Manchester City have produced a number of global A-listers over the years, though not every single one has met expectations at the Etihad Stadium.
For every Phil Foden, there are countless examples of other City academy players who go on to build a career for themselves outside of the club.
We've looked beyond familiar names associated with City in the past and have discovered seven individuals who achieved cult status elsewhere.
Jadon Sancho
During his tenure at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho emerged as one of the most gifted football talents in Europe.
He seemed tailor-made to be lost forever, but his time in Manchester's red half means many at City no longer lament his departure.
Far removed from England's reckoning currently, and with Dortmund heroics fading from memory, Sancho is now performing inconsistently at Chelsea.
Brahim Diaz
Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Diaz’s market worth has quadrupled, which is a very impressive development.
Following several successful spells at AC Milan, upon returning to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Real Madrid playmaker appeared rejuvenated.
At the age of 24, the player was on the release list of Manchester City for a total of four years, however, he only appeared in 15 senior games before leaving in 2019.
"This is the happiest day of my life, I couldn’t have asked for a better present for Epiphany [6 January in Spain],” Diaz told reporters after agreeing to join Real Madrid for £15million five years ago.”
“I had three options when I decided to leave Manchester City. One, go play for Real Madrid; two, go play for Real Madrid; three, go play for Real Madrid. It was impossible to go to any other club.”
Aleix Garcia
Garcia made eight first-team appearances under Pep Guardiola, including his Premier League debut against Bournemouth in September 2016, but he consistently moved on loan before joining Dinamo Bucuresti in 2020.
In 2021, he spent nearly half a year at Eibar before re-signing with one of his club loan companies, Girona.
After helping the Catalan club qualify for the Champions League in the 2023-24 season, Garcia moved to Bayer Leverkusen and has since become a key player for Xabi Alonso's team.
Jack Harrison
After spending his youth career with Liverpool and Manchester United, Harrison had his breakthrough at New York City FC and was signed by City in 2018.
He never played a first-team game for the club, but at Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, he became a fan favorite through his devoted performances and accurate finishing.
Aaron Mooy
Mooy joined City in the same season that Guardiola did, but he never made a senior squad appearance.
The Australian midfielder was immediately loaned to Huddersfield Town, and he later made the transfer to Huddersfield Town permanently the following summer.
While Maty Ryan might not have possessed the skillset to succeed at the premier level, he has had a successful career in the top division.
After playing for Brighton, Shanghai SIPG and Celtic, Mooy announced his retirement from professional soccer in the summer of 2023.
Tom Dele-Bashiru
He joined the City academy as a young player and spent a total of 14 years at the club, during which time he left in 2019.
He did make one appearance prior to his departure as he featured in the 2017-18 EFL Cup quarter-final match against Leicester City.
Since leaving Leyton Orient, the Nigerian midfielder has moved to Watford and made a smooth transition, having made significant strides in his development over the past couple of seasons.
He has become a crucial element in Tom Cleverley's team as they strive to make the playoffs this season.
Michael Olise
Olise had a notable youth career, to put it mildly. He trained at academies for Arsenal, Chelsea, and City, but it was at Reading where he gained significant experience.
Now viewed as one of the best playmakers of the future, the city team may regret letting him leave as a youngster.
Several top clubs were bidding for his signature last summer, but Bayern Munich was ultimately able to outbid the rest and secure him for a €60 million transfer fee.