As Manchester City deservedly reclaimed the Premier League title, their success has shown how far they have come since being bought by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan way back in 2008.
Here we take a look at four players who snubbed the Etihad Stadium club before their rise.
City scouts were keeping tabs on the young Dane who was just a teenager at Ajax but even the lure of playing in England’s top-flight did not interest him after an approach in 2010.
He subsequently made that move to Tottenham three years later where he has become a key player for the north London side.
A man who was already plying his trade in the Premier League with Liverpool, when the Spaniard decided to leave Anfield, City came knocking.
But Alonso was not ready to accept any offer with his heart set on a move back to his homeland with Real Madrid.
The English defender was a target for the Citizens which was no surprise considering he was one of the best centre-backs in the world.
He later admitted he used City’s interest to wrangle a a better contract out of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Having met with the player and his advisors, the club thought Eden Hazard was theirs in 2012.
Even Hazard’s agent John Bico was keen on the move to Manchester. But instead, they were frustrated with the Belgian signing for their rivals Chelsea instead.