From Streymur to Saudi - How Man City went from Europa League hopefuls to Club World Cup finalists

It has been 15 years since Manchester City played FC Twente in their opening UEFA Cup fixture in 2008/09. City qualified for the tournament having been handed a qualification spot after winning the UEFA Fair Play award the previous term.

It was their first time in European competition - except for a brief failed 2003/04 Europa League qualification campaign that saw them knocked out to now defunct Polish side Groclin - since the days of Joe Corrigan and Brian Kidd.

The Blues had to go through the qualification stages. Mark Hughes’ first competitive match as manager saw him face semi-professional Faroese side Streymur, whose home stadium capacity was little over 1000.

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City hosted Streymur at Oakwell, Barnsley’s stadium, as a Bon Jovi concert had left their pitch needing to be relaid. The club reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League that year, knocking out Copenhagen, the team they are now drawn against in the Champions League round of 16, before being beaten by Hamburg.

It took a decade-and-a-half from City’s first European campaign under their new ownership for the club to finally deliver the trophy Sheikh Mansour and their fans really wanted. The first European trophy since their 1969-70 Cup Winners' Cup to find its way back to the blue side of Manchester.

Now City have the chance to add to this year’s Champions League and European Super Cup glories. They can 'close the circle' by beating Fluminense and becoming champions of the world in Saudi Arabia.

It has been a long road from Barnsley to Istanbul. City steadily progressed in continental competitions in the