Top 10 players with most appearances in Manchester City history
Bernardo Silva becomes the latest player to join the top 10 list of players.
Bernardo Silva became the latest player to join the list of legends with the most appearances for Manchester City. The midfielder made his 437th appearance against Manchester United despite their defeat. The Portuguese player etched his name in the history books of the club.
This is certainly a big achievement for the player who has been at the club in their ups and downs. With this, we take a look at players with the most appearances for Manchester City.
Players with the most appearances for Manchester City
10. Bernardo Silva: 437 games
In a Premier League match against Manchester United, Bernardo Silva made his 437th appearance for Manchester City. With that total, he surpasses Willie Donachie and David Silva, who both made 436 appearances for the Blues.
As the current club captain, Bernardo has played a pivotal role in Pep Guardiola’s remarkable period of English football dominance. Only David Silva has ever appeared for City more in the Premier League; the Spaniard has made 309 appearances overall, 21 more than his Portuguese counterpart, Bernardo.
9. Paul Power: 445 games
Paul Power, who was born on October 30, 1953, in Openshaw, Manchester, joined Manchester City as an amateur in 1973. He signed a professional contract in 1975 after earning a law degree. In 1979, Power was appointed captain of City until his departure.
Despite spending the majority of his time at City as a left wing-back, he was a dynamic midfield player. Paul’s tenacity and enthusiasm for the team he loved were never questioned by supporters. He is recognised for one very significant accomplishment: being one of the players with the most appearances for City.
8. Mike Summerbee: 452 games
Perhaps one of Joe Mercer’s better choices as Manchester City manager before the 1965–66 season was to sign Mike Summerbee as his first acquisition. The Cheltenham-born winger’s salary increased from £35 to £40 after he joined from Swindon Town for just £31,000!
During his debut season at Maine Road, Summerbee was an immediate hit with the City supporters and fit right in with a team that was set for promotion from the Second Division.
7. Tommy Booth: 491 games
Tommy signed amateur contracts with Manchester City in 1965 to start his football career. After turning pro in 1967, he debuted in October 1968, replacing George Heslop in the No. 5 shirt. One victory in the first nine games was a bad return for such a quality team, and City’s defence had been unimpressive as they tried to retain their crown.
But Joe Mercer decided to keep the youthful Booth on the side because of his excellent debut performance. Booth’s career was devoted to City; he was courageous, devoted, and faithful. Wearing the Manchester City shirt obviously meant more to him than anything else, including personal glory; that also meant a lot to the supporters.
6. Eric Brook: 493 games
After starting at Barnsley, Eric Brook quickly caught Manchester City’s attention. In March 1928, he relocated to Maine Road, where he participated in 12 games and scored two goals as City won the Second Division. In a 5-3 victory over Clapton Orient, he scored his first goal for his new team.
Eric Brook went on to score 158 league goals and 19 FA Cup goals in 493 league and cup games. He was said to be “as hard as nails” due to his strong build.
5. Colin Bell: 501 games
Colin Bell played football professionally for Bury F.C. from 1963 to 1966. He made 82 appearances and scored 25 goals while serving as the team’s captain.
Colin Bell made his Division 2 debut on March 19 at the Baseball Ground against Derby County after joining Manchester City from Bury F.C. in 1966 for £45,000. His last match was a 2-3 loss to Aston Villa at Maine Road in Division 1 on May 15, 1979.
Colin earned 501 appearances for Manchester City overall, scoring 153 goals.
4. Bert Trautmann: 545 games
Bert Trautmann started playing for St Helens Town, where large crowds—by St Helens standards—were frequently drawn to watch him play. As his fame rose, up to 9,000 people attended one specific game.
To get a better look at a man who might be a possible replacement for the legendary Frank Swift, City offered to play the non-League minnows in a friendly.
The 25-year-old Trautmann scarcely did anything wrong during City’s 2-0 victory. After keeping an eye on his development, the club decided to sign him six months later.
3. Mike Doyle: 570 games
Before joining Manchester City in May 1962, Mike Doyle was a junior for Stockport Boys. Mike played at both the junior and senior levels. He started as a winger before making multiple appearances as a forward.
He switched to central defence later in his career. All of the games he played were undoubtedly beneficial to the team’s success because of his aggressive physical tackling and no-nonsense style. His father, who enrolled him in police self-defence lessons when he was a child, may have influenced this type of play.
2. Joe Corrigan: 603 games
During his 17-year career, Joe Corrigan, also known as “Big Joe” at Maine Road, participated in 603 games for the team. This number is a club record for a goalkeeper and was only surpassed by Alan Oakes.
Joe played with Manchester City for 16 seasons, winning the League Cup twice and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Few people are aware that he played the entire second leg of the European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against FC Schalke 04 despite having a fractured nose.
1. Alan Oakes: 680 games
Alan Oakes signed a professional contract with Manchester City in September 1959 after joining as an amateur in April 1958. On November 14 of that year, Alan made his debut for a squad that was having difficulty maintaining its First Division position.
Alan managed to establish himself as an essential part of City’s midfield despite the team’s many relegation struggles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With 680 appearances for the Blues over his incredible City career, Oakes became the club’s record appearance holder, and still is.
Who is the record appearances holder for Man City?
Alan Oakes is the record appearances holder for Man City.
Where does Silva stand with the most appearances for City?
He is 10th among the record appearance holders for City.
When did Bernardo Silva become one of the top 10 appearance holders?
He earned this achievement in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United this past Saturday.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.
After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.