Manchester City Football Club traces its origins to St. Mark's (West Gorton), a church team founded in 1880 in the working-class east of Manchester to combat gang violence and poverty. After several name changes the club became Manchester City in 1894 and adopted the sky-blue colours that have defined it ever since. City played at Maine Road from 1923 until 2003, when the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium (now known as the Etihad Stadium), originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Most of City's pre-2008 history was spent overshadowed by Manchester United. The club won two First Division titles in 1936-37 and 1967-68, the latter under the legendary partnership of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, who also led City to FA Cup, League Cup and 1969-70 Cup Winners' Cup glory. Decades of yo-yo seasons between divisions followed, including a remarkable third-tier appearance in 1998-99. The Sheikh Mansour takeover in 2008 transformed the club's trajectory entirely, with Abu Dhabi's investment turning City into one of football's wealthiest enterprises.
The Pep Guardiola era (2016-present) has been the most decorated in Manchester City's history. Under the Catalan coach, City have won six Premier League titles (including a historic four in a row from 2020-21 through 2023-24, an English record), the 2022-23 Treble (PL + FA Cup + Champions League — only the second English club ever to win it), the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2023 UEFA Super Cup. Stars including Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Agüero, Erling Haaland, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Yaya Touré, Phil Foden and Rodri have defined the era — Rodri's 2024 Ballon d'Or marked City's first individual world honour. The Manchester Derby against United and the broader Premier League rivalries with Liverpool and Arsenal are the modern era's defining fixtures.