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Man City scandal: A by-the-numbers look at how the club was transformed by the Abu Dhabi takeover
A major soccer club faces reputational damage; the organization was found guilty of over one hundred financial charges
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The reputation of Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi ownership has been shredded after the club was found guilty of more than 100 charges of financial wrongdoing in one of the biggest scandals in English soccer history.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought City in 2008 and invested billions of pounds (dollars) to turn the club into a behemoth of European soccer.
Here's a by-the-numbers look at the Abu Dhabi impact on a club that, before the takeover 18 years ago, lived in the shadow of great rival Manchester United:
Worth
$250 million
How much Sheikh Mansour paid to buy Man City.
$5.5 billion
The current value of Man City, according to Forbes . That places City at No. 7 in the list of most valuable soccer clubs, with Real Madrid topping the ranking with a $9.5 billion valuation.
League titles
2
Number of English top-flight titles won by Man City before 2008.
8
Number of English top-flight titles won by Man City since 2008, the most of any club in that period. Its total of 10 is behind only that of Manchester United (20), Liverpool (also 20) and Arsenal (14).
Major trophies
9
The number of major trophies won by Man City before 2008.
22
The number of major trophies won by Man City since 2008 — eight Premier Leagues titles, four FA Cups, seven English League Cups, one Champions League title, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Record transfer
$18.85 million
Most expensive signing by Man City before 2008: Nicolas Anelka (2002).
$169 million
Most expensive signing by Man City since 2008: Enzo Fernandez (2026). Fernandez is fourth on the list of the costliest players of all time, behind Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, according to soccer industry website Transfermarkt .
Europe
1
Number of seasons City had in the European Cup/Champions League before 2008.
16
Number of seasons City has had in the European Cup/Champions League since 2008 (including 2026-27 season). In 2023, City became European champion for the first time.
Revenue
$160 million
Man City's estimated revenue in 2007-08 (according to Deloitte).
$940 million
Man City’s revenue in 2025, according to Deloitte , which placed the team in sixth place in the world’s top revenue-generating clubs that year.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
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