From Peter Reid to Pep Guardiola, we take a look at the most successful managers in Man City's history and pick our No. 1.
Manchester City rank fourth in the most successful English football clubs of all-time, with a total of 36 trophies won during their 145-year history.
Having been formed in 1880, City have been English champions on 10 occasions and have lifted the FA Cup seven times.
Read on to find out how we have ranked the best Man City managers ever, and make sure to explore our list of the top 10 Premier League managers of all time, and our Premier League betting page for the latest Man City odds.
Best Man City managers ever
10. John Bond
After previously managing at Bournemouth and Norwich, Bond was named Manchester City manager in 1980.
At the end of his first season in charge, he led City out at Wembley in the FA Cup final, but the Blues eventually lost to Tottenham following a replay.
Bond was in charge for a total of 123 games and had a win percentage of 41.46.
9. Peter Reid
Former Everton and England midfielder Reid started his managerial career at City, after being appointed as player-manager back in 1990.
The Liverpudlian led the Blues to two consecutive fifth-placed finishes in the top-flight, in his first two seasons in charge.
8. Sven Goran Eriksson
Ex-England boss Sven Goran Eriksson became the first non-British manager of the Blues when he was appointed in 2007.
Although he only lasted a year, the Swede helped the club qualify for Europe via the league and became the first City manager in over 30 years to win both Manchester derbies in a season.
7. Kevin Keegan
Another former England boss, Keegan was appointed as Manchester City manager in May 2001 and spent four years at the helm.
In his first season in charge, the former Newcastle chief steered the Blues back to the top flight and his exciting brand of football won the fans over quickly.
Keegan brought in the likes of Stuart Pearce, Nicolas Anelka, Peter Schmeichel and Eyal Berkovic during his time in the City hotseat.
6. Tony Book
After a distinguished playing career with City, Book was appointed Maine Road manager in April 1974.
During a five-year spell, the man from Somerset led the club to a League Cup success in 1975-76, when Peter Barnes and Dennis Tueart’s goals helped them beat Newcastle 2-1.
5. Manuel Pellegrini
Chilean Pellegrini agreed to replace Roberto Mancini and was appointed City boss in the summer of 2013 and, in his first season, he secured the Premier League title.
The former Villarreal man also won two League Cups and had a win percentage of 59.88 during his three-year tenure – the second-best record of any City manager over the last 50 years.
4. Joe Royle
Another former City player, Joe Royle took the managerial hotseat at Maine Road in 1998, with the Blues falling into the third tier of English football.
A dramatic Wembley play-off win over Gillingham was the highlight of their instant promotion and in his second full season (1999-2000), he delivered a place in the Premier League.
Ex-striker Royle was in charge for 172 games, winning 74 of those matches and sealing his place as a Manchester City legend.
3. Joe Mercer
Having got the Blues promoted from the old Second Division in 1965/66, two years later Mercer led the club to the First Division title.
City also lifted the FA Cup and League Cup under their former midfielder, who was also in charge when they won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1969/70.
Winning five major trophies during his tenure, Mercer was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
2. Roberto Mancini
Mancini spent three-and-a-half years at City and will be forever remembered as the man who delivered their first league title in 44 years.
Having won the FA Cup in the previous season, the Italian helped City lift the Premier League trophy in 2011/12.
A dramatic final day comeback win over QPR saw them beat major rivals Manchester United on goal difference.
1. Pep Guardiola
It’s fair to say Pep Guardiola is Manchester City’s greatest manager of all-time, having racked up 15 major trophies during his time in charge of the Blues.
The former Barcelona man has helped the club win no fewer than six Premier League titles and delivered the holy grail of the Champions League in 2022/23.
Having joined the club in 2016, Guardiola announced in November 2024 that he had signed a new two-year contract at the Etihad, to tie him to City to 2027.
The ex-Bayern Munich chief has the best win percentage of all of the previous City managers, winning 70.44 percent of his matches in charge.
