6 world-class players who dramatically declined after leaving Man City
Manchester City are widely considered to be one of world football’s most successful clubs – and plenty of big-name players have suffered dramatic declines after leaving the club.
The Premier League giants have been lucky enough to field some of the greatest players in football history, as well as several generational talents who never recovered after leaving the Etihad.
We’ve identified six players who were considered world-class on their day at City but dramatically declined after leaving.
Raheem Sterling
Even three years after leaving City, only Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero have scored more goals under Pep Guardiola than the 121 strikes Sterling managed.
It’s often forgotten how effective the forward was at his peak, proving himself to be a nightmare for domestic and continental defences alongside his exploits for England.
Looking back on his £47.5million move to Chelsea, City definitely made the correct decision to cash in when they did.
While Sterling still offers a decent threat going forward, he’s not been able to score double figures in the league since leaving Manchester behind.
He’s currently spending the 2024-25 season proving ineffective during fleeting appearances for Arsenal.
Joao Cancelo
It still feels like only yesterday that Cancelo was widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League, if not all of Europe.
One falling out with Pep Guardiola and two high-profile loans away to Barcelona and Bayern Munich later and he’s turning out for Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal.
Cancelo does at least continue to receive call-ups to represent Portugal alongside Ronaldo, but you’d never have expected this fall from grace when he was starring in the first two titles of City’s four-in-a-row dynasty.
Robinho
This one seemed like a seismic moment at the time.
Sure, Robinho didn’t live up to expectations in the end, but the fact that City had got the deal done in the first place showcased that they now meant business after their Sheikh Mansour takeover.
City forked out £32.5million for the Brazilian in 2008, but he only stuck around in England for 18 months before seeking a move elsewhere.
His career never hit the heights expected of him and Robinho is now in prison. A grim story.
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Mario Balotelli
Balotelli made the move to the Etihad on his 20th birthday and left after just two-and-a-half seasons, but Mario Balotelli’s time with City remains the most famous stretch of his career.
After scoring with his shoulder, rolling in many ice-cool penalties and laying on the assist for that Aguero goal, it is easy to see why.
But couple that talent and audacity with a horrendous disciplinary record and you also have the perfect recipe for a sour ending.
In December 2012, as his time in Manchester was starting to wind down, he decided to take City to a tribunal after he was fined two weeks’ wages for that exact ill-discipline.
Balotelli left for Milan shortly afterwards and has spent the rest of his career club-hopping across the continent.
QUIZ: Can you name all 11 clubs Mario Balotelli has played for in his career?
Pablo Zabaleta
After spending one year working under Pep Guardiola, Zabaleta made the switch to West Ham in 2017 upon his contract with City expiring.
The full-back was a beloved member of the City squad and made 333 appearances for the club in his nine years in Manchester.
Zabaleta spent three years with the Hammers and after doing some punditry work, the 39-year-old has since gone into coaching.
His departure cleared the way for Kyle Walker to arrive from Tottenham and win six Premier League titles, but Zabaleta was still one of the best full-backs of his era.
Joe Hart
From the off, it was clear that Guardiola didn’t rate Hart despite his status as England’s number one and having won the Premier League twice with City.
Wanting to implement his tiki-taka style of play, the new boss quickly disregarded Hart as the Spaniard signed Claudio Bravo during his debut season at the club.
Following a couple of loan spells with Torino and West Ham, the goalkeeper was eventually sold to Burnley in 2018 for a fee of around £3.5million.
After enjoying a qualified late-career revival with Celtic, Hart retired at the end of last season with 780 appearances under his belt.
The Englishman can be proud of his career, but his reputation never recovered from Guardiola’s decision in the summer of 2016.