Manchester City's best ever XI ... The first centre-back 💪 | OneFootball

With the football on hold at the moment, we’ve been thinking about who gets in Manchester City’s all-time XI.

Today and tomorrow we’re choosing the two centre-backs.

Here are the first three nominees …

3rd – Richard Dunne

He may not have been the most naturally gifted of footballers but the Dunney Monster definitely played his part during City’s lean years.

Signed by Joe Royle in 2000, the Ireland international joined the club as a right-back but gradually moved into the middle before eventually taking the captain’s arm band.

Dunne never lifted a proper trophy in his nine years at City but he chipped in with a few goals (and lots of own goals) and also won the club’s Player of the Year award four seasons running.

He was also deceptively quick for a man of his size.

2nd – Dave Watson

Watson joined City from Sunderland in 1975 and spent four seasons at Maine Road, during which time he helped the club to the 1976 League Cup.

Good with the ball at his feet and powerful in the air, the England international was an enforcer at the heart defence and after making debut against Norwich on the opening day of the 75/76 season, he went on a sensational 25-match unbeaten streak in a City shirt.

A fan favourite, he won the club’s Player of the Year in 76/77 and is still remembered fondly in Manchester to this day.

And the winner is … Aymeric Laporte

Pep Guardiola wanted to make Laporte one of his first signings when he took over at City in 2016 but the Frenchman wouldn’t end up making the switch from Athletic Bilbao until January 2018.

It was worth the wait though, and after taking half a season to settle in, Laporte was brilliant as City clinched an unprecedented domestic treble in 2018/19.

An ACL injury means the 25-year-old has unfortunately spent much of this season on the sidelines but when fully fit, he is up there with the very best central defenders on the planet.

Here’s how the team is looking so far …

GK: Bert Trautmann RB: Pablo Zabaleta LB: Glyn Pardoe CB: Aymeric Laporte

Check back tomorrow when we will be choosing Laporte’s centre-back partner.