Before 2008, Manchester City was mostly famous for being Manchester United’s deeply frustrating, historically incompetent younger brother.
Then, the Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club, and the entire landscape of world football changed overnight. They didn't just inject money into the club; they injected the GDP of a small nation. They built state-of-the-art academies, hired the greatest manager of his generation in Pep Guardiola, and started buying players with the sheer force of an infinite bank account.
While they frequently face criticism for their massive spending, you cannot deny the results. City doesn’t just buy famous players like PSG or Manchester United; they buy specific, highly-tuned parts for Pep Guardiola’s terrifyingly efficient football machine.
Let's look at the ten most expensive parts of that machine and see how they changed the Premier League forever.
City's INSANE Spending!
- 1st: Jack Grealish - €117.5M
- 2nd: Josko Gvardiol - €90M
- 3rd: Kevin De Bruyne - €76M
- 4th: Omar Marmoush - €75M
- 5th: Rúben Dias - €71.6M
- 6th: Rodri - €70M
- 7th: Riyad Mahrez - €67.8M
- T-8th: Aymeric Laporte - €65M
- T-8th: João Cancelo - €65M
- 10th: Raheem Sterling - €63.7M
The Backup Plan: 100th: Zack Steffen - €6.8M
Let's briefly scroll all the way down to number 100 just to appreciate how wild City's squad depth is. In 2019, they dropped nearly €7M on American goalkeeper Zack Steffen from the Columbus Crew to be their backup.
Pep Guardiola demands that his goalkeepers be able to pass the ball like prime Andrea Pirlo. Steffen fit the profile and played entirely in domestic cup matches to give Ederson a break. He won a few trophies, made a few terrifying errors playing out from the back, and eventually moved to Colorado. Not a bad gig if you can get it.
10th: Raheem Sterling - €63.7M
In 2015, English football was outraged when a 20-year-old Raheem Sterling forced a controversial exit from Liverpool to join Manchester City for nearly €64M. Pundits called him greedy and wildly overpriced.
Sterling proved everyone wrong. Under Guardiola's intense coaching, he transformed from a flashy winger who couldn't shoot into a terrifying, prolific goalscorer. He lived at the back post, constantly tapping in crosses and securing four Premier League titles before eventually leaving for Chelsea. Worth every single penny.
T-8th: João Cancelo - €65M
Pep Guardiola does not believe in traditional football positions. Full-backs are boring. So, he bought João Cancelo from Juventus for €65M and turned him into an "inverted full-back."
For two years, Cancelo was arguably the most creative player in the world... while playing left-back. He would casually stroll into central midfield and ping 40-yard assists with the outside of his boot. Then, he inexplicably fell out with Guardiola, was immediately banished to Bayern Munich on loan, and never played for the club again. Ruthless.
T-8th: Aymeric Laporte - €65M
Before they bought Gvardiol, City broke their club record to sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. They desperately needed a left-footed center-back who could start attacks with laser-guided passes.
Laporte was elegant, smooth, and incredibly consistent. For years, he was the absolute rock of City’s defense, silently recycling possession and breaking opposition pressing traps. He eventually lost his starting spot to newer, shinier defensive toys and moved to Saudi Arabia, but he was crucial to their domestic dominance.
7th: Riyad Mahrez - €67.8M
After magically winning the Premier League with Leicester City, Riyad Mahrez secured his massive €67.8M move to Manchester City in 2018. He was brought in to provide complete chaos on the right wing.
Mahrez has the best first touch in modern football. You could launch a cannonball at him, and he would casually trap it dead on his toe. He frequently won games by himself with his patented "cut inside on the left foot and curl it top bins" move. A luxury player who actually delivered.
6th: Rodri - €70M
Replacing legendary defensive midfielder Fernandinho was supposed to be impossible. In 2019, City paid Atlético Madrid €70M for Rodri, hoping he was the answer. He wasn't just the answer; he broke the entire test.
Rodri is the best defensive midfielder on the planet. When he plays, City literally does not lose football matches. He dictates the tempo, physically bullies attackers, and randomly scores spectacular, season-defining goals (like the winner in the 2023 Champions League final). The true MVP of the Guardiola era.
5th: Rúben Dias - €71.6M
In 2020, City's defense was a total disaster. They desperately needed a leader. They paid Benfica nearly €72M for Rúben Dias, and he immediately turned them into a brick wall.
Dias is a psycho in the best way possible. He celebrates blocking shots like he just scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final. He won Premier League Player of the Season in his very first year purely by organizing the defense and refusing to let anyone pass him.
4th: Omar Marmoush - €75M
Future transfer alert! Manchester City always plans three steps ahead. They are reportedly dropping €75M on Egyptian sensation Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Marmoush is incredibly fast, extremely direct, and can play anywhere across the front three. Guardiola loves players who can ruin a defense's day from multiple angles. Adding his blistering pace to a team that already has Erling Haaland is just laughably unfair to the rest of the league.
3rd: Kevin De Bruyne - €76M
"Manchester City pay £55m for Chelsea reject." That was genuinely the headline when City signed Kevin De Bruyne in 2015. It will go down as the worst take in the history of sports journalism.
De Bruyne is arguably the greatest player in Manchester City history. His vision is supernatural; he hits passes that look like glitches in the matrix. He has redefined the midfield position and racked up an absurd number of assists. €76M for him is the definition of a daylight robbery.
2nd: Josko Gvardiol - €90M
Why buy one amazing defender when you can slowly buy all of them? In 2023, City paid €90M for 21-year-old Croatian center-back Josko Gvardiol, making him one of the most expensive defenders ever.
Guardiola somehow took a €90M center-back and successfully turned him into an attacking left-wing-back who regularly scores crucial goals. Gvardiol is physically dominant, insanely good on the ball, and is basically guaranteed to be the best defender in the world for the next decade.
1st: Jack Grealish - €117.5M
In 2021, Manchester City smashed the British transfer record to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. They paid nearly €118M for a guy whose primary skill was carrying the ball really far and getting kicked in the shins.
People mocked the fee heavily in his first season. But honestly? Guardiola didn’t buy Grealish to score 30 goals. He bought him to retain possession, draw fouls, and ensure City completely controls the left side of the pitch. He was a vital starter in their historic Treble-winning season, proving that sometimes, you just have to trust Pep's terrifying master plan.
