Listing number 11 was another Man City player, Ali Benarbia.
Benarbia joined Monaco in 1995, winning a championship in 1997, and then moved to Bordeaux in 1998. At Bordeaux, Benarbia won the championship again in the 1998-99 season and was crowned player of the year in France. Surprisingly he was sold to PSG after this triumph, although he failed to capture the same form there.
Benarbia left France in 2001 and was signed on a free transfer by Manchester City whose manager Kevin Keegan was familiar with him from when he scored two goals for Monaco against Keegan's Newcastle. He became a firm favourite amongst the supporters as City won promotion back to the Premiership, winning the club's player of the year award and being named in the select side for the First Division. He was made captain the following season, although he found the pace of the Premier League harder and was much less influential in his second season. He played his final game in a City shirt in 2003 against Barcelona in a game to mark the opening of the City of Manchester Stadium, before announcing his retirement.
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