Even by their own high standards 2022-23 was an extraordinary season for Manchester City’s men’s team – the best season in the Club’s history.
The team engraved its name in history with the Treble as they won a first UEFA Champions League, a third successive Premier League title – a fifth in six years – and a seventh FA Cup.
In all, City has now secured 17 trophies in a decade of continuous improvement.
The season yielded a win percentage in excess of 72% in all competitions, no fewer than 27 clean sheets, and from February onwards an unbeaten run of 25 games that led to an era-defining end of season trophy haul.
Success was achieved in the style with which City have become synonymous, as the team averaged 63.6% ball possession over the near 11-month campaign and scored 151 goals in all competitions, at an average just shy of 2.5 goals per game.
Manchester City won the Treble for the first time in the Club’s history
Champions
Premier League
Winners
Champions League
Winners
FA Cup
Quarter-Finalists
Carabao Cup
Our goals tally this season across all competitions was the third-highest ever by a top-flight team. Remarkably, the top five rankings are all held by City.
Source:
Striker Erling Haaland, in his first season with the Club, was the man responsible for more than one-third of those goals as he marked his arrival with a string of record achievements.
The young Norwegian set new bests for the most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in a single season with 52, and the most goals in a single Premier League campaign with 36.
Unsurprisingly, Haaland – whose haul included successive hat-tricks in three home Premier League games and 12 strikes in the UEFA Champions League – claimed the Golden Boot in those respective competitions.
His goal against Borussia Dortmund was selected by UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel as their Champions League Goal of the Season. He was also voted UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.
Despite these scoring feats, City’s success was far from a one-man show.
Haaland himself owed a big thank you to midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who registered 28 assists in all competitions, while creating 137 chances in his appearances over the season.
The Belgian’s tally of 16 assists in the Premier League saw him deservedly win the Playmaker of the Year award and his total of seven assists in the UEFA Champions League was the most in the competition.
No fewer than seven of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side were named in UEFA’s Champions League Team of the Season which featured Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias, John Stones, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Haaland.
That was almost replicated on the domestic front with Stones, Dias, De Bruyne, Rodri, and Haaland all listed in the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Premier League Team of the Year, and Haaland also winning the PFA Men’s Players’ Player of the Year award.
In addition, 16 City players featured in the World Cup – more than any other Premier League club – and Argentina’s Julian Álvarez emerged a World Cup winner.
17,532m covered by successful passes in open play in the Premier League The biggest total distance for any goalkeeper
Top speed of 37.31 km/hour away to Everton The highest recorded top speed of any player in the Premier League
Made 93 clearances and 23 blocks in all competitions The highest figures for any Manchester City player
PFA Premier League Team of the Year
93.2% pass completion rate The second-highest for any player in the Premier League (min 500 passes), just behind Manuel Akanji
PFA Premier League Team of the Year
Completed 27.4 forward passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League The most of any player
93.3% pass completion rate The highest for any player in the Premier League to attempt at least 500 passes
Scored opening FA Cup final goal for Manchester City after 12 seconds The fastest ever goal scored in an FA Cup final, beating Louis Saha’s strike after 25 seconds in 2009
Carried the ball 320m per 90 minutes in the Premier League The most of any player
4,068 passes completed The most of any Premier League player in all competitions
466 times regained possession of the ball The most of any Premier League player in all competitions
PFA Premier League Team of the Year
28 assists in all competitions Eight more than any other player from Europe’s top five leagues
Premier League Playmaker of the Season With 16 assists, four more than the second-placed player
PFA Premier League Team of the Year
Covered 11.8km per 90 minutes in the Premier League The most of any Manchester City player and the third-highest in the Premier League amongst players with at least 2,000 minutes
Made 11.5 off-ball runs into the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes in the Premier League The most of any player who wasn’t used as a centre-forward
Applied 21.7 high pressures in the final third per 90 minutes in the Champions League The most of any player in the competition
44.9 successful passes per 90 minutes The most of any winger in the Premier League
Scored first ever FA Cup semi-final hat-trick at Wembley Stadium And first in the semi-final of the competition overall since 1958
Premier League and UEFA Champions League Golden Boot winner
Premier League Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season
Record 36 goals in a single Premier League campaign
Record 52 goals in all competitions in a single season by a Premier League player
The only Premier League player with an average of more than one goal for every 90 minutes of play (min 20 goals)
Six hat-tricks in all competitions As many as every other Premier League player combined
Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year
PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Premier League Team of the Year
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year
Source: Premier League, PFA, UEFA, Football Writers' Association
The man leading City, Guardiola, was named Manager of the Year by the League Managers’ Association in England and clinched his own treble by also becoming Premier League Manager of the Season and UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year.
When Phil Foden scored in the 3-0 win over West Ham United in May it was the 1,000th City first team goal under Guardiola’s stewardship. The milestone arrived in just 404 games (150 quicker than the previous best) at an average of 2.5 goals per game.
At the end of the historic campaign, with so much to celebrate, there were some emotional goodbyes with players departing.
Captain İlkay Gündoğan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte all left a glorious legacy, helping City to win a whole host of trophies during their time with the Club, etching their names into the history books and the hearts of City fans all over the world.
Source: Premier League, UEFA
