Manchester City has a club history that dates back to 1880 when St Mark’s church formed a football club. The Etihad Stadium outfit have since gone on to become one of England’s most successful clubs.
Club name
The Citizens initially adopted St Mark’s as their club name owing to the football team’s roots. But the team changed to Ardwick AFC from 1887 to 1894 before embracing Manchester City to better reflect the whole city. Their club name has remained as Manchester City throughout their history.
Manchester City badge
The first badge in Manchester City’s club history was a black circular design to denote St Mark’s. The badge featured a bold white cross and white text to create a strong contrast to the black base. While the club adopted a purple and white shield featuring ‘AAFC’ in contrasting segments for Ardwick AFC.
Manchester City would later embrace the city’s coat of arms for their first badge under their name as of 1894. The design featured a golden lion and a white deer on either side of a red and gold shield. It also included a sailing ship and it remained in use until the 2010s, including alone from 1976 to 1981.
Multiple other designs took prominence over the coat of arms as Manchester City’s club badge from 1960 onwards, though. The Citizens embraced a circular design once more from 1960 to 1997 with a few variations. Each design featured the sailing ship sat above either a red and gold or white shield.
The badges Manchester City adopted with a white shield also embraced a red rose below the sailing ship. But the club veered drastically away from their previous designs in 1997 when they introduced a new concept. Manchester City included a blue and white shield on the body of an eagle until 2016.
It was the club’s identity for nearly 20 years and also featured three stars to signify the past triumphs in Manchester City’s trophy history. But the Citizens adopted their current crest in 2016 by reviving the circular design used from 1972 to 1976 and 1981 to 1997. It also now embraced a fully blue shield.
Kit history
St Mark’s adopted the first formal kit in Manchester City’s club history in 1884. It had a black design featuring a Maltese-style cross but the club adopted their now traditional colours in 1887 following their rebranding as Ardwick AFC. The club played in a two-tone blue shirt but briefly used just white.
The start of the club’s history as Manchester City in 1894 saw the Citizens return to using a blue shirt. It was also from their move to a sky blue strip that the club developed their nickname, the Sky Blues. While Manchester City have only altered the design and shade of sky blue used for their kits since.
League history
Manchester City’s history changed forever following Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s takeover in 2008. The Citizens are now one of the most successful teams in the Premier League. They had not lifted a top-flight title since the 1967/68 old First Division season before winning the title in 2011/12.
Premier League football has occurred at Etihad Stadium since 2002 following Manchester City’s spell as a yo-yo club. The Citizens even dropped into the old Second Division for the 1998/99 season. The club have otherwise only ever played in the top two tiers of the English league pyramid bar 1891/91.
Manchester City first entered a league as Ardwick AFC in 1891/92 with the third and final season of the Football Alliance. They would then enter the Football League in the Second Division from 1892/93 and first contested a top-flight season in 1899/1900. A first top-flight title also later followed in 1936/37.
Manchester City trophies
Manchester City’s trophy history is now one of the best in England having been a powerhouse club since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover. The Citizens have won nine top-flight titles over the years, including seven in the Premier League era. They have also held the FA Cup trophy aloft seven times to date.
A further eight EFL Cup titles feature in Manchester City’s trophy cabinet along with their six FA Community Shield titles, formerly known as the FA Charity Shield. They have also lifted seven second-tier titles and lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1969/70.
Arguably Manchester City’s greatest ever trophy triumph is their Champions League Final win against Inter Milan in 2022/23. The club would then win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2023 having never won them before in their history.
Players and managers
Manchester City’s club history dating back to 1880 and featuring a number of trophies along the way has ensured a number of icons have also graced the game in their sky blue shirts. Sergio Aguero and David Silva are two of the club’s modern-day greats with fellow Manchester City legend, Yaya Toure.
The trio each helped to establish the Etihad Stadium club as one of the teams to beat in the Premier League. It is also why Aguero, Silva and heroic club captain Vincent Kompany have statues outside of Manchester City’s stadium. The Citizens unveiled Aguero’s on the 10th anniversary of his iconic goal.
Aguero scored the goal that won Manchester City their first Premier League title in 2011/12. He fired home on 93:20 to beat Queens Park Rangers and pip the Citizens’ arch-rivals, Manchester United, on the final day. It was the first of Aguero’s five, plus Silva and Kompany’s four, Premier League trophies.
Roberto Mancini was the manager behind Manchester City’s maiden Premier League title. While Pep Guardiola has become a legendary coach at Etihad Stadium – as well as in the general game – having enjoyed a trophy-laden tenure. Wilf Wild, meanwhile, oversaw their first top-flight honour in 1936/37.