaned him to top-flight side Celta Vigo for the 2005-06 season and he hit four goals in 31 games to help clinch a UEFA Cup spot.
David's exploits earned him a seven-year contract and he made more than 140 appearances for Valencia, scoring 20 goals, before deciding to join City's Blue Revolution. He quickly adjusted to the demands of English football, with a brilliant individual goal at Bloomfield Road helping him win City's player of the month award for October. More influential performances saw him scoop the same prize in the following month.
Since joining City he's gone on to become one of the world's best midfielders, helping his country to the Euro 2012 prize, making him a world and European champion.
He also has Premier League and FA Cup winners medals in his bulging collection, as well as individual honours which include a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2012 and the City Player of the Year Award for the same season.
Kevin De Bruyne
Past Clubs
Genk (2008-2012) Chelsea (2012-2014) Genk (loan 2012) Werder Bremen (loan 2012-2013) VfL Wolfsburg (2014-15)
Club Honours
Genk: Belgian Cup: 2008–09 , Belgian Pro League: 2010–11, Belgian Supercup: 2011
VfL Wolfsburg: DFB-Pokal: 2014–15, DFL-Supercup: 2015
Individual Honours
Bundesliga Young Player of the Year: 2012–13.
UEFA Europa League: Squad of the season 2014–15
Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2014–15
Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2015
Known as one of the continent’s assist kings, Kevin De Bruyne arrived at City with a huge reputation…
Kevin’s creativity and eye for defence splitting passes and crosses prompted City to sign the Belgian international in the summer transfer window of 2015/16.
Beginning his career at Belgium side Genk, De Bruyne quickly worked his way into the starting selection in the Pro League outfit, becoming an integral part of their title-winning side, making 17 assists in all competitions and scoring six goals.
De Bruyne moved to Chelsea after nine years on Genk’s books but it was when he moved to VFL Wolfsburg Kevin really flourished.
Kun Aguero
Following Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic into the club, Sergio Aguero's arrival at City was completed on 28 July 2011 as the club’s third signing of the summer.
The Argentine striker’s professional career started in July 2003 when, aged just 15 years and 13 days, he made his debut for Independiente, becoming the youngest debutant in the Argentine Premier League - a record previously held by the man who became his his father-in-law, none other than Diego Maradona.
Aguero won the Under-20 World Cup with Argentina in 2005, before combining with Fernando Torres at Atletico Madrid the following year.
His excellent club form was rewarded with a first senior cap in September 2006 and a year later, Aguero starred as the outstanding player of the 2007 Under-20 World Cup. Winner of both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards, ‘El Kun’ scored six goals in seven games to clinch successive Under-20 World titles.
Aguero continued to thrive at Atletico and following the departure of Torres to Liverpool, was partnered with Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan ahead of the 2007/08 campaign.
The duo led Atletico to Champions League qualification for the first time in a decade and Aguero was named La Liga’s best foreign player in 2008 – the only time in four years that Lionel Messi was not awarded the honour – before landing an Olympic gold medal with Argentina that summer.
The 2009/10 season proved even more fruitful for Aguero as Atletico won the Europa League – from which UEFA Super Cup success followed - and were only narrowly beaten in the Copa del Rey final.
Appearances at the 2010 World Cup and 2011 Copa America established Aguero as a permanent fixture in the national side and his arrival at the Etihad Stadium broke the club’s transfer record.
He didn't take long to announce himself as one of the world's deadliest strikers at City, scoring twice on his debut against Swansea in the first Premier League fixture of 2011/12, including one strike from 30 yards which had City supporters salivating over what was to come.
Aguero scored 30 goals in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in the top flight since Francis Lee in 1971/72.
