Manchester City and Chelsea have been shopping in the same market for years now.
Both Premier League giants have been competing for league titles over the last two decades, and in order to achieve this, both have needed the best players around.
The two English giants have gone head-to-head for players such as Enzo Fernandez and Erling Haaland in recent times, but their battle for the world’s biggest stars and local talents goes a long way back.
In 2010, the Manchester club won the race for an English star several Premier League clubs wanted to add to their squads, and now, 15 years later, the player has admitted that he had the option to join Chelsea before making the switch to Man City.
James Milner had the option to join Chelsea over Man City
James Milner moved to the Etihad Stadium from Aston Villa in 2010 as part of a £26m deal, which began a five-year stay in Manchester for the midfielder.
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, the 39-year-old has now admitted that he had the chance to join Chelsea in 2010, but opted to join City as he wanted to bring success to a club that had not won anything for a long time.
“Yeah, I suppose there was probably pressure going there. Going to a team that you wanted to achieve with,” Milner said about his move to Manchester. “And I had the choice of another club who had won a lot of stuff.
“And I chose City because they hadn’t won anything for such a long time. And it was attractive to be part of something that starts a new period of success.
When asked which club he was talking about potentially joining, Milner replied by stating: “It was Chelsea.”
That proved to be a great decision, as Milner went on to win every trophy possible in England with City before leaving for free in 2015.
Milner previously hinted that he enjoyed his time working with Manuel Pellegrini more than Roberto Mancini during his five years in Manchester, but overall, the midfielder will find little to complain about regarding how his career went at the Etihad Stadium.
Players to play for both Man City and Chelsea
Despite his commitment to Man City during his time at the club, fans have jeered Milner during his return trips to the Etihad Stadium in recent years, but that may change, having heard the reasons why the midfielder chose the Manchester side over Chelsea.
The Englishman never played for both clubs, but some incredible names have, with the biggest being Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Lampard, and Raheem Sterling.
More recent names to play for the two English giants include Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcus Bettinelli, who certainly won’t be the last, having made the switch this summer.
