Daniel Alves: 'I'd never heard of Manchester City'

Barcelona full-back Daniel Alves has conceded that he had never heard of Manchester City prior to 2008, when Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed took ownership of the club.

Following the arrival of Zayed, City have spent big money on the likes of Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva, which culminated in the Citizens winning the Premier League title in 2012.

However, ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Manuel Pellegrini's men tonight at the Etihad Stadium, Alves has admitted that he used to think that Manchester United were the only club in the city.

"I didn't realise until about five years ago that Manchester had two teams. Of course Manchester United have been one of the most famous and successful clubs in Europe for many years, but I thought they were the only one," the Daily Mail quotes the Brazilian as saying.

"When Manchester City got new owners and started buying some of the best players in Europe, everybody knew who they were, but until then I must be honest I didn't know about them.

"I think this is the reality of modern football. You don't need 10 or 20 years to establish yourself. If you have rich owners, you can do it in two or three years. It doesn't matter if I or anybody else agree with it - it is just the reality of today."

Barca and City have never previously met in a competitive fixture.