Carlos Tevez's Manchester City career - in pictures

Back when Carlos Tevez signed for City in August 2009 for a fee rumoured to break the £47m British transfer record, Mark Hughes was still the club's boss Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

City gleefully paraded their new signing with a huge poster in the city centre. Needless to say United fans responded by paint-bombing the image Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA Archive/Press Association Images

Tevez made his City debut against Blackburn at Ewood Park in a 2-0 win Photograph: Martin Elliot/AFP/Getty Images

He then scored his first City goal in a 2-0 Carling Cup defeat of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

His return to Old Trafford came only a month after his departure, and he received a mixed reaction from United fans, many of whom had wanted him to stay Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

It ended in disappointment as Michael Owen scored an injury-time goal to hand United a 4-3 win Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Tevez scored his first Premier League goals for City later that month – these were the only goals he scored in his first 12 league appearances for the club Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Tevez eventually found his form, scoring 23 league goals as City finished fifth and earned a Europa League spot. Were it not for a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the penultimate game of the season, City might have claimed a Champions League place. In his best spell of the season, Tevez netted 24 times in 22 games in all competitions. He went off to the World Cup in South Africa in rude form but Argentina crashed out 4-0 to Germany in the last 16 Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

The 2010-11 season was similarly fruitful. A further 24 goals in all competitions – the majority of them scored in the first two thirds of the season – hoisted City to a third-place finish in the league and earned Tevez a share of the golden boot Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

No matter how many players West Brom surrounded him with, they still couldn't prevent him scoring a hat-trick in February that year– his third for the club Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Another highlight of the season was City's journey to the FA Cup final at Wembley ... Photograph: Richard Heathcote - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

After beating Stoke 1-0 thanks to Yaya Touré's goal, Tevez brought back the classic tradition of wearing the cup's lid like a hat Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

City faced Stoke in the league three days later in their final home game of the season. Few would have realised that when Tevez waved to the crowd on a lap of honour he was effectively waving goodbye. The Argentinian spent the summer agitating for a transfer, citing Manchester's lack of culture and his desire to be closer to his family as reasons for leaving. But a deal with Corinthians fell through and Tevez was forced to return to City for the 2011-12 campaign Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

His first-team opportunities were limited following the arrival of Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero ... and when the City manager Roberto Mancini tried to bring him on from the bench in the second half of City's Champions League match with Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, Tevez's refused to play Photograph: Marc Atkins/Marc Atkins / BPI

Tevez has since claimed it was a 'misunderstanding' and said 'this is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen, but I wish to state that I never refused to play. Going forward I am ready to play when required and to fulfil my obligations.' But Mancini has vowed he will never again play for the club. All in all, it must have made for an awkward journey home Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA

Tevez was escorted away from Manchester airport on Wednesday morning and at one point gave a cheeky thumbs-up sign. One suspects he won't be laughing when City inevitably suspend some of his reputed £250,000 weekly salary Photograph: Reuters