Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the UAE and minister of presidential affairs, has told fans the club are only “half way up our Everest”.
The Abu Dhabi sheikh has written that his ambition for City remains high in an open letter to supporters to mark the 10th anniversary of his takeover of the club.
City have been transformed on an off the field in the decade since Mansour acquired the club.
Their successes have included seven major trophies including three Premier League titles.
In his letter, published in the matchday programme for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Fulham, Mansour wrote: “So what do the next 10 years hold? I know you all remain ambitious and so do I. It feels that we are only half way up our Everest.
“There is much more to do and there is much more to win. That is why you will continue to see us strive to recruit the very best talent into this club and its sister organisations in all functions and at all levels.”
It is a rare public comment from the sheikh, who leaves the running of the club in the hands of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano.
This week the club announced record revenue of £500 million and that they had recorded profit for a fourth successive year.
Mansour added: “Off the field every metric indicates that acquiring City was a very good business decision.
“The last 10 years has seen us become economically scaled and sustainable, as we had planned, and that economic success is crucially important because it underpins everything else we do on the pitch and in our communities.”
Mansour also hailed the role of supporters in the club’s development.
He wrote: “Whilst the last 10 years has seen many things transformed and evolved in the way that I had hoped, and we planned for, one thing has remained constant – you have continued to be the best fans.
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“I want to take this opportunity to say that I am incredibly proud of the fact that the fundamental character of this club and its supporters has not changed in the last decade.
“The qualities of loyalty, warmth, humour and humility which clearly stood it in good stead during its more challenging times, are still very much in evidence today and are essential to our success.”
He added: “I hope you have enjoyed these last 10 years and I promise the next 10 will be no less exciting.”
Mansour also made a humorous reference to a chant by City fans made in homage to his capture of head coach Manuel Pellegrini from Malaga in 2013. The Chilean would go on to win the 2013/14 Premier League title.
He said: Over the last ten years I have learned a lot more about what it is to be a City fan. I understood quickly why 40 points is important – and why inflatable bananas (and now sharks!) still make an appearance.
“And whilst I don’t have a Lamborghini, I was very tempted to get one a few years ago. It has been a most enjoyable education for me.”
Provided by Press Association Sport
