PSG vs Manchester City preview: How Middle Eastern investment helped clubs to the Champions League quarter-final

A look at the two clubs' rise to the elite after massive investment

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan (Getty Images)

Manchester City were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain after reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

The game will see two of the world's richest clubs go head-to-head, but unlike some the other clubs left in the competition, City and PSG's riches haven't come from many years of success or worldwide support (although both of those are growing rapidly). Instead, their rise to the elite was prompted by a huge cash injection from Middle Eastern royalty.

The two clubs can now claim to be two of the world's best but both have been giving a £1billion advantage that few other clubs can compete with.

Here, we look at how Arab investment has transformed the fortunes of these two clubs, and the where Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan made their money.

​PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi (Getty Images)

	Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Man City)	Nasser Al-Khelaifi
Nationality	Emirati	Qatari
Personal wealth (Forbes are unable to determine individual wealth of Middle Easten royalty)	Unknown	Unknown
National wealth	£66,997 GDP per capita (7th richest country in the world)	£133,000 GDP per capita (richest country in the world)
National resources	Seventh biggest oil reserve	third largest natural gas reserve
Investment group	Abu Dhabi United Group (assets in excess of £500bn)	Qatar Sports Investments (assets in excess of £100bn)
Position	Owner	Chairman
Other interests	Deputy PM of UAE, half-brother of current president	Former professional tennis player, CEO of beIN Media

Manchester City

A reasonably successful club in the 1960s and 70s that had challenged for titles and trophies, City fans endured a long drought of success before Emirati investment in 2008. Their last major trophy was the 1976 League Cup and they had been a yo-yo club throughout the 19902, dropping down to the third tier as recently as 1998-99.

Before being taken over in 2008, City had established themselves as a Premier League club, although their highest finish had been eight in 2004-05. The huge cash injection quickly changed that, with £120million spent in 2008 and 2009, before City won their first trophy in 35 years with the 2011 FA Cup. A first League title since 1968 followed in 2011-12, when Sergio Aguero famously won the league ahead of rivals Manchester United after a last-second goal against Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad Stadium.

Since then another title and League Cup has followed, in Manuel Pellegrini's first season in charge, but this season and last City have failed to challenge. The tie against PSG marks the first time the club has ever reached the quarter-final stage of Europe's top club competition.

In eight seasons in charge of the club, the Abu Dhabi United Group have easily eclipsed a billion pounds in spending. Approximately £850million has been spent on transfer fees, including a club record £55m for Kevin de Bruyne just last summer. Countless more millions have been spent on wages, while the Group also spent £200m on the Etihad Campus - the state of the art training facility - and expanded the Etihad stadium.

The investment has seen City jump up the money leagues. Deloitte value City as the fifth most valuable club in the world, with an estimated wort of $1.37billion (£950m).

Paris Saint-Germain

Founded in 1970 after Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain merged, PSG were always more of a cup team than a perennial title winner, although they have been a fixture in the top flight since then. They had won just two Ligue 1 titles (1986 and 1994) before their current streak of four in a row, but had been regular challengers in the 1990s before a barren period of bottom half finishes in the early 2000s.

Qatar Sports Investments bought the club in 2011 and quickly changed the European football landscape, spending €548m on players in their five seasons, while offering wages better than pretty much every other club in Europe. Edinson Cavani (£55m) and David Luiz (£50m) are two of the most expensive signings ever, while another €100m has been spent this season.


 Edinson Cavani has been part of €550m in spending since the Qatri group took over
 (GETTY IMAGES)

The high expenditure, almost €550m in just five seasons, has made their virtually untouchable in Ligue 1, where they have won four titles in a row. This season, the trophy was wrapped up last weekend with eight games remaining and a 25 point lead over nearest rivals Monaco. However, the club have not managed to trouble Europe's elite in the Champions League, having been knocked out at the quarter-final in each of the previous three seasons.

PSG are also less interested with growing the club off the field than Manchester City have been. They are only rated as the 12th most valuable club in the world (£437m), despite having the fourth biggest revenue.

--

The two clubs have only ever met once before, playing out a 0-0 draw in Manchester in the Uefa Cup in December 2008. Just three players - Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany - remain in the City squad from that day, while none of the PSG players are still at the club.

Paris Saint-Germain will host Manchester City at the Parc des Princes on 6 April, with the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on 12 April.