Khaldoon Al Mubarak hails Manchester City’s winning DNA as Enzo Maresca appointment nears | OneFootball

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has delivered a defiant message to those questioning whether the club has reached its ceiling.

The comments come at the most significant crossroads in the club’s recent history. Guardiola has recently bid farewell to City after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium, with Bernardo Silva and John Stones also leaving as free agents.

Enzo Maresca has been identified as Guardiola’s successor, though compensation talks with Chelsea continue to delay a formal announcement.

Speaking in his customary end-of-season interview with the club’s in-house media team, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak placed the current transition in the context of a journey that began in 2008 – and expressed complete confidence that the club’s winning culture will outlast any individual, however exceptional.

Al Mubarak: Winning is in Man City’s DNA

The chairman began by making unambiguously clear that the question of whether City have peaked misunderstands the nature of what has been built at the Etihad Stadium.

“We’re far from peaked. This is a club designed, built to win. We’re used to it, because it’s in our DNA,” Al Mubarak said.

“I look at where the club was in 2008, then at every part of these last 18 years. Roberto Mancini brought that first Premier League title, we’ll never forget those moments.

“A great period, after a first FA Cup win in many, many years. Then Manuel (Pellegrini) came, same, another Premier League title and more success.

“Then Pep came in, and it was getting that mindset, DNA of a winning club. Now, this club is the way we all know it now. What Pep has given us has taken us to the next level, and I think we’re so thankful for what he’s helped build.”

The tribute to Guardiola sits within a broader historical arc, one that stretches from Mancini’s famous title-winning era through Pellegrini’s stewardship and into the Guardiola decade.

Al Mubarak’s point is that no single era, however dominant, defines what City are. The club is larger than any one manager or generation of players.

From Aguero to Cherki, each generation has been special: Al Mubarak

Turning to the player groups that have defined each period, the chairman offered one of the most vivid portraits yet of how he views the ongoing evolution of the squad.

“Winning is hard, it’s not easy, a lot of hard work by a collective. Look over these 18 years how many different generations of teams we’ve collectively put together, each one special,” Al Mubarak added.

“From that first group of the Agueros, Yaya Toures, the David Silvas, the next group of Kevin De Bruynes, Ilkay Gundogans, Bernardos, to this group of Erling Haalands, Cherkis, Fodens, Khusanovs.

“We continue and in every aspect, it’s different because it’s different players but the success will come because I think we do a very good job in maintaining a winning mindset.

“Hence, when you look at our records in English football over these last 18 years, Man City is the most successful club in this country. I think top down, from Sheikh Mansour, myself, Ferran, the whole organisation, we have a team. A winning team.

“That team will continue, there will be players, coaches, executives, that’s part of life, but we will keep going and we will continue to deliver.”

The specific naming of Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Abdukodir Khusanov alongside Erling Haaland as the faces of the current generation is a statement of intent from the chairman, a public declaration that the rebuild sporting director Hugo Viana has overseen this season is already laying the foundations of the next great City era.

What does Al Mubarak’s assessment mean for City’s future?

The chairman’s words carry significant weight at a time when external voices have questioned whether City can sustain their dominance through such a fundamental transition.

Guardiola’s departure, the exits of long-serving players and the ongoing uncertainty over Rodri‘s contract and Josko Gvardiol‘s future have given ammunition to those who believe the club faces a prolonged period of rebuilding.

Al Mubarak’s answer is the club’s own history. Eighteen years, three distinct generations, six Premier League titles, a maiden UEFA Champions League and a domestic double last season – all built on the same foundation of structure, investment and an unwavering belief that Manchester City are designed to win.