It’s been one of the most remarkable stories in modern football. On September 1, 2008, Manchester City were taken over by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), changing the face of the club—and the English game—forever.
Between 1996 and 2003, City were a club stumbling between divisions, with a series of relegations and promotions defining the period. But in 2007, real hope arrived in the shape of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who acquired a 75 per cent stake in the club for £81.6 million and installed former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager.