Pep Guardiola’s side lifted our fifth trophy of 2023 today after beating Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup final in Brazil.
It tops off 12 months like no other before it in English football, with City the first side from our shores to lift the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup in the same calendar year.
The old chant sung in the stands from Maine Road to the Etihad claiming that we are the best team on the planet now rings true for the first time in our history.
With two Premier League games in the north west of England left before 2023 comes to a close, the Club World Cup success in Saudi Arabia also brings to a close our jet-setting adventures for another year.
As well as our usual travels up and down the land in search of Premier League supremacy, we’ve been to the likes of Munich and Madrid for crucial Champions League ties as well as Japan and South Korea during our pre-season tour.
Beyond that, we’ve lifted our five trophies in five major cities across two continents, laying down our marker as the Champions of the World.
And everywhere we’ve been, loyal City fans have been right there alongside us.
The first silverware was lifted at our home, the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester. After a tense Premier League title race with Arsenal, their defeat at Nottingham Forest on 20 May saw us claim a third successive title with three games to spare.
It meant there was a party atmosphere at a sun-soaked Etihad the following day as we beat Chelsea 1-0 before getting our hands on a fifth title in six years.
Captain Ilkay Gundogan was the master of ceremonies – a role he would have to get used to in the weeks to come.
13 days later, Manchester descended on London. The blue and red sides of the city met in the FA Cup final at Wembley on yet another glorious summer’s day.
It started spectacularly, with Gundogan hitting a sweet volley into the top corner just 12.91 seconds after kick-off.
The day was a rollercoaster of emotions from there, with United equalising in the first half before the winner came early in the second period.
By that point, an historic Treble was within sight. But everyone’s focus on that day was beating our old rivals at an iconic stadium in our nation’s capital.
When we got our hands on our second honour of the season, the sea of sky blue shirts to the players’ side erupted with joy.
While winning has become the norm for this team under Guardiola, anyone at Wembley that day can have no doubt it is not being taken for granted by those in the stands.
A week later, City were in Istanbul.
A date with destiny in the Turkish metropolis and our second UEFA Champions League final in three seasons.
To get there we had been to Seville, Copenhagen, Dortmund, Leipzig, Munich and Madrid.
The team arrived on Thursday, while fans made their way from side of Europe to the other throughout the week.
By Friday, the streets and squares were packed with City fans from Manchester and beyond.
And so to the Ataturk on the edge of the city, where this year’s showpiece was contested.
Lengthy bus journeys could not dampen the spirits amongst the travelling fans who had waited a lifetime for this moment.
As they filed into the stadium and took their seats, the usual regalia that accompanies such an occasion played out.
The nerves were palpable.
At stake was not just a first Champions League success but only the second Treble in English football history.
Perhaps that was felt on the pitch too, with City struggling to find the rhythm that had taken us this far.
The first half came and went and the anxiety grew, but that only made it all the sweeter when Rodrigo stepped onto Bernardo Silva’s deflected cross to place the ball home and make history.
It’s a goal that will be replayed forever more.
Gundogan’s final act in a City shirt was to lift the trophy the Club has coveted for so long in the country in which his parents were born.
The party continued in Istanbul until the sun rose again and then it was back to Manchester to share the three gongs with throngs of fans lining the city streets.
With Champions League success comes two further opportunities for silverware. The UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Early in the 2023/24 campaign, City set off for Athens to play the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Sevilla.
In the middle of August the Greek capital can be stifling. Temperatures can soar beyond 30 degrees Celsius while the humidity provides no respite.
We arrived at Olympiacos’ Karaiskakis Stadium as Champions of Europe, having enjoyed that famous night in Turkey just over two months prior.
After falling behind in the first half, a Cole Palmer header just after the hour mark took the game to penalties.
There we emerged 5-4 winners against serial Super Cup competitors Sevilla and so, another new trophy was added to our cabinet.
Finally, this week saw City in Saudi Arabia for a rare experience.
To compete in the Club World Cup, you must first beat Europe’s best.
Although Guardiola has now won the competition a record four times – twice with Barcelona and once at Bayern Munich before joining City – he has been keen to stress just how important it is for his side to grasp this chance when they had it.
In Jeddah, a coastal city stretching along the Red Sea, the best sides from all six populated continents met.
Our first hurdle was Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, 2022 AFC Champions League winners.
40,000 were in the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to see us win 3-0, with all but a noisy pocket of Japanese supporters wearing blue shirts and keen to see our stars in action.
The atmosphere at the final followed similarly, with City again overcoming the sweltering winter heat and Brazilian opponents Fluminense for the fifth and final piece of silverware we’ll lift this calendar year.
It’s been an incredible adventure across Europe and Asia for City fans, players and staff in 2023.
No matter what 2024 brings, there’s sure to be plenty of new ground to tread.
