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Before the early 2010s, Manchester City would never have made it to the list of any player's dream club. The Sky Blues have spent a majority of their existence under the shadow of arch-rivals Manchester United. Things took a positive turn for the Cityzens following investments from the Middle East.
The club slowly started climbing ladders of success, with the addition of Sergio Aguero proving to be the catalyst. Appointing Pep Guardiola as the head coach changed the course of not just the club but the whole league.
Manchester City enters the competition as clear favorites each year and have secured five Premier League titles in the past decade. Many players express their desire to join City. However, there were also a few players that the club missed out on.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five such players.
#5 Dimitar Berbatov
Transfer deadline days are always interesting. The 2008 transfer deadline day has to be one of the craziest in the modern era. The year also marked the entry of the Abu Dhabi consortium into the EPL.
This meant, Manchester City belonged to the 'big bucks club' overnight. The same created headlines which indicated that Spurs superstar Dimitar Berbatov's transfer to Old Trafford has been hijacked by Manchester City.
The Bulgarian international was linked with Manchester United all along and it was City's plot to steal Berbatov right from under the noses of their rivals. However, the smoke settled when the Bulgarian expressed his desire to join United by rejecting City's lucrative offer.
#4 Samuel Eto'o
In his last season at Camp Nou, Samuel Eto'o scaled new heights after hitting 30 goals in 34 league appearances. Manchester City, who were on the lookout to bolster their squad, laid out a luxurious deal on the table for the Cameroonian and Barcelona.
The idea was to pair Eto'o alongside new arrivals Roque Santa Cruz, Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott. However, a lack of Champions League football meant City had to sweat a little extra if they had to bring some big names home.
The former Barcelona man, in his own words, later revealed that he had almost signed for a 'certain English club' but then accepted Jose Mourinho's offer. The entire saga took place in 2011.
#3 Kaka
Manchester City did not shy away from flexing the size of its purse after being taken over by the Abu Dhabi consortium. At one point, however, the Sky Blues did not have much to offer apart from fat paychecks.
It didn't always work as some players also considered factors like the club's legacy, their chances of winning the title and their long-term future before solidifying the move. In 2009, City could not boast of any of these.
At the time, Inter Milan's Ricardo Kaka was nearing the end of his illustrious AC Milan career. The Ballon d'Or winner was wanted by all the top clubs in Europe and Manchester City missed out on having him at the Etihad.
Kaka was offered a stunning £500,000/week contract and seemed convinced of City's future plans. However, the Brazilian rejected the money to join up with Real Madrid.
#2 Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs is considered by many to be the poster boy for club loyalty. His long stint at Old Trafford has made the Welsh international symbolic with the name — Manchester United. While it is nearly impossible to picture Giggs in any other jersey, he could have donned a Sky Blue kit at one point.
Though it sounds bizarre, Giggs' Manchester City move almost happened when he was a 14-year-old. Manchester City scout Dennis Schofield spotted the talented boy and recommended him to the club. Giggs started training with the youth team and soon played for them in a weekend tournament.
The talented youngster grabbed eyeballs and couldn't be missed by Manchester United's scouts. The Manchester City scouts were confident about having Ryan Giggs with them in the longer run. Nevertheless, as a present for his 14th birthday, Giggs received Sir Alex Ferguson and his team at home. Giggs confirmed his loyalty to the Red Devils that day.
#1 Harry Kane
Harry Kane is infamous for scoring the most number of goals without securing a title. Many have accused Kane of wasting his talent by staying put in London. With the amount of talent he has, Kane should have had numerous trophies under his belt already.
The Englishman was close to leaving Spurs on a couple of occasions but was never as much as ahead of the 2021-22 season. Pep Guardiola identified Harry Kane as the ideal man to replace their lethal striker Aguero.
The England captain considered the offer but remained at Spurs out of loyalty. City would go on to sign Jack Grealish that summer. Meanwhile, Kane has continued his trophyless run at Tottenham this season.
