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On June 10, 2023, Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul to win their first Champions League title and complete a historic treble. Eleven players started that match. By the summer of 2026, only two of them, Rúben Dias and Erling Haaland, are still at the club.
The starting XI that was
The lineup that Pep Guardiola sent out against Inter Milan in Istanbul read like a who’s who of Premier League dominance: Ederson in goal, a back line of Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Aké, a midfield trio of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and İlkay Gündoğan, with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Erling Haaland in attack.
Rodri scored the only goal that night, sealing the trophy that had eluded City for decades. It was the crowning achievement of a squad that had already wrapped up the Premier League title and the FA Cup.
Where did everyone go?
The departures started almost immediately. İlkay Gündoğan left on a free transfer to Barcelona in the summer of 2023, just weeks after lifting the Champions League trophy.
The subsequent windows saw a steady stream of exits. Ederson, the goalkeeper who anchored City’s backline for years, eventually moved on. Nathan Aké departed for Fenerbahçe. Bernardo Silva left for Real Madrid.
Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji. All gone.
The 2026 summer transfer window alone was extraordinary. City generated over £300 million through player sales during that period, turning departing talent into a war chest for future squad building.
The two survivors
Dias, the Portuguese center-back, arrived in 2020 and won the Premier League Player of the Season in his debut campaign. Haaland scored 52 goals in his first Premier League season and has continued to produce at a comparable rate.
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