Back in July 2009, as Manchester City began their quest to join English football's elite, one man could not have been more dismissive.
'They are a small club with a small mentality,' said Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United. 'All they can talk about is United. They can't get away from it.'
If Ferguson sounded superior, he had reason. United were the champions of England that year and the gap to City in 10th place was 40 points.
But almost nine years on, it is at last becoming appropriate to speak of City and Ferguson's great United teams if not quite in the same breath, then at least in the same sentence.