As Manchester City bask in the glory of having won the treble in the 2022/2023 season, we decided to rank their five best performers from a campaign where they well and truly achieved footballing immortality.
5. Manchester City defender Nathan Ake was a no-brainer in this top five
According to Phil Foden, the Dutch defender was the Sky Blues’ ‘Player of the Season’, which pinpoints how influential he was to his side’s incredible success.
While that may be a bit of a stretch, Nathan Ake is certainly in the conversation, as his adaptation to left-back right after the World Cup was a sight to behold.
As Pep Guardiola focused on deploying a back four packed with old-school, impregnable defenders, the 28-year-old exemplified this very tactical sentiment, keeping some of the best wingers in the world quiet such as Kingsley Coman and Bukayo Saka.
Ultimately, while City did not quite look at their brilliant best right after their players returned from Qatar, Ake, alongside Grealish led his side’s revival and that too, out of position whilst playing arguably the best football of his career.
4. John Stones mastered one of the most complex roles in football history
Conor Coady went as far as to text John Stones saying, “you’re reinventing the game”, after Manchester City beat Chelsea to become Premier League champions last season.
Top fellow professionals themselves cannot quite grasp the concept of a centre-back dovetailing between either his natural position or from right-back into central midfield and running the show.
It is not only as if Stones was merely inverting into midfield, as his job was to find pockets of space in every phase of the pitch and wreak havoc, whether that be through breaking the lines, finding runners or carrying the ball past opposition pressers.
The numbers certainly do not lie, as Opta Joe had revealed that the last players to have completed more dribbles than the Englishman in a Champions League final was Lionel Messi (6) in 2015 (10 against Juventus).
John Stones was tasked to perform a number of offensive roles, whilst still providing defensive security in the middle of the park alongside Rodri in possession in case of an opposition break and joining City’s back four to defend at either right-back or centre-back.
Not many defenders in the history of the game have performed a role quite as complex as Stones’ last season, which merits celebrating.
3. Kevin De Bruyne continues to cement his status as one of the greatest midfielders of all time
For Kevin De Bruyne to have produced 10 goals in 31 assists across all competitions and yet be deemed correct if he believes that the previous term does not rank in the three best campaigns of his career is a testament to the level he has operated at for almost a decade now.
However, that is the Belgian playmaker for you in a nutshell, who continues to remind the world that they are indeed witnessing greatness every time he steps onto the pitch.
In a Manchester City side that featured a pair of ball retentive wingers and perhaps struggled to adapt to Erling Haaland’s style of play for half a season, the 32-year-old was a one-man creative machine for one of the greatest teams in the history of the game.
And that too, without breaking a sweat.
Much like several City players last term, De Bruyne had his lows, especially right after his return from Qatar.
But time and again, the five-time Premier League winner delivers when the lights are the brightest; be it his masterful pair of displays against title rivals Arsenal, the piledriver of an equaliser against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu or his brace of assists in the second leg.
And that too, despite nursing a hamstring injury during the business end of the campaign.
At this point, as clichéd as it sounds, what more can one say about Kevin De Bruyne’s inevitable genius?
2. Manchester City midfielder Rodri would have been No.1 in any other season
If not for a certain Norwegian striker, Rodri would have been sitting pretty at the top of this list.
Once again, the Manchester City lynchpin solidified his status as the best defensive midfielder in world football.
All one can do is marvel at the sheer completeness of his game, as the 26-year-old’s defensive intelligence, range of passing, ability to dictate the tempo of games and ball-carrying ability makes him one of the most well-rounded outright midfielders on the planet.
While every other player on this list either suffered a dip in form or unfortunate injuries, the ever-present Rodri was flawless from the season opener.
And to cap it off, the Spanish international proved that he is born for the biggest occasions, as exemplified by his screamers against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Rodri is Manchester City’s unsung protagonist and is operating at a standard that would guarantee that he would be universally classed as an all-time great by the time he hangs up his boots.
1. Erling Haaland was not just the best player at Manchester City but also the best player in the world
Aesthetics, or a lack thereof and a complete disregard for meritocracy over natural ability would perhaps put any sceptic off by the idea that Erling Haaland is the best player in the world currently.
At 22 years of age, the Manchester City striker scored a staggering 52 goals in 53 games, putting a whole host of legendary No.9’s to shame in his debut season in English football.
Regardless of when the Sky Blues looked like a dishevelled during the first half of the season to when they unlocked the most invincible version of themselves, the youngster continued to do what he does best: put the ball into the back of the net.
Forget naming a player that had as incredible a season as Haaland; how many footballers in the history of the game have operated at such a level?
Not many, as Erling Haaland did more than what was on the tin; shatter goalscoring records in the Premier League, spearhead Manchester City to a much-awaited Champions League win and emerge as the main contributor in his side winning the treble.
