Manchester City have been tipped to become as famous as Liverpool and Manchester United by Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Old foes Liverpool and Manchester United, who meet tonight at Old Trafford, are English football’s two most-successful club sides with two FIFA Club World Cups, nine European Cups and 39 League Championships between them among other honours.
However, following their transformation after the club were purchased by Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, City – dubbed by legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as “The noisy neighbours” – have become a major force in their own right.
Since then, City have won five Premier League titles and after a third in four seasons under Pep Guardiola.
They are now preparing for their first Champions League final later this month against another nouveau riche outfit, Chelsea.
Speaking from his home in Sunne, Sweden, Eriksson told Sky Sports : “Pep Guardiola, the players, the club, they’re doing great.
“Without that investment they have done in everything, it’s impossible to do the results that Manchester City has done during many, many years now.
“It seems to be like a machine these days, winning, winning, winning.
“It’s marvellous to see and it must be fantastic for the fans.”
Asked as an outsider looking in on English football whether City are now a bigger club than neighbours United, self-confessed boyhood Liverpool fan Eriksson whose reign as City manager ended just several weeks before the UAE takeover, said: “I don’t think that Manchester City has a story in England or internationally that Manchester United has.
“But going on like this, they will be as famous as United and Liverpool.
“It will take some more years. You have to win a little bit more to be the most famous team in the world, I think.”
