'A real coup' - the sad story of Man City record-signing striker who only scored six goals and left for free

In recent years, Man City supporters have become accustomed to seeing their side sign some of the most exciting players in world football. There is no better place for a budding young footballer to ply their trade in the modern game than the Etihad Stadium, but that wasn't always the case.

There is no ignoring the fact that a lot changed in one go with the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2009, but the truth is the wheels were already in motion a few years earlier.

In fact, two months before City's famous takeover, they had already broken their club record when they splashed a reported £20million on Brazilian wonderkid Jo.

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It was a statement signing for City as they fought off competition from Valencia for his signature, but as you probably know by now, things didn't work out as planned.

Jo started his senior professional career at Brazilian giants Corinthians before making a move to Europe with Russian side CSKA Moscow two years later. It was in Russia that he enjoyed the most successful scoring period of his entire career, netting an impressive 44 goals in just 77 appearances for the club, including two goals against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

At the age of just 21, it seemed certain Jo would go on to have a bright career for both club and country, and attention turned to which club he'd sign for as he looked to take the next step forward.

There was plenty of interest in him from the major European leagues, but with playing time a huge factor in his decision, an unexpected offer stood out more than the rest. City agreed a club-record fee with CSKA for his signature, with Mark Hughes