First Division Champion (Historic)
From 1880 to glory: Manchester City's historic rise.
Manchester City Football Club, commonly referred to as Man City or simply City, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894. The club's home ground is the City of Manchester Stadium, to which they moved in 2003, having played at Maine Road since 1923.
Quick Facts
- Total titles won
- 2
- Era of dominance
- Late 1960s to Early 1970s
- Key figure (manager)
- Joe Mercer & Malcolm Allison
- Iconic player
- Colin Bell
- Defining match season
- 1967-68
Lore & Background
City won the First Division title for the first time in 1937, but were relegated the following season. They claimed the league championship for the second time in 1967–68, beating Manchester United to the title on the final day of the season with a 4–3 victory at Newcastle United, securing the crown on goal average. The club's four consecutive league titles between 2020–21 and 2023–24 – an English football record – were won in the Premier League, not the First Division, and therefore fall outside the scope of this historic honours entry.
Reader's Guide
The club's first major period of success came in the late 1960s and early 1970s under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, winning the league title, FA Cup, League Cup, and European Cup Winners Cup. Under Pep Guardiola between 2016 and 2026, the club won 20 honours, including the Premier League in 2018 with a record 100 points, becoming the first English men's team to win a domestic treble, and a continental treble in 2023.
Did You Know?
- City won the First Division in 1937 but were relegated the following season, though this is not unique; Ipswich Town also did this in 1962, being relegated in 1963–64.
- The 1967–68 title was secured on goal average, not goal difference, as goal difference was not introduced until 1976–77.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in Manchester City
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced