Manchester City have finally won the much coveted UEFA Champions League trophy. Ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club in 2016, he has been hunting for glory. That indeed came true on Saturday night after Rodri struck home with a brilliant finish. With this, Manchester City have secured the treble this season, and are the only team to do so after Manchester United in 1999.
CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/n8dXDvOZyp
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 10, 2023
The success didn’t come overnight, though. It has been long in the making. After a change in ownership in 2008 (to the Abu Dhabi United Investment Group), the club’s fortunes have changed dramatically under the guidance of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Since then, the Cityzens have won a total of seven Premier League titles, and now, finally, the Champions League as well.
However, many believed Manchester City wouldn’t become such a dominant force without the financial backing of its Emirati owners. We’ve broken down how much Emirati money the club has spent over the years, so sit tight!
Manchester City: lavish spending over the years since takeover
City, under Abu Dhabi ownership, has spent more money on transfers than any other club in world football over the past 15 years. Manchester City have spent a whopping €1.45 billion ($1.57 billion) on players since 2008, according to Transfermarkt.com. The fact that City is being charged with more than 100 violations of Premier League financial regulations casts a pall over its most recent victory.
Here’s a chart from Statista showing a list of clubs that have spent the most money over the past 15 years:
City’s silverware count since 2008 takeover
All these high expenditures have also had an impact, though. Before the takeover, Manchester City used to be a mid-table team that was mediocre at best. They always got outperformed by rival Manchester United.
However, since the takeover, the club has gradually risen to prominence, becoming one of Europe’s most dominant forces and winning a fair share of trophies along the way.
The first one came in the 2011-12 season, when the club tasted its first Premier League glory after Sergio Aguero came in clutch with an extra-time winner against Queens Park Rangers, giving them a lead on goal difference over Manchester United on the final day.
Since then, the club has won another six Premier League titles, five of which are under the current manager, Pep Guardiola.
Since the takeover in 2008, the club has also won 3 FA Cups, 3 English Supercups, and 6 English League Cups, as well as the Champions League on Saturday.
Yeah, it took time and a lot of money for the Abu Dhabi Group to bring the club to where it is now, and it’s only a forward march from now on!
