Manchester City's Best All-British Premier League XI vs. Best Overseas XI
Given we're in the midst of an international break, perhaps now is a good time to kick back and reminisce about Manchester City players of the past.
Here at Bleacher Report HQ, we’ve been discussing City’s best players of the Premier League era—the promotion heroes and title-winners who have etched their names into club folklore.
City’s recent past is rich and varied, a story of a football club suffering almost constant pain and heartache before a quite spectacular revival under the stewardship of Sheikh Mansour.
All of which got us thinking: Which players would make City’s all-time Premier League British XI, and who would be in their best overseas side?
So here they are. The British side are set up in a 4-4-2 formation, whereas the overseas team are playing a novel 4-1-3-2—something akin to Tottenham Hotspur circa 1994. Given the overseas side had an array of attacking options, it’s hardly the most balanced XI, but it would certainly be fun to watch.
Use the comment section below to suggest your XIs or make changes to ours.
British XI Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
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A clear candidate for the British goalkeeper spot, Joe Hart has been central to City's recent success and continues to improve.
This season, he's arguably been the standout 'keeper in the Premier League, and his recent performance against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League was up there with his very best.
Signed for £100,000 from Shrewsbury Town in 2006 after a strong recommendation from City's then-goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers, Hart has proved to be an absolute bargain.
British XI Right-Back: Micah Richards
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There's a myth being perpetuated that City is the place British players go to ruin their careers. This British XI shows that is nonsense. This side contains no fewer than four Premier League title-winners, a number that could have been higher.
Micah Richards is the best British right-back City have had in the Premier League era. An academy graduate, Richards played close to 250 games for the club.
His best season was in 2011/12 as Roberto Mancini's City won their first title in 44 years. Richards played 29 league games and was one City's most consistent players.
A firm favourite with the fans, no best British City XI would be complete without him.
British XI Centre-Back: Keith Curle
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Keith Curle was a fine defender and one of the club's all-time great captains.
He played for City between 1991 and 1996, helping them to a fifth-place finish in '92 and receiving England recognition while wearing blue.
Curle was a classy, ball-playing centre-half, and not until Andy Morrison was signed some years later did City have another leader like him.
British XI Centre-Back: Joleon Lescott
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Another member of Mancini's title-winning side, Joleon Lescott was superb for City after a shaky start to life at the Etihad Stadium.
Signed by Mark Hughes from Everton for £22 million, Lescott initially struggled to settle, but under Mancini, he proved himself to be one of the best English centre-backs around.
He wasn't brilliant on the ball, but in terms of backs to the wall-style defending, few could match him. Many City fans believe his performances eclipsed those of Vincent Kompany in 2011/12.
British XI Left-Back: Richard Edghill
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An unusual choice, many will feel, but given the dearth of decent British left-backs City have had in the Premier League era, as well his appearance at Wembley in that position in the '99 playoff final, Richard Edghill deserves his place in this side.
It was just over 15 years ago he had to be substituted at half-time after being booed by his own supporters at Maine Road in a match against Coventry City. Edghill had scored an own goal and been terrorised by Craig Bellamy in the lead-up to the visitors' second.
But Edghill, primarily a right-back, was a true professional and a City fan, a player who always gave his best and cared about the club.
His part in the club's crucial promotion from the Second Division in '99 will never be forgotten.
British XI Right-Wing: Shaun Wright-Phillips
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One of City fans' favourite sons, Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had two spells at the club, will always be remembered fondly.
His first period at City saw him rise to prominence from a youth-team player to the star of the first team. It's easy to forget just how good he was during that time. Lightning quick, confident and full of tricks, he was the most exciting player in the league for a while.
That is why Jose Mourinho sanctioned a £21 million move to bring him to Chelsea. Wright-Phillips didn't want to go, but the money was important to cash-strapped City.
He was never the same player again. He returned to City in 2008, but it wasn't like before.
The 2004/05 season was his finest, and City fans will never forget it.
British XI Centre-Midfield: Paul Lake
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Paul Lake's appearances during the Premier League era were restricted by injury, but a player of his ability has to be in this side.
Rarely, if ever, have City brought through a player of such natural talent. Lake was the complete central midfielder.
An FA Youth Cup winner in 1986, he scored on his home debut against Luton Town in 1987 and was a key part of the promotion-winning side of 1989. It's one the great tragedies of City's history that his potential went unfulfilled because of serious knee injuries.
His career effectively ended when he was just 21. He was on City's books until 1996, when he retired aged 27.
Those who watched him felt sure he would be a City and England regular for years.
British XI Centre-Midfield: Gareth Barry
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Gareth Barry signed for City in 2009 for £12 million and represents one of the club's best pound-for-pound purchases since Sheikh Mansour's acquisition of the club in 2008.
Barry was central to City's FA Cup win in 2011 and title victory in 2012. He was a superb passer whose ability has often been underplayed. He was excellent for City.
British XI Left-Wing: Peter Beagrie
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Peter Beagrie’s arrival at City late in the 1993/94 season helped the club stave off relegation.
Beagrie was a mercurial talent, a left-winger capable of beating full-backs with an array of tricks and flicks.
Brian Horton’s 1994/95 side was one of the most exciting in City’s Premier League history, and Beagrie was the chief entertainer and known as the Artful Dodger.
British XI Striker: Paul Walsh
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Paul Walsh was another whose arrival was vital in helping to fend off relegation in 1994.
Walsh scored 16 goals in 53 games for City, playing alongside Niall Quinn and Uwe Rosler. He was electric at times—full of pace, trickery and desire—a brilliant player for a club that had struggled prior to his arrival.
British XI Striker: Craig Bellamy
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Craig Bellamy only played for City for 18 months, but his enthusiasm and professionalism were exactly what the club needed during a period of significant change.
He scored 12 goals in 40 games, including a debut winner against Newcastle United, and he performed superbly throughout his time at City.
Overseas XI Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel
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City's list of overseas goalkeepers since 1992 isn't that formidable. Peter Schmeichel, who made his name as a Manchester United player, is the best of the bunch.
He only played for City for one season—under Kevin Keegan in the 2002/03 season, their first year back in the top flight after a campaign in Division One.
He was just what City needed: a capable, experienced goalkeeper who could oversee City's transition from Division One team into a Premier League club.
Overseas XI Right-Back: Pablo Zabaleta
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Signed in 2008, Pablo Zabaleta is one of the club's greatest players of all time. He's won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup, often captaining the side in the process.
He's been a firm fans' favourite since his arrival. His commitment and passion has never been in question, and he's now an adopted Mancunian whose place in the club's pantheon of greats is secure.
Overseas XI Centre-Back: Vincent Kompany
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Perhaps the only player who can lay claim to being a better value-for-money signing than Zabaleta in City's recent past is Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian centre-half, City's captain, has also been a vital part of City winning a clean sweep of domestic honours during his time at the club.
He may have had a difficult 2014/15, but he's been largely flawless since arriving from Hamburg in 2008.
Overseas XI Centre-Back: Sylvain Distin
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Many will wonder where Richard Dunne is, given the Irishman won four consecutive club Player of the Year awards, but many feel his partner during those campaigns, Sylvain Disitin, was a better all-round player.
Plus Distin was left-footed, meaning he and Kompany could have formed a nicely balanced pairing at the heart of City's defence.
Quick, strong and superb in the air, Disitin was a remarkable player. Even now, at 37, he's still playing in the Premier League for Bournemouth—a testament to his fitness and professionalism.
Overseas XI Left-Back: Terry Phelan
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Much like when naming the British XI, there's something of a lack of options at left-back for City. It's certainly been a problem position in recent times.
Terry Phelan, though, was superb; a quick, talented player signed from Wimbledon in 1992 for £2.5 million—equalling what was then the British record for a defender.
He made 104 appearances for the club, scoring twice, and he played 42 times for the Republic of Ireland between 1991 and 2000.
Overseas XI Midfield: Yaya Toure
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For many, Yaya Toure is City's greatest player.
His goals in the FA Cup semi-final and final in 2011 were crucial in ending the club's 35-year wait for a major trophy, as was his double in the win over Newcastle United in the penultimate match of the 2011/12 title-winning season. Add in a goal in the League Cup final in 2014 and form during the title run-in in 2013/14, and it's clear the Ivorian is the man for the big occasion.
He's a unique midfielder blessed with power, pace and wonderful intelligence. Toure is a modern-day great.
Overseas XI Attacking Midfield: Ali Benarbia
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Signing unknowns is a thing of the past in the age of the internet, but when Ali Benarbia unexpectedly signed for City on a free transfer in 2001, their fans knew little about him.
It didn't take long for them to warm to his talent. Benarbia was a superb player, a midfielder capable of moments of absolute brilliance.
Keegan's City side was exhilarating going forward, and Benarbia was the team's conductor.
Overseas XI Attacking Midfield: Georgi Kinkladze
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Another largely unknown player to arrive at City and leave a lasting impression was Georgi Kinkladze, a Georgia international who dazzled the fans and left defenders dizzy.
He suffered two relegations—in 1996 and 1998—but the attacking midfielder lit up arguably the most depressing period in the club's history.
His goal against Southampton during the 1995/96 season was, for many, the best-ever scored at Maine Road.
Overseas XI Attacking Midfield: David Silva
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City's best ever? David Silva certainly has a strong shout for that accolade.
The Spanish playmaker has been joy to watch since his arrival at the club in 2010, just days after he lifted the World Cup with his national side.
His touch, vision, skill, intelligence and ability to create chances marks him out as one of the best to have ever played in the Premier League.
Overseas XI Striker: Carlos Tevez
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Sheikh Mansour's arrival at City meant they were able to compete with top clubs for players, but the revolution needed kickstarting on the pitch. Carlos Tevez was the man who proved to be the major catalyst for success.
Having played for Manchester United prior to signing for City, Tevez's transfer made a splash and riled City's cross-town rivals. His performances on the pitch justified his wages, and he left a hero despite a fall out with Mancini that saw him go AWOL during the 2011/12 season.
He was central to the FA Cup win in 2011, and his return to the side in 2012 helped City win the title.
Overseas XI Striker: Sergio Aguero
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Sergio Aguero is undoubtedly the greatest striker in the club's history and would lead the line in City's best overseas Premier League XI.
He's bagged 115 goals in 175 games to date and reached 100 goals for the club in the quickest time after scoring two in the 4-2 defeat to Manchester United in April.
He's arguably the best out-and-out striker in world football.
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