Manchester City is currently one of the best teams in the world. Over the years, they have won many titles, including multiple Premier League titles, League cup and FA Cup triumphs. Manchester City players have been at the heart of the club’s success.
City has assembled a squad comprising elite talent from various continents. The players bring world-class skills and unmatched determination to the team. This has vastly contributed to them becoming one of the best in the world. QNET has been cheering for our favourite club and its amazing players! But do we know all the players from the squad?
In this article, we’ll be learning about all the players from the Manchester City line-up in the 2021/2022 season. These players have been phenomenal over the course of the campaign and have put City in a prime position to lift the Premier League title for the second year in the running. They are also well placed to progress in cup competitions, including the Champions League and FA Cup.
QNET Reviews Manchester City line-up from the 2021/22 season
Manchester City are experiencing one of their best campaigns, breaking multiple club records. In 2021, they registered 36 wins out of their 44 games with a win percentage of 75%. Over the course of these 44 games, City averaged 65.25% in terms of possession. That’s almost two-thirds, which is the most in the league.
In addition, they broke the record for the most number of goals in a calendar year. Defensively they only conceded 32 goals during the entire year with 24 clean sheets, which is again the best in the league.
It is no surprise that City players have won individual honours for their contributions in the 2020/21 campaign. We are also cheering for them to win more laurels in the current campaign. City players are indeed marvellous! Here is the entire Manchester City line-up from the 2021/22 season.
Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers are an extremely important part of a team. They make crucial saves to ensure that the team doesn’t concede goals and further retain clean sheets. Man City have some of the best goalkeepers in the world. Here are City’s finest keepers who have played a huge part in ensuring their resolute defensive record –
1) Ederson
Ederson has been Manchester City’s first-choice goalkeeper since his arrival in 2017. The Brazilian goalkeeper came with a huge potential to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He has certainly lived up to the expectations with match-winning performances between the sticks.
Ederson has played an important part in City’s title-winning campaigns recording 16 clean sheets in his first campaign. In his second campaign, he kept 20 clean sheets earning him a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
In the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, he won back-to-back Golden Glove awards for keeping the most number of clean sheets. Ederson has become an integral part of Pep’s team with great shot-stopping and distribution ability. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world as he continues to perform at the highest level.
2) Zack Steffan
Zack Steffan is the second goalkeeper for Manchester City. The American has been vastly impressive for the club since he arrived from the American side Columbus Crew SC in 2019. In his first season with the club, Steffan made 12 appearances, including the Carabao Cup final against Tottenham.
Steffan’s impressive performances with the club have firmly established him as the first-choice goalkeeper for his national side. He also provides the necessary backup for City and could prove to be an important member in the upcoming matches.
Scott Carsen and Arijanet Muric further provide great goalkeeping alternatives for the club. City has one of the best defensive records in the league. However, it certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the defenders. The defensive unit is up next on the list!
Defenders
Great defences win titles. A solid defensive unit has been common in most title-winning sides. City has posted great defensive numbers over the years. In the 2021/22 campaign, they have conceded just 14 goals in 25 league games.
Here are some of the best defenders in the world under the City ranks –
3) Kyle Walker
The England international has been one of City’s best acquisitions in recent years. Arriving for Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, he has made 150 appearances for City. Starting on the right side of the defence, he has a versatile playing style. He can play at right centre-back, right back and right wing-back positions.
He is extremely fast and a very strong athlete. Getting past him has usually proven to be very difficult for most attackers. Besides being solid at the back, Walker is good at crossing the ball and chipping in with important assists. He has also scored important goals with his lethal right foot.
Walker has been an epitome of consistency and has always been available for City in their defensive unit. He is certainly one of the main defenders as he continues to shine for City in their backline.
4) Ruben Dias
Ruben Dias is a Portuguese International who joined City from Seville at the start of the 2020/21 campaign. Coming in with a huge reputation, he slotted in perfectly at the heart of City’s defence. He is tactically astute, strong in the air and has a winning mentality. His qualities have vastly helped City in the previous campaign.
In his first campaign at City, Dias helped the club win the Premier League title as well as the League Cup to complete a league double. He was awarded the Premier League Defender of the Year and the Champions League Defender of the Year awards. City continues to rely on him to lead the backline and maintain more clean sheets.
5) John Stones
John Stones is an English Defender who joined City from Everton in 2016. He is an intelligent ball-playing defender who can neutralise opposition’s attacks and launch City with his long-range passing ability.
In his first season, he was solid at the back, making 41 appearances for the Cityzens. The 2017 and 2018 campaigns were challenging, as injuries hampered him. However, he continued to show up for City when called for and provided protection at the back.
The 2020/21 season saw his resurgence as he formed a formidable partnership with Dias. They allowed just 32 goals in the entire campaign. In the current campaign, he is again proving to be an important part of the backline ensuring that City is secure at the back.
6) Nathan Ake
Nathan Ake arrived from Bournemouth in the summer of 2020. He is a Dutch defender who had proved his defensive abilities as a youth player in Chelsea and then in Bournemouth. City secured his services on a 5-year deal. Ake is a versatile player with an ability to play at centre-back, left-back as well as a holding midfielder.
Ake has made only 13 appearances for City, mostly due to injuries. But he has shown great promise whenever he has taken to the field and could prove pivotal in providing necessary defensive cover in a busy fixture schedule.
7) Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte is a Spanish defender who arrived from Athletic Bilbao mid-way through the 2017/18 campaign. He fit straight away at the centre of the City backline providing them with resolute performances. He was instrumental in ensuring City lifting the title at the end of the campaign.
His second campaign was nothing short of brilliant as he made 52 appearances in all competitions. He was at the heart of helping City win the Community Shield, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. He was indispensable at the back for City in that campaign. However, Laporte was hampered by injuries in the following campaign, and City missed his dynamic presence at the back.
However, in the current campaign, he seems to be back in form and has been pivotal in helping City secure multiple wins in recent times.
8) Jaoa Cancelo
Jaoa Cancelo is the perfect example of a modern-day full-back. Cancelo has been significantly influential in City’s current campaign playing as an inverted full-back. He has been scoring important goals and, more importantly, regularly providing assists.
Cancelo is a Portuguese defender who arrived from Juventus in 2019. He had already established himself as one of the best full-backs in the world. But at City, he stepped up his game. He is known for his athleticism and ability to provide perfect crosses from wide areas. With him playing on the right or the left, City looks secure while posing an attacking threat.
In the previous campaign, he was used as a right-back, left-back, and wing-back. He proved his mettle in all these positions. On the whole, he is highly effective and is slowly proving to be one of City’s finest players.
9) Oleksandr Zinchenko
Zinchenko is one of City’s most promising players, rising from their youth academy. He first started as an attacking midfielder. However, he adapted to become a full-back, providing cover for other City full-backs.
In the 2018/19 season, he featured more under Pep and made the left-back position his own. His standout performance came against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. In the 2020/21 season, he made 32 appearances, including one in the Champions League final. Overall, his neat passing and defensive cover make him a valuable part of the City backline.
Midfielders
Manchester City has had some of the best midfielders playing for the club. They have had players like David Silva, Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry and many others who have carried the club forward. The current set of midfielders take inspiration from players from the past in taking City forward to greater heights.
10) Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan arrived as a well-established midfielder during his time at Dortmund. Gundogan was the perfect acquisition in 2016 with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, forming the perfect combination in midfield.
However, the first couple of seasons were challenging as he had a serious knee injury which would rule him out for the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign. However, Gundogan returned in 2018 and redeemed himself. He was a vital cog in the City campaign, helping them win the Premier League title.
Perhaps his best campaign in a City shirt came in the 2021/22 campaign, where he was scoring in every other game. He finished the campaign as City’s top scorer with 17 goals. In the current campaign, he is again stepping up for the club with match-winning performances. Gundogan is certainly an indispensable part of the team.
11) Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish is an English international who joined from Aston Villa in the 2021 summer. He has proven himself as one of the most sought-after midfielders in the world of football. He was instrumental with Villa in leading them from the front in the previous campaigns.
Grealish arrived in Manchester City as their biggest signing ever, and the prospect of him lining up next to De Bruyne was an exciting prospect. He kicked off his City career in style, scoring and assisting in back-to-back 5-0 wins against Norwich City and Arsenal. Since then, he has been instrumental in important games, helping them with his magical dribbling skills, silky touch and ability to charge at defenders.
However, his best is yet to come, as this is just his first season. In the upcoming games, he will be looking to make his mark and help City win more titles by scoring important goals and assists.
12) Rodrigo
Rodrigo, a.k.a Rodri, has been one of City’s finest acquisitions. The Spanish midfielder arrived in 2019. He arrived as an exciting prospect and has firmly established himself as one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in the world.
“Rodri has proven himself to be a hugely talented, young midfielder, who has all the attributes we are looking for. He works hard defensively, makes himself available to receive the ball and uses it well when in possession”, said Txiki Begiristain, City’s Director of Football, on acquiring him from Atletico Madrid.
Rodri has a great ability to read the game and distribute the ball to relieve pressure. In recent games, he has also proved to have an eye for the goal. His second season saw him play virtually in every game raking up 53 appearances in all competitions. He is vastly talented and influential in the mid-field, and City will look to him for the defensive cover in the upcoming games.
13) Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne is nothing short of a modern-day legend. His brilliant performances have made him one of the best in the world. The Belgium magician is perhaps one of the most complete attacking midfielders in the world.
De Bruyne can shoot with both left and right foot. He has one of the best techniques in the world for shooting. Another skill in his armour is his ability to pick the perfect pass. Since his arrival, he has had the highest number of assists for the club. In the past couple of seasons, he has been leading the team along with Fernandinho. He was central in helping them win major honours, including Premier League and League Cup in the previous campaign.
He has also picked up individual honours, including the PFA Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season in 2021. Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world, and City will look to him for inspiration in the upcoming matches.
14) Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva is a Portuguese midfielder who arrived from Monaco in 2017. He is known for his sublime dribbling ability, close control and tenacious passing. His first season was a great success, with him scoring 9 goals and providing 11 assists to help City win the Premier League as well as the League Cup.
Silva’s second season was perhaps his best in a City shirt. He helped City win all domestic titles scoring 13 goals and 14 assists in 51 appearances. He ended the campaign as the Club’s Player of the Season. The Portuguese is again proving to be vastly influential for City this season and could well be the main player in leading City to the title.
15) Fernandinho
Fernandinho is the longest-serving City player. He arrived in City from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013. In the 9 seasons at the heart of City’s midfield, he made over 350 appearances, winning multiple trophies. In the 2020/21 season, he was promoted as the captain of the squad.
Over the years, Fernandinho has been pivotal for City. His tireless ability to run around the mid-field and neutralise attacks with crunching tackles and fearless attitude has made him one of the best in the world. In addition, he has chipped in with important goals helping City claim major titles. Fernandinho is a major part of City’s legacy, and he is crucial for City’s success in the current campaign.
16) Phil Foden
Phil Foden is one of the most exciting attacking prospects in the world. He rose through the City academy to earn a place in the squad. The young Englishman has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, establishing himself as a regular at City.
In the 2018/19 campaign, he recorded 7 goals in 26 appearances. In the 2020/21 campaign, he imposed himself in the club, making 50 appearances and scoring important goals and assists. His stellar performances at the club won him the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the previous season.
This season, Foden has taken his game up by a notch, proving to be a great attacking threat for the club. He is the club’s most promising player, with the potential to become one of the best in the world.
17) Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer is a young English attacking midfielder who came up the ranks of the City academy. He is yet another exciting prospect who brings attacking flair with his ability to impose himself on the opposition.
After impressing at the U-18 level, he was called to train with the first team. He made his first-team debut against Burnley on 30 September 2020 in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Palmer has been growing and learning from the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Sterling and is on course to become an important player for City in the coming seasons.
Attackers
18) Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling is an English attacking winger who made a switch from Liverpool in the summer of 2015. Since then, he has been one of the leading lights for City and scoring on multiple occasions. This includes last-minute winners to help City gain crucial points.
Sterling was hailed as one of the most promising talents when he arrived at City. And he hasn’t let the club down with scintillating performances against formidable opponents. His ability to glide with the ball and score from within the box have made him one of the best wingers in the world.
Overall, Sterling has made 309 appearances scoring 103 times and providing 52 assists. The 2019/20 season was his best in terms of goals, scoring a whopping 31 times in all competitions and 20 times in the Premier League. Sterling has truly developed to become a remarkable player for City, one that continues to shine on the field.
19) Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is a Brazilian international who arrived from Palmeiras in 2016. It didn’t take him long to make an impact. He announced his arrival at the grand stage scoring three goals in his first four games. The 2019/20 season was his best campaign, scoring 23 times in 53 games as he looked to provide cover for City in Aguero’s absence.
He has long been touted to be Aguero’s successor. However, filling a club legend’s boots is not easy. Jesus has stepped up on multiple occasions, helping City win crucial games. City will be looking for Jesus to continue performing at his best and take them forward to win more trophies this season.
20) Riyadh Mahrez
Riyadh Mahrez has been one of the best wingers in the world for the past few years. The Algerian international is known for his sublime trickery with the ball, darting runs on the right-wing and scoring belters with his magical left foot.
Mahrez moved from Leicester City to Manchester City in 2018. In the 2015/16 season, he helped Leicester City win the Premier League. After arriving at City, he has won the Premier League three more times and is on course to help the club retain the title again this year.
The talented attacker has made over 100 appearances for City, scoring important goals. In the current season, he has scored 7 goals and 4 assists in 18 appearances. Mahrez is certainly one of City’s finest players and will be pivotal in the club’s attempt to retain the title.
QNET reviews Man City transfers in the Winter Transfer Window 2022
Manchester City has always made shrewd acquisitions in the transfer market. In the summer of 2021, they brought in one of the biggest talents in England. Jack Grealish was a great addition to the team. He has been scoring in important fixtures and impressing Cityzens with great performances.
In the winter window, City acquired the services of Julian Alvarez. He signed a 5-and-a-half-year deal arriving from River Plate on the deadline day. “Julián is a player we have monitored for some time,” Begiristain said. “He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles, and we firmly believe he’s one of the best young attacking players in South America.
“I am so happy we have managed to bring him to Manchester City. I really believe we can provide him with the right conditions to fulfil his potential and become a top player”, said City’s Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain.
Alvarez is certainly one for the future and could prove to be a highly influential player in the upcoming years.
QNET is backing Manchester City players!
QNET is thrilled to support Manchester City players. Over the years, the players have provided us with memorable moments. They have played with grit and determination to help the club win multiple trophies. The current squad of players have been impressing us with their amazing performances this season. They have effectively put the club in a position to add to their success. Manchester City are on course to lift the Premier League title again and have also qualified for the round of 16 in the Champions League.
We hope this article has helped all the Cityzens learn about the Manchester City squad. Now that we know all about our favourite players, let’s cheer them all the way for more glory!
