Since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour in 2008, Manchester City have seemingly gone from strength to strength, quickly becoming a superclub.
Constantly bolstering their squad with hundreds of millions available in the transfer market, marketing the club globally and then bringing in Pep Guardiola has all worked wonders.
This season has been yet another triumphant one, and arguably their best yet, achieving an unprecedented domestic treble.
Here’s the story of their 2018/19 campaign.
An efficient transfer window
The season prior to the 2018 summer transfer window, Guardiola’s side had mustered up 100 points in the league, the highest tally by any Premier League club ever – a hard act to follow up.
Despite a phenomenal season, in true modern day City fashion, they straight away looked towards the market and where they could spend to get even better and establish themselves further amongst Europe’s elite.
Riyad Mahrez was the main man for this window, coming in from Leicester City for £61m, adding even more depth to the Citizens flanks.
The only real high-profile departure from this campaign would’ve been a disappointing one for the club to lose, as young academy start Brahim Diaz left to Real Madrid for £15m.
Having already spent hundreds of millions in summers prior, it was clear that only minor adjustments were needed in the blue half of Manchester. Those adjustments were made early into the window in order for Guardiola to work with what he had throughout the whole of pre-season.
Start as they mean to go on
Following an emphatic 3-0 victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield, City travelled to the Emirates on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Throughout Unai Emery’s first game in charge of Arsenal, the Citizens looked dominant, coming out 2-0 victors and showing they mean to carry on in the same way they had left off the season before.
19 points from a possible 21 followed as the table began to show that it was City and Liverpool that are way stronger than anyone else, most likely resulting in a two horse race occurring.
A draw at Anfield in mid-October saw City marginally clear at the top, and almost everyone’s favourite to retain the title again.
Dodgy December
As the months went by and there was hardly any let up by either City or Liverpool, before December struck a huge blow to the Blues’ challenge.
Despite making it through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, back to back defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester City saw the champions at one point slip to 10 points behind Jurgen Klopp’s men, leaving the Merseysiders clear favourites to lift the trophy for the first time.
A late Leroy Sane strike did see City back on track to hunt down Liverpool early in January, as they defeated their title rivals, although all their hard work was undone as defeat away to Newcastle United, again showing the inconsistency of a side that was seemingly beginning to struggle to keep pace.
Champions League heartbreak
After breezing past the group-stages with ease and demolishing Schalke 04 in the Round of 16, many saw Guardiola’s side as firm favourites to lift the Champions League for the first time in the clubs history.
The quarter-final draw, on paper, looked favourable for City again, as they avoided the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Liverpool and came up against Tottenham Hotspur – a club they had previously had plenty of glory against in recent years.
City travelled to Spurs’ new ground and were beaten 1-0, as an electric atmosphere in North London seemed to effect a lacklustre City performance.
The game that was to follow at the Etihad, proved one of the most thrilling in Champions League history.
Both sides fired out of the blocks leading to five goals in the opening 21 minutes – a competition record with City leading 3-2 on the night.
The second-half saw the scoreline end up 4-3, before Sergio Aguero’s last gasp strike seemingly sent City through, raising the roof off of the Etihad, only to be ruled out by VAR – offside. City’s dreams crushed.
More glory
In and around the Champions League heartbreak, City were still fighting on three fronts domestically, not letting their European disappointment effect them.
The end of February saw the Blues retain the Carabao Cup with a dramatic victory on penalties over Chelsea at Wembley.
The champions’ league form was also emphatic in the latter months of the season, as they hunted down and beat Liverpool to the finish line, just about.
City won all of their last 14 to end the Premier League season on 98 points, one clear of Klopp’s men in one of the most dramatic title races of all time between two sensational sides.
This is the first time City have won back to back Premier League titles – another landmark achievement as this new City continues to march on further and further, establishing themselves amongst Europe’s elite.
The season was ended off with yet more silverware with victory in the Emirates FA Cup final over Watford. In true City style, this was an emphatic victory as the Blues demolished the Hornets in a 6-0 drubbing, equalling the record in an FA Cup final.
This is the first time an English club has achieved a domestic treble, giving Guardiola and his men, even more, to boast about.
Raheem Sterling picked up PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year as City looked to take every bit of silverware in sight. Guardiola believed Bernardo Silva should’ve also been awarded for his excellence, having featured as one of City’s standout performers throughout.
This season will arguably go down as one of the best in City's history, as many debate if this is the best side in Premier League history.
Despite all this, the Blues will add to their squad and go again next year. It is clear that the focus will be on European glory, with the Champions League being the only trophy missing in the forever growing cabinet.