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 | 21 | 49 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 21 | 43 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 21 | 43 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 21 | 35 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 21 | 33 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 21 | 32 |
| 7 | Brentford | 21 | 31 |
| 8 | Fulham | 21 | 31 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 21 | 31 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 21 | 30 |
| 11 | Everton | 21 | 29 |
| 12 | Brighton | 21 | 29 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 21 | 28 |
| 14 | Tottenham | 21 | 27 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 21 | 26 |
| 16 | Leeds | 21 | 22 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 21 | 21 |
| 18 | West Ham | 21 | 14 |
| 19 | Burnley | 21 | 13 |
| 20 | Wolves | 21 | 7 |
