Manchester City's 2025 FA Cup final appearance against Crystal Palace was somewhat expected. Under Pep Guardiola, the Blues have become the dominant force in English football. Throughout the iconic Spaniard's tenure, the Etihad outfit has won six Premier League titles, six more domestic cups, and the 2023 UEFA Champions League, and there could be more to follow this summer.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is just around the corner, and City will head to the United States as one of the favorites with online betting sites to go all the way. The latest odds from the popular Bovada site currently make Guardiola's men a 9/2 joint favorite to leave MetLife Stadium on July 13th as world champions. But once upon a time, playing in the Club World Cup was a distant dream.
Sheikh Mansour Ushers in a New Era
On August 31st, 2008, the trajectory of Manchester City was transformed forever when they were purchased by the Sheik Mansour-led Abu Dhabi United Group. The new owners immediately made a statement of intent when they signed Brazilian striker Robinho from Real Madrid within hours of taking charge of the club. Over the next couple of years, the new owners forked out an absolute fortune on new players, but success didn't come instantly.
Initially, Mark Hughes was the man chosen to lead City into the future, but it was clear that the former Blackburn Rovers boss was somewhat out of his depth. He was sacked in December 2009 and replaced with former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini, and it was the Italian who led the Blues to prosperous new heights. Superstars such as David Silva, Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, and the maverick Mario Balotelli all arrived in the summer of 2010, but the club remained trophyless.
Heading into that season, the Cityzens were without a single piece of silverware since a League Cup triumph in 1976. The club's owners let Mancini know in no uncertain terms that he had to change quickly, and the Italian duly set about the task at hand.
The Beginning of the Golden Era
After missing out on Champions League qualification by just three points the season prior due to a home defeat to Harry Redknapp's Spurs in the penultimate game of the season, the pressure was on Mancini to deliver significant improvement in 2010/11. With his star-studded squad assembled, City began its ascent.
Solid performances in the Premier League secured a third-place finish and Champions League qualification, but that didn't bring a trophy that the club's loyal supporters so desperately desired. Neither did the League Cup and the Europa League, with disappointing early exits at the hands of West Bromwich Albion and Dynamo Kyiv, respectively, ramping up the pressure. Luckily for the Blues, the FA Cup would bring plenty of solace.
FA Cup Run for the Ages
Despite their vast array of talent, Manchester City needed replays to make it past lower league opposition in the FA Cup third and fourth rounds. Second-tier Leicester City and third-tier Notts County both secured draws on home turf before being downed in their respective replays at the Etihad. But after that, the Blues never looked back.
Goals from Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli, and David Silva secured a comfortable 3-0 fifth-round victory against Aston Villa, before a late goal from Micah Richards in the quarterfinal at home to Reading set up a meeting with archrivals Manchester United at Wembley in the semifinals.
The Finals
At the time, the Red Devils were the dominant force in English football. Sir Alex Ferguson famously referred to the Blues as his side's "noisy neighbours," and it was clear that the Scottish boss didn't truly fear his cross-city rivals. The anticipation for the semifinal was arguably bigger than any Manchester City match in recent history, with much of the build-up suggesting that victory would trigger a breakout in which the Blues became major players in English football. In the end, that rhetoric couldn't have been more accurate.
Blues supporters headed to Wembley hopeful that they could see their side pick up the victory, but United remained dominant. They were well on course to win the Premier League that term, and with a Champions League final against Barcelona looming on the horizon, victory in the FA Cup could put them on the brink of a historic treble. Their rivals weren't about to let that happen.
City midfield dynamo Toure scored the only goal of the game, rattling home a 52nd-minute winner in an ill-tempered affair. After the game, mischief master Mario Balotelli was riling up the likes of Rio Ferdinand, much to the delight of the City faithful. But the job still wasn't done.
The Blues met Stoke City in the final and were huge favorites to secure their first piece of silverware in 35 years. Tony Pulis' Potters, though, were defensively resolute, and Mancini's men had a hard time breaking them down. After hammering at the door time and time again, City eventually found their breakthrough, and it was Toure who netted once again. His 74th-minute strike was the game's only goal, and that was enough to secure the victory and the FA Cup for just the fifth time in the club's history and the first time since 1969.