Manchester City has grown over the years into a formidable force in the Premier League and Europe at large. Every season within the last five years, the top bookmakers on liontips.com inevitably count them among the favorites to win the league.
However, it wasn’t always like this. In the 90s and early 2000s, Man City was wallowing in obscurity and constantly battling relegation or, at most, a comfortable mid-table finish.
The club’s Abu Dhabiehn takeover in 2008 spelled a good turn of fortune for the Citizens as they went ahead to witness the best era in their entire history.
In the last 15 years since the takeover, Manchester City has amassed 16 trophies, including five Premier League titles, five League Cups, four Community Shields, and two FA Cups.
It won’t come as a surprise to note that most of the best Manchester City players graced the pitch during this massively successful era.
In this article, we’ll highlight the six best wingers to have played for Manchester City. They come in no particular order.
1. David Silva
While David Silva may not be the traditional winger, he has been deployed in that role at Manchester City enough time to enter this list. David Silva is arguably one of the best Manchester City players of all time.
Coming into the club from Valencia CF, the Spanish international quickly became an integral part of Man City’s dominance in England.
His career with Man City culminated in 2020, having played 436 games in all competition and scored 77 goals with a century of assists to cap it.
He rounded up his Manchester City career with 4 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, and 2 Community Shields in a trophy-laden spell in England. He has also been named in the PFA Team of The Year three times.
2. Raheem Sterling
Born in 1994, Raheem Sterling was signed into Manchester City from Liverpool in the summer of July 2015. The transfer deal was worth £49 million.
The mercurial winger has gone on to play 339 games for City with 88 assists and 131 goals to his name. This places him eleventh on the all-time goalscorers in Manchester City history.
Also, since joining Manchester City, no player has recorded more goal contributions than the England winger.
His trophy haul with City is equally impressive. He has won 4 Premier League titles, 4 League Cups, one FA Cup, and one Community Shield. He has given his best years to the Cityzens and still maintains relevancy under Pep Guardiola.
3. Bernardo Silva
Following a stellar performance for Monaco in the 2016/17 season, Pep Guardiola made Bernardo Silva his prime target.
On 26th May 2017, City landed their target with a transfer fee of £43 million in a five-year contract. He has continued to live up to the hype and played an important role in Man City’s success since he was signed.
Bernardo Silva has played 251 games for City and has scored 48 goals. Regarding trophies, the Portuguese winger has won 4 Premier League titles, 4 League Cups, two Community Shields, and one FA Cup so far for City.
4. Phil Foden
Born on 28th May 2000 and at only 22 years of age, Phil Foden has already achieved heights that many footballers can only dream of.
Having come from City’s academy, the England international made his senior debut in 2017 and has never looked back.
Foden has played 169 senior matches for City with 45 goals to his name. He has also enjoyed trophy-laden years with the club, having won 4 Premier League titles, 4 League Cups, two Community Shields, and one FA Cup.
On a personal level, Phil Foden has been named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2017 and featured in the UEFA Champions League squad of the season (2020/21).
Also, Foden has been named the Premier League Young Player of the Season in the 2020/21 season and 2021/22 season. He was also awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year in the 2020/21 season.
It is safe to say that Foden has earned the right to be in the discussion of the best wingers in the history of Manchester City at such a young age.
5. Riyad Mahrez
His arrival to Man City came at the back of him playing an integral role and the key man in Leicester City’s improbable Premier League triumph in the 2016/17 season.
To lure him out of Leicester, Man City threw a fat £60 million cheque at the foxes, making Mahrez the most expensive African Footballer at the time.
He has gone on to play 189 games for Manchester City and has 63 goals to his name.
He has also made important contributions to City’s reign in England, which saw him win three Premier League titles, three League Cups, one FA Cup, and one Community Shield.
6. Leroy Sane
The German signed for Manchester City from Schalke 04 on 2nd August 2016 for £37 million in transfer fee. Until his departure to Bayern Munich in 2020, Leroy Sane made 135 appearances for City and scored 39 goals in the process.
He contributed his fair share under Pep Guardiola, which saw him win two Premier League titles, two League Cups, two Community Shields, and one FA Cup.
Here is a collection of the most mouthwatering wingers to don the famous sky-blue jersey of Man City. We expect this list to expand with time as Man City’s trophy cabinet swells further.