SHEIKH Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the new owner of Manchester City after his £210million takeover was completed two hours before Sunday's game with Portsmouth.

The documents, numbering around 80, were signed at the stadium.

Abu Dhabi Royal Prince Sheikh Mansour was not at the game but Khaldoon Khalifa Al Murbarak, who will be the new chairman-designate, was in attendance.

The deal is set to be ratified by the Premier League and ownership officially transferred from Uk Sports Investments Ltd, the vehicle used by Thaksin Shinawatra, to the Sheikh on Tuesday.

"We are looking towards the long term development of Manchester City," declared Khalifa. "The club boasts three foundation assets that are hard to ignore in its unique and passionate fan base, a strong management team, and an Academy that is arguably the best in the country.

"There is a huge potential to build on these assets and ensure that the club achieves the ultimate level of success."

Sheikh Mansour - a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family - also issued a statement in which he revealed Khalifa, also from Abu Dhabi, will be appointed chairman.

He also gave his full backing to City manager Mark Hughes who was preparing his team for the home game against Portsmouth when the news broke.

Addressed to “fellow Manchester City fans”, the statement from Sheikh Mansour said: “Like you, we are excited about the future of the club, and we hope the securing of Robinho as a Manchester City player during the transfer window is seen as a signal of our very real intent.

“It has been an exciting two weeks for all of us all.

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“My intention is that Manchester City has the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field. For that reason I have asked my friend Khaldoon Al Mubarak, to take on the position of chairman of the club.

“My request to him has been to put together a board and executive team that is worthy of the heritage and potential of Manchester City.

“Khaldoon and I have agreed that the we will not be making any more announcements for a while as we really now need to sit down with the manager, executive chairman and key staff and put together plans that will, over time, get the club to where we want it to be.

“We also want to make it clear that Mark Hughes is absolutely integral to our plans.

“We are lucky to have someone who we believe is the best young British manager; someone who has been successful on the global stage, the Premier League and of course as a player.

“We are ambitious for the club, like you, but not unreasonably so and we understand it takes time to build a team capable of sustaining a presence in the top four of the Premier League and winning European honours.

“We know a little of the history at City also and whilst we want to bring in the best players in the world, we also want to see the academy continue to develop talent and give Mark Hughes the chance to bring home-grown players into the team.

“We consider Mark Hughes to be one of the prime assets of the club. We will back his judgement in what players to bring in and we look forward to working more closely with him in the future.

“We are building a structure for the future not just a team of all-stars.

“I should perhaps also explain that despite what you may have read, I have bought the club in a private capacity and as part of my personal business strategy to hold a wide portfolio of business investments.

“I am a football fan, and I hope that you will soon see that I am now also a Manchester City fan.

“But I am also a long-term investor and that is probably more important to the club and to you because it means we are here for the long haul and that we will act always in the best interests of the club and all of its stakeholders, but especially you the fans.”

Outgoing owner, former Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra praised the fans for their support during his twelve month reign.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Manchester City and watching the team progress in such a short space of time," he said.

"When I bought Manchester City the club had been languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League and had an uncertain future. 

 “We invested in new talent and management and have been delighted by the success that has brought to the club.

 “The supporters of Manchester City have been wonderful to me. They have made my family and I welcome and we have enjoyed meeting them enormously. They are passionate about their football club and deserve success.

“My financial position has changed in the last 15 months and I thus felt it was in the best interests of everyone associated with the club that I hand over the reins to new owners who share similar ambitions and visions to my own for Manchester City.

 “I look forward to attending as many matches as I can and watching the new owners build on the platform we have established in the last 15 months.

“Finally may I thank the City Council for their support to the Club and also to the staff of Manchester City for all their hard work and dedication, I wish them all continued success for the future.

“Last but not least, may I thank H. H. Sheikh Mansour for his kind support to Manchester City and to my family during my difficult time which will never be forgotten.”