According to Goal.com, Manchester City tried to sign Lionel Messi on the same day Sheikh Mansour joined the club in 2008.
Lionel Messi (photo: gettyimages.com)The source was told about this by former Manchester City head coach Mark Hughes. The sheikh also planned to buy a dozen more world stars, but in the end, everything was limited to the signing of Brazilian Robinho.
| № | Team | M | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 15 | 33 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 15 | 30 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 15 | 26 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 15 | 25 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 15 | 25 |
| 7 | Everton | 15 | 24 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 15 | 23 |
| 9 | Brighton | 15 | 23 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 15 | 23 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 15 | 23 |
| 12 | Tottenham | 15 | 22 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 15 | 20 |
| 14 | Fulham | 15 | 17 |
| 15 | Brentford | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Leeds | 15 | 15 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 15 | 15 |
| 18 | West Ham | 15 | 13 |
| 19 | Burnley | 15 | 10 |
| 20 | Wolves | 15 | 2 |
