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A decade and £1.3bn transform Manchester City

In 2008 Manchester City was owned by Thaksin Shinawatra. The Thai authorities froze the former prime minister's asses and then chairman John Wardle had to provide a series of loans to keep the club afloat. He lost £12.5m, about half his fortune.

Shinawatra was bought out by the Abu Dhabi United Group owned by Sheikh Mansour for £210m. For the first time since Roman Abramovich's takeover in 2003, Chelsea were outgunned in the transfer market. United's hegemony in Manchester was finally under threat.

Early spending included £900,000 on a new pitch. £600,000 worth of pitch lights were installed to keep the new turf in good condition. There is now a £200m training ground across the road, another boost to East Manchester. There are plans for an institute of sport next to the Etihad run by Manchester Metropolitan University.

The number of supporters groups has gone from 30 to 250. The transfer outlay has been about £1.3 billion.

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