The Pep Era

The 2017–18 season announced Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to the world with unprecedented force. Backed by a summer of surgical investment — Ederson, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Danilo — City played football that simply had no precedent in English football. They won the Premier League with a record 100 points, 106 goals, and 32 wins, clinching the title in April with five games to spare. Kevin De Bruyne was at the height of his powers — an all-time great playmaking performance. The Carabao Cup was won 3–0 against Arsenal at Wembley. Only Liverpool, inspired by a relentless Jürgen Klopp, managed to derail the treble bid in the FA Cup semi-final and Champions League quarter-final.

Two signings defined this season. Rúben Dias arrived from Benfica in September and immediately transformed City's defensive fragility — his partnership with John Stones was one of the best centre-back pairings in Europe. Phil Foden, 20 years old, emerged as a generational talent. City recovered from an indifferent autumn to go on a 21-game unbeaten run that clinched the title by a comfortable margin. Ilkay Gündogan's sensational winter form (12 goals between January and March) was a key catalyst. The Champions League final in Porto — City's first ever — was agonisingly lost 1–0 to Chelsea, with Pep notably omitting Fernandinho and Rodri from the starting line-up. The Carabao Cup was won for a fifth consecutive season, beating Tottenham 1–0.

Another Premier League title, clinched in another intense duel with Liverpool that went down to the final week. City won 93 points but needed every one of them. The season's defining narrative, however, was the Champions League semi-final second leg at the Bernabéu — one of the most dramatic nights in the competition's history. City were winning 5–3 on aggregate with 90 minutes played, seemingly cruising to the final. Then Rodrygo struck twice in injury time for Real Madrid — the first a close-range header, the second 90 seconds later — to level the tie, before Benzema completed the comeback with a Panenka penalty in extra time. The devastation at the final whistle was palpable. The FA Cup final was lost to Liverpool 6–5 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Manchester City made history again — becoming the first men's team in the history of English top-flight football to win four consecutive league titles. The feat was achieved on the final day of the season with a 3–1 win over West Ham, in yet another remarkable title battle that went to the wire with Arsenal. Phil Foden was a Ballon d'Or contender, delivering the best individual season of his career. Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in October 2024 — the first Spanish player to do so since Luis Suárez in 1960. The Champions League was undone once more by Real Madrid in a penalty shootout following a gripping 4–4 aggregate draw in the quarter-finals. The FA Cup final was lost 2–1 to Manchester United. The Carabao Cup saw an early exit.