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#3 Georgi Kinkladze
In 1995, Manchester City signed a relatively unknown Georgi Kinkladze from Dinamo Tbilisi for a £2 million fee. He went on to become a prodigious footballer and one of the few bright spots during City's fall to the English third division in the late nineties.
The Georgia native was a mercurial talent with a razor-sharp ability to glide past players. The man the fans called "Kinky" had a natural talent to glue the ball to his feet and make mesmerizing runs with his left foot, like a modern-day Dimitri Payet or Adel Taarabt.
Kinkladze was a beloved and celebrated fan favorite and a stand-out player during a poor era for Manchester City. His adoration was backed by two consecutive Player of the Year awards in his 119 appearances for the club.
#2 Bert Trautmann
German goalkeeper Bert Trautmann is the unlikeliest of cult heroes for any English club. He arrived on British shores as a German prisoner of war after the second World War, having served as a Nazi Paratrooper. Having turned down repatriation following his release in 1948, he settled in Lancashire as a farmer and played as a goalkeeper for St Helens Town.
His performances for the non-league team saw Manchester City take a gamble on him in the first division of English football. Despite initial anti-German sentiment, his performances and heroics soon won the fans over.
Trautmann went on to spend 15 years at the club as a bonafide legend, with 508 appearances. The most memorable of those came in the 1956 FA Cup final. Playing with a broken neck, he helped Manchester City secure a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City.
#1 Colin Bell
Colin Bell was a Manchester City superstar throughout the late sixties and early seventies. The creative midfielder formed a deadly trio with Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee, scoring an outstanding 117 goals in 394 professional appearances. That's a ratio of almost one goal in three games, for a midfielder!
At the peak of his prowess, the club enjoyed its most successful era ever. They won both the first and second division league titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners cup.
The midfield maestro was nicknamed "Nijinsky" after a famous racehorse, due to his athletic ability and stamina. He was also known as the "King of the Kippax", referring to Maine Road's Kippax Street terraced stand.
Bell was at Manchester City for 13 years, from 1966-1979. For his personal contribution to City's original heyday, he is widely regarded as one of their greatest midfielders, up there with Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.
