THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY
THE OLD KINGS
Manchester City were champions in 1937 and again in 1968 under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, then fell all the way to England's third tier by 1998. Abu Dhabi's takeover in 2008 led to Agüero's 93:20 winner in 2012 and a first title in 44 years.
THE EMPIRE
Pep Guardiola's ten seasons brought 20 trophies, a Treble, the only 100-point season and six league titles, ending with a fourth in a row in 2024, a first for any men's team in English history.
THE GOODBYE
In 2025-26 City finished second and won one last cup, and Pep stepped down. De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri (seven seasons, twelve trophies) all left. Enzo Maresca, once Pep's assistant, came in from Chelsea.
THE QUESTION
The rebuild began with £116m on Elliot Anderson, then a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to the champions. United drifted for 13 years after Ferguson, Arsenal for most of a decade after Wenger. Can an empire survive its emperor? Number 2 in THE COUNTDOWN.
MORE FROM THE COUNTDOWN
THE TERRACES — DISCUSSION
The argument also lives in the YouTube comments ↗.