The focus of the footballing world will be centred on the planet's biggest club and the world's richest club as they both return to Premier League action.
European champions United take on Liverpool at Anfield in their first major clash of the season at lunchtime, then City play fellow billionaires Chelsea in front of a sell-out crowd at Eastlands in the evening.
Both matches will be screened live to millions around the world, underlining the belief that Manchester is now the most important city in football, surpassing traditional top dogs Milan.
Since the opening day of the season, the clubs have spent the best part of £90m between them. Both flexed their muscles on transfer deadline day with United capturing Dimitar Berbatov for £30.75m from Spurs while City shattered the British transfer record to sign Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5m.
City legend Colin Bell is delighted to see the Blues back among the big clubs.
He said: "It has always baffled me why someone with a lot of money hasn't come in before. I've always thought of City as a big club and with the support we have you could do a lot.
"If the money is there it is possible that we will be up there with United and the top clubs, and I never thought I'd be saying that."
Although former United and AC Milan player Ray Wilkins believes it is too soon to describe Manchester as the world's home of football, he can see it happening in the not too distant future.
"Milan is considered the most powerful because, more often than not, both clubs are in the Champions League," he said. "That is not the case in Manchester but with all their money City could break into it. It can be done with the right players. But the real top players will want to play in the Champions League, as Berbatov proved. He could have probably made a lot more money at City."
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City are not the world's richest club, they have the world's richest owner.
I will love the day when he pulls out and goes off on another venture. It will goodbye city.
Ray Wilkins! what a complete idiot! AC Milan are not i repeat not in the Chimps league!!!
Abu Dhabi United might be more interested in developing the land around Eastlands.
Pleassseee.
we need to win something first, and then win again and again, before Manchester can be called a football world powerbase.
we have won nowt since 1976, then that was a mickey mouse cup.. for a great City like Manchester we are as useless as Bristol for winning things,
ps..Trafford is no more in Manchester than Salford is.
check out the A to Z. and to which town halls the clubs pay their taxes to.
November 30th
bring it on. CTID
andy p, sorry mate its not going to happen. Be scared mate its okay the cycles of the footballing world are revolving and guess what? Its our time pal, you sad little glory hunter.CTID
MEUN think you need to your homework. How can the world be watching the two Manchester teams? There is only one
John, correct mate my sentiments exactly, but we have been telling these losers for years what Manchester is all about....Its not red!!
Just leave it to the reds to uphold the footballing traditions of our great city.
Feted and admired throughout the world for majestic football and rich history. MUFC are the flagbearers for Manchester and always will be.
As for the other lot;
''You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig''
Andy P in wythenshawe : Why don't you go and drown your sorrows in the Silver Birch or the Happy Man (which clearly you are not).City are THE RICHES club in the world thats one title we have taken of you rags from Salford next will be the most famous.
John - sheikhing all over,
-your small time mentality, epitomises everything your little club is about. You are obsessed with us, absolutely obsessed. We are known globally as simply 'Manchester' because as we all know, there is only one club that matters in this city or if we're being pedantic as you are, this conurbation. I wish you the best of luck with your new sugar daddy but before you sit at the table with the giants of the game, you have to earn the right first. Believe me, you are a very, very long way from that and it doesn't matter how many Brazillians you buy who have never heard of Manchester City, this situation will not change in your lifetime.... 17 League Championships and 3 European Cups is what makes you a global phenomenon not a wealthy Arab backing you.
Whats this! Your having a laugh arent you!
Still waiting for the first all Manchester cup final ffs!
What lunatic thinks that? lol
Re John's post:
Well I never! A bitter bleating on about United not being in Manchester -- such stunning originality! Whatever next? You'll be saying all our supporters come from London or something similarly witty!
In terms of world football, there's only one club that people outside this country have for years referred to simply as "Manchester" and it isn't City. Maybe the club selling itself to Abu Dhabi United will change matters but who knows. I reckon there's as much chance that it'll all blow up in their faces...again.
Yes the richest club in the world is in Manchester but the biggest club in the world is in Spain at present untill the City of Eastlands is built! That debt ridden club in Salford is neither!
have london not had two clubs consistantly in the knockout stages of the champions league over the last 4 or 5 years ...another nothing article from MEN ...United to claim all three points from anfield again on the wkend :) cmon reds!!
Blackley Red, M9,
12/09/2008 at 10:18
Please in your own words tell me why Man U are disliked. Please don say it is because of what you have achieved. You were disliked before than
Incidentally, since City fans are obviously so well-versed in Greater Manchester's administrative boundaries, why do so many of them think Old Trafford is in Salford?
City are not the world's richest club, they have the world's richest owner. I will love the day when he pulls out and goes off on another venture. It will goodbye city.
Andy P, Wythenshawe, Manchester
12/09/2008 at 09:22
Christ! Give us a chance, he's not even bought the club yet!
PS Wilkins, neither you nor Berbatov know what we were offering as we didn't get to speak to him given he was kidnapped from the airport....
Well the world is full of imposters wanting to be MANCHESTER UNITED so much!
1.Football club united of manchester. 2.Manchester Abu dhabi UNITED City...they've even done their best to steal the name MANCHESTER UNITED.
to all the city fans here....u want to b the best team in manchester...ok bt to do zis u hav to win at least 17 premierleague title,10 Fa cups n 3 european cup...so go n win all these trophies n come here again n then u can say u r z bst team here...btw i dnt nid to tell u hmw mch time it will take for u to achive zis hehe...so till then just shut up n watch the biggest teams in england at the moment play there wonderful attacking football.....btw money is not everything if it was the case then in the 4 years that chelsea is owned by the roman then whud have already won every trophy possible bt its not z case...so dnt fink zat u hav money then u r the biggest club in the world use ur brain a little if possible
to all the city fans here....u want to b the best team in manchester...ok bt to do zis u hav to win at least 17 premierleague title,10 Fa cups n 3 european cup...so go n win all these trophies n come here again n then u can say u r z bst team here...btw i dnt nid to tell u hmw mch time it will take for u to achive zis hehe...so till then just shut up n watch the biggest teams in england at the moment play there wonderful attacking football.....btw money is not everything if it was the case then in the 4 years that chelsea is owned by the roman then whud have already won every trophy possible bt its not z case...so dnt fink zat u hav money then u r the biggest club in the world use ur brain a little if possible
n0b0dY ...
12/09/2008 at 11:31
Can anyone decypher this drival cos i aint got a scooby doo what they are saying
Is it true United are thimking of taking over the olympic stadium after the games are over to be nearer to their fans!
Manc and blue actually you have to win 19 titles and 6 european cups to surpass the most sucsesful team in Enlish history
@A Manc and blue - Can anyone decypher this drival cos i aint got a scooby doo what they are saying 12/09/2008 at 11:35.
Yes I can see where your confusion lies, primary because it's talking about being successful and winning.....I'm not sure if those words exist in the bitters vocabulary :p
" I've always thought of City as a big club and with the support we have you could do a lot".
SUPPORT!! I went a couple of times last year, (just for a laugh as city were giving out free tickets at my kids school). We arrived late and people were still strolling in at 3.15. It was half empty, so much so we wandered around to try out different seats. After half time 'fans' actually stayed at the bar watching it on monitors and eventually my lad was so bored and uninspired by the atmosphere he wanted to leave. He got more enjoyment out of seeing a dead dog in the canal on the way home and spoke only of that afterwards. I'm sure they'll fill the ground now, (for a while until it all falls apart as it always does), but I wonder who the new city fans will be. Smacks of the new chelsea fans we saw surface when they suddenly became a 'big club' overnight. (Doesn't work that way).
The bottom line is no matter what you bitters say...ask anyone in the world (yes there's life outside of Manchester) about a football team in Manchester and you'll only get one answer.. Manchester United....and thats something you're gonna have to live with for the rest of your sad lives lol