Manchester City haven’t always been Manchester United’s biggest rivals. Even now, in the face of a complete switch in dynamic, Liverpool are and will always remain the majority of Red Devils fans’ most hated rivals.
But there is no doubt who the bigger threat currently are, their noisy neighbours.
Ten years ago, when the Abu Dhabi United Group turned their attention to England in the search for a sleeping giant to invest in, nobody could quite foresee what a sheer force they would transform City into.
From a slumbering beast, City have morphed into a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut in the last decade.
Consequently, while they have been on the rise, there has been a steady demise across town in the red half of Manchester – one that has continued to see the club plummet since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson five seasons ago.
As it stands, United remain the most successful club in English football history, but while it will take many more titles for City to eclipse them, the Red Devils are certainly in the shade of Pep Gaurdiola and Co right now.
Here, we take a look back at the rise of City and fall of United in the 10 years since the money from Abu Dhabi awoke a sleeping giant.
2008/09
MAN CITY
Manager: Mark Hughes
Significant Ins: Robinho (Real Madrid €43m), Jo (CSKA Moscow €24m), Nigel de Jong (Hamburg €18m), Craig Bellamy (West Ham €15.5m), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea €13m), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea €11.25m), Shay Given (Newcastle €9m), Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol €8.70m), Vincent Kompany (Hamburg €8.5m)
Significant Outs: Vedran Corluka (Spurs €13.75m), Andreas Isaksson (PSV €2.8m), Georgios Samaras (Celtic €2.5m)
Final position: 10th
MAN UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Significant Ins: Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham €38m), Zoran Tosic (Partizan Belgrade €7m)
Significant Outs: Gerard Pique (Barcelona €5m), Chris Eagles (Burnley €1.5m), Mikael Silvestre (Arsenal €950K)
Final position: Champions
Head to head: Premier League: City 0 United 1, United 2 City 0
The Red Devils were triumphant again in 2009.
2009/10
CITY
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Significant Ins: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal €29m), Carlos Tevez (West Ham €29m), Joleon Lescott (Everton€27.5m), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn €21.2m), Kolo Toure (Arsenal€18.7m), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa €13.9m), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough €8m)
Significant Outs: Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea €7.25m) Elano (Galatasaray €7m), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa €6.8m), Kasper Schmeichel (Notts County€1.75m)
Final position: 5th
UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Significant Ins: Antonio Valencia (Wigan Athletic €18.9m), Mame Diouf (Molde €4.5m), Gabriel Obertan (Bordeaux €4m)
Significant Outs: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid €94m)
Final position: 2nd
Head to head: Premier League: United 4 City 3, City 0 United 1; League Cup semi-finals: City 2 United 1, United 3 City 1 (United won 4-3 on agg)
Remember that one? Michael Owen nets a dramatic winner for United (4-3).
2010/11
CITY
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Significant Ins: Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg €37m), Yaya Toure Barcelona €30m), Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan €29.5m), David Silva (Valencia 28.75m),
Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio €23.86m), James Milner (Aston Villa €22m), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg €12.50m)
Significant Outs: Robinho (AC Milan €18m), Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa €9.7m), Emmanuel Adebayor (Real Madrid loan fee €4m)
Final position: 3rd
UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Significant Ins: Bebe (Vitoria Guimaraes €8.8m), Chris Smalling (Fulham €8m), Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara €7.5m), Anders Lindegaard (Aalesunds €5m)
Significant Outs: Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow €9.5m), Ben Foster (Birmingham €7m), Federico Macheda (Sampdoria loan fee €465K)
Final position: Champions
Head to head: Premier League: City 0 United 0, United 3 City 1; FA Cup semi-finals: City 1 United 0
Another title success: Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic during the 2011 victory parade.
2011/12
CITY
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Significant Ins: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid €40m), Samir Nasri (Arsenal €27.5m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade €12m), Gael Clichy Arsenal €7.75m)
Significant Outs: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich €13.5m), Nedum Onuoha (QPR €4.7m), Shaun Wright-Phillips QPR €4.5m), Shay Given (Aston Villa €3.75m), Emmanuel Adebayor (Spurs loan fee €2.25m)
Final position: Champions
UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Significant Ins: David de Gea (Atletico Madrid €25m), Phil Jones (Blackburn €19.3m), Ashley Young (Aston Villa €18m)
Significant Outs: John O’Shea (Sunderland €4.5m), Gabriel Obertan (Newcastle United €3.4m), Mame Diouf (Hannover €1.8m), Wes Brown (Sunderland €1.5m)
Final position: 2nd
Head to head: Premier League: United 1 City 6, City 1 United 0; FA Cup third round: City 2 United 3
Sweet success: A first Premier League victory for the Sky Blues.
2012/13
CITY
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Significant Ins: Javi Garcia (Benfica €20.2m), Matija Nastasic (Fiorentina €15.2m), Jack Rodwell (Everton €15m), Scott Sinclair (€7.8m), Maicon (Inter Milan €3.75m)
Significant Outs: Mario Balotelli (AC Milan €20m), Adam Johnson (Sunderland €12.6m), Emmanuel Adebayor (Spurs €6.40m), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan €3.5m)
Final position: 2nd
UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Significant Ins: Robin van Persie (Arsenal €30.7m), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund €16m), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace €11.75m), Nick Powell (Crewe €7.5m)
Significant Outs: Dimitar Berbatov (Fulham €5m), Ji-sung Park (QPR €3.1m)
Final position: Champions
Head to head: Premier League: United City 2 United 3, United 1 City 2
Sir Alex Ferguson departed on a high, winning the 2013 crown in his final season.
2013/14
CITY
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Significant Ins: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk €40m), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina €26m), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla €25m), Jesus Navas (Sevilla €20m), Martin Demichelis (Atletico Madrid €5m)
Significant Outs: Carlos Tevez (Juventus €9m), Scott Sinclair (West Brom loan fee €2.3m)
Final position: Champions
UNITED
Manager: David Moyes
Significant Ins: Juan Mata (Chelsea €44.73m), Marouane Fellaini (Everton €32.4m)
Significant Outs: Wilfried Zaha (Cardiff loan fee €1.8m), Anderson (Fiorentina loan)
Final position: 7th
Head to head: Premier League: City 4 United 1, United 0 City 3
City stars are greeted by fans outside Manchester Town Hall.
2014/15
CITY
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Significant Ins: Wilfried Bony (Swansea €32.3m), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto €30.5m), Fernando (Porto €15m), Willy Caballero (Malaga €8m)
Significant Outs: Javi Garcia (Zenit €16.80m), Jack Rodwell (Sunderland €12.6m), Micah Richards (Fiorentina loan fee €1m)
Final position: 2nd
UNITED
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Significant Ins: Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid €75m), Luke Shaw (Southampton €37.5m), Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao €36m), Marcos Rojo (Sporting €20m), Daley Blind (Ajax €17.5m) Falcao (Monaco loan fee €7.6m)
Significant Outs: Danny Welbeck (Arsenal €20m), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund €8m), Alexander Buttner (Dinamo Moscow €5.5m), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace €3.83m), Bebe (Benfica €3m)
Final position: 4th
Head to head: Premier League: City 1 United 0, United 4 City 2
United won the Derby at Old Trafford.
2015/16
CITY
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Significant Ins: Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg €76m), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool €63.7m), Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia €44.6m), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa €11.5m)
Significant Outs: Outs: Alvaro Negredo (Valencia €28m), Rony Lopes (Monaco €12m), Matija Nastasic (Schalke €9.5m)
Final position: 4th
UNITED
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Significant Ins: Anthony Martial (Monaco €60m), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton €35m), Memphis Depay (PSV €34m), Matteo Darmian (Torino €18m), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich €9m)
Significant Outs: Angel Di Maria (PSG €63m), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen €12m), Jonny Evans (West Bromwich Albion €8.3m), Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce €6.5m), Nani (Fenerbahce €6m), Rafael (Lyon €3.2m)
Final position: 5th
Head to head: Premier League: United 0 City 0, City 0 United 1
Marcus Rashford netted the winner for United at the Etihad Stadium.
2016/17
CITY
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Significant Ins: John Stones (Everton €55.6m), Leroy Sane (Schalke €50.5m), Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras €32m), Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund €27m), Nolito (Celta Vigo €18m), Claudio Bravo (Barcelona €18m)
Significant Outs: Stevan Jovetic (Inter Milan €13.5m), Edin Dzeko (Roma €11m), Wilfried Bony (Stoke City loan fee €2.35m)
Final position: 3rd
UNITED
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Significant Ins: Paul Pogba (Juventus €105m), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund €42m), Eric Bailly (Villarreal €38m), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG free transfer)
Significant Outs: Morgan Schneiderlin (Everton €22.9m), Memphis Depay (Lyon €16m)
Final position: 6th
Head to head: Premier League: United 1 City 2, City 0 United 0; League Cup fourth round United 1 City 0
Locking horns again: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
2017/18
CITY
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Significant Ins: Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao €65m), Benjamin Mendy (Monaco €57.5m), Kyle Walker (Spurs €52.7m), Bernardo Silva (Monaco €50m), Ederson (Benfica €40m), Danilo (Real Madrid €30m)
Significant Outs: Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester €27.7m), Wilfried Bony (Swansea €13m), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield €9.1m), Nolito (Sevilla €7m), Fernando (Galatasaray €6m), Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma €5m)
Final position: Champions
UNITED
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Significant Ins: Romelu Lukaku (Everton €84.7m), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea €44.7m), Victor Lindelof (Benfica €35m), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal swap deal)
Significant Outs: Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad €8.5m), Andreas Pereira (Valencia loan fee €3m), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal swap deal)
Final position: 2nd
Head to head: Premier League: United 1 City 2, City 2 United 3
Paul Pogba inspired United to a thrilling win at the Etihad Stadium last season.
