History of Manchester City F.C. facts for kids
The story of Manchester City Football Club began in 1880. It was started by members of St. Mark's Church in West Gorton, a part of Manchester, England. They wanted to help their community.
Manchester City has won many big trophies over the years. They have won nine league titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Charity/Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
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Early Days: 1880–1928
Manchester City started because people from St. Mark's Church wanted to make things better in their area. There was a lot of gang violence and many people didn't have jobs in East Manchester. Two church leaders, William Beastow and Thomas Goodbehere, thought that starting a football team would give local men something positive to do. Everyone was welcome, no matter their religion.
The team was first called St Mark's (West Gorton). Their very first recorded match was on November 13, 1880, against a team from Macclesfield. St. Marks lost 2–1. They only won one game in their first season.
City won their first trophy in 1899, by winning the Second Division. This meant they moved up to the top league in English football, the First Division. Their first major trophy came on April 23, 1904. They beat Bolton Wanderers 1–0 to win the FA Cup. City almost won both the league and the cup that season, but they were the first club in Manchester to win a major honour.
After this success, the club faced problems with money rules. In 1906, seventeen players were suspended, including their captain Billy Meredith. He then moved to their rivals, Manchester United. A fire destroyed their main stadium stand in 1920. So, in 1923, the club moved to a new stadium built just for them, called Maine Road in Moss Side.
Growing Success: 1928–1965
In the 1930s, Manchester City played in two FA Cup finals in a row. They lost to Everton in 1933. But then, in 1934, they won the Cup by beating Portsmouth. During that 1934 cup run, Manchester City set a record for the most fans at a home game in English football history. A massive 84,569 fans packed Maine Road to watch them play Stoke City. This record still stands today!
The club won the First Division title for the first time in 1937. However, they were surprisingly relegated the very next season, even though they scored more goals than any other team in the division.
Twenty years later, in the 1950s, City reached two more FA Cup finals in a row, in 1955 and 1956. Just like in the 1930s, they lost the first one to Newcastle United, but won the second. The 1956 final is famous because City's goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, kept playing even after he unknowingly broke his neck! City beat Birmingham City 3–1 in that match.
Glory and Decline: 1965–2001
After being relegated to the Second Division in 1963, things looked tough for City. In January 1965, a very low number of fans, just 8,015, came to watch a home game.
In the summer of 1965, new managers Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison took over. In their first season, City won the Second Division title. They also signed important players like Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell. Two seasons later, in 1967–68, Manchester City won the League Championship for the second time. They won the title on the very last day of the season, beating Newcastle United 4–3. They finished ahead of their close rivals, Manchester United.
More trophies followed! City won the FA Cup in 1969. Then, they achieved European success by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. They beat Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in Vienna. City also won the League Cup that season. This made them only the second English team to win a European trophy and a domestic trophy in the same season.
The club continued to compete for trophies throughout the 1970s. They finished just one point behind the league champions twice. They also reached the League Cup final in 1974. One famous game from this time was the last match of the 1973–74 season against Manchester United. United needed to win to avoid being relegated. Former United player Denis Law scored for City with a backheel, giving City a 1–0 win and sending their rivals down to a lower league. The last trophy of this successful period was won in 1976, when they beat Newcastle United 2–1 in the League Cup final.
After the successful 1960s and 1970s, the club went through a long period of decline. Many managers came and went. City were relegated from the top league twice in the 1980s (in 1983 and 1987). They returned to the top league in 1989 and finished fifth in 1991 and 1992.
City was one of the founding clubs of the Premier League in 1992. But after finishing ninth in its first season, they struggled for three seasons before being relegated in 1996. After two seasons in the second division, City reached the lowest point in their history. They became only the second European trophy winner ever to be relegated to their country's third league.
Modern Era: 2001–Present
After being relegated, the club changed a lot behind the scenes. A new chairman, David Bernstein, helped the club manage its money better. City won promotion back to the second division right away in a dramatic play-off game against Gillingham. They then won promotion again, returning to the top division. However, this was too soon for the club, and in 2001, City were relegated once more.
Kevin Keegan became the new manager. He immediately led the club back to the top division in the 2001–02 season. They broke club records for points and goals scored. The 2002–03 season was the last at Maine Road. It included a great 3–1 win over rivals Manchester United, ending a 13-year wait for a derby victory. City also qualified for European competitions for the first time in 25 years. In 2003, the club moved to their new home, the City of Manchester Stadium.
In 2008, the club was in financial trouble. But then, in August 2008, a group called the Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club. This takeover immediately led to City buying many famous players. They broke the British transfer record by signing Brazilian star Robinho for £32.5 million.
In December 2009, Roberto Mancini became the new manager. City finished fifth in the Premier League, just missing out on a spot in the Champions League.
City continued to invest in players, and their results started to improve. City reached the 2011 FA Cup Final, their first major final in over thirty years. They beat rivals Manchester United in the semi-final. They then defeated Stoke City 1–0 in the final, winning their fifth FA Cup. This was the club's first major trophy since 1976. In the same week, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1968.
The 2011–12 season was amazing! City started strongly, including beating Tottenham 5–1 and Manchester United 6–1 at their own stadium. Although their form dipped, they caught up to United with two games left. On the final day of the season, City needed a home win against a team fighting relegation. They fell behind by a goal as normal time ended. But two goals in injury time, including one almost five minutes after normal time, gave City a dramatic last-minute title victory! It was their first league title in 44 years. This moment is often called the greatest in Premier League history.
The next season, however, didn't go as well. City didn't challenge for the title and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage for the second year in a row. They also lost the FA Cup final 1–0 to Wigan Athletic, who were relegated that season. This loss led to Mancini being replaced by Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini.
In Pellegrini's first season, City won the League Cup and regained the Premier League title on the last day. He also guided City to their highest-ever finish in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals.
In 2016, Pep Guardiola, a very successful coach from Barcelona and Bayern Munich, became Manchester City's new manager. Under Guardiola, City won the 2017–18 Premier League title with the highest points total in history. They also won the League Cup that season. Sergio Agüero became the club's all-time leading goalscorer.
The next season, Guardiola led the club to keep their Premier League and League Cup titles. This was the first time City had successfully defended any title. The team then went on to win the FA Cup final. This meant they won an amazing domestic treble of English men's titles.
In 2020, UEFA tried to ban Manchester City from European competitions for two seasons because of alleged breaches of financial rules. However, the club appealed, and the ban was overturned.
In the COVID-19 affected 2020–21 Premier League season, Manchester City won their title back from Liverpool. They became champions for the third time in four years. They also won the League Cup for a record-equalling fourth time in a row. This was Guardiola's tenth league and cup title, making him the most successful manager in the club's history. The season was also special because City reached their first-ever Champions League final. They lost 1–0 to Chelsea, but it was still their most successful European campaign.
The Blues had another great season in 2021–22, winning their league title again. This made it four titles in five seasons. They had a very close title race with Liverpool. In their last two games, City came from behind to secure the title. They also reached the Champions League semi-finals again, but lost a dramatic series to Real Madrid.
By the end of the 2021–22 season, Manchester City had won four league titles in five seasons under Guardiola. They had developed a strong rivalry with Liverpool. This period also saw the end of Sergio Agüero's career at the club after 10 seasons and 260 goals.
The 2022–23 season was truly historic. Manchester City won their third consecutive Premier League title. They also won the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United. Most importantly, they won their first-ever Champions League title. This meant they achieved a rare feat: the continental treble (winning their league, main domestic cup, and the Champions League in one season). On their way to the Champions League victory, they beat strong teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
The following season ended with a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title. City became the first English club to achieve this amazing feat. They were also close to winning another "double double" but lost 2–1 in the FA Cup final to Manchester United.
See also
- Manchester City F.C. seasons
