What did Man City's squad look like when Inter Milan were in 2010 Champions League final? | OneFootball

It’s been 13 years since Javier Zanetti held that big-eared piece of silverware aloft, demonstrating to the continent and the rest of the world, that Inter Milan were a European force once more.

A 2-0 win against the German titans, Bayern Munich sealed Le Beneamata’s fate as three-time Champions of Europe, ending a 45-year wait.

Back in 2010, the Cityzens were in the midst of a barren spell of their own - having not won a single trophy, domestically or continentally, since 1976.

Ahead of the two teams' Champions League final showdown in Istanbul, we take a look at City’s squad last time Inter were in Europe's showpiece final…

Manager(s): Mark Hughes/Roberto Mancini

Following an 'awe-inspiring' stint at Blackburn, Mark Hughes was given the Man City job in June 2008.

However, after a torrid run of just two wins in 11 games, the ex-Wales gaffer was sacked in December 2009, and replaced by the more glamorous name of Roberto Mancini, the club legend, that would go on to curtail the historic trophy drought, and return the top tier crown to East Manchester, for the first time in 44 years in 2012 when City lifted the Premier League crown.

With a 22-year-old Joe Hart out on loan at Birmingham City, veteran Irish goalkeeper Shay Given lined-up between the sticks, playing what would be his final season as City’s first choice.

Finishing his career as the 'keeper with the third most appearances in Premier League history, the former Newcastle man produced a respectable 11 clean sheets in the 2009-10 season.

It’s safe to say Martin Fülöp and Gunnar Nielsen didn’t get a look in, playing just four games between them.

Defenders: Micah Richards, Wayne Bridge, Nedem Onouha, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure, Jolson Lescott, Sylvinho, and Javier Garrido

Micah Richards “burst onto the scene” - or in Roy Keane’s eyes, merely appeared - either way, the right-back charted a total of 23 Premier League appearances in 2009-10, although Pablo Zabaleta was ultimately preferred at right-back in the latter half of the season by the incoming Mancini.

Club legend Vincent Kompany formed a solid defensive alliance with Kolo Toure, with new recruit Joleon Lescott featuring sporadically.

Wayne Bridge was the left-back of choice, with understudies Sylvinho and Javier Garrido filling in for him due to injury. It was by no means a particularly glowing year for the Mancunians defensively, conceding the most of any side in the top seven.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Martin Petrov, Stephen Ireland, Patrick Vieira, Nigel De Jong, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Adam Johnson,

By all accounts, a very sturdy midfield. The Premier League record-holder Gareth Barry had joined from Aston Villa in the summer of 2009 and steered the City ship from CDM.

Barry played regularly alongside Stephen Ireland who recently claimed that he was better than both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, he must have meant at management, surely…

Nigel de Jong was another mainstay in the midfield, with 34-year-old, Patrick Vieira enlisted in January, just in case they needed any more defensively-minded central midfielders… Shaun Wright-Phillips was also a regular, bombing down the flanks with lightning speed, and delivering into the box with precision, recording a career-best eight assists.

Strikers: Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez, Robinho, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Benjani

This strike-force should have come with a parental advisory for being “strongly offensive”. When Carlos Tevez wasn’t back in Argentina swinging a golf club, he was at the Etihad swinging his boot toward goal, netting 23 in 35 Premier League appearances.

Argentina. Golf. City. In that order. He built a fledgling partnership with Emmanuel Adebayor, whose City career was defined, arguably, by his goal against former club Arsenal where he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Gunners' travelling support. Sportsmanship at its finest.

Yet, it was Craig Bellamy, who also had a penchant for golf (just ask John Arne Riise), that Tevez struck up the biggest rapport. The duo bagged a combined 33 goals between them. Wales. Roque Santa Cruz, and the now disgraced, Robinho were both bit-part players, with the latter missing a large segment of the season through injury before being loaned out to Santos in January.