However, there was yet another Algerian sensation that used to be a part of Man City. That player is none other than Ali Benarbia. The former midfielder spent most of his career in France, but is fondly remembered for his spell with the Citizens. It was during his time at the city that Benarbia was nicknamed "The Algerian Magician".

Let us now take a look at his years as a footballer.

Early Career and Rise at Martigues

The Algerian's talent in football was evidenced from a young age, as a then 10 year Benarbia had caught the attention of district side ROC Narbonne. 7 years later, he was signed by French side FC Martigues.

Benarbia's father had encouraged him in his quest to be a professional footballer, but he also knew that immense hard work was needed to achieve his goal.

His time at Martigues was quite a successful one. Benarbia initially began to play in their youth team, but was immediately promoted to the main squad by 1987. The Algerian midfielder helped the club in clinching the Second Division title in 1993, which meant that Martigues got promoted to the French First Division.

The Monaco years

The relegation of Martigues in 1995 spelled the end of Benarbia's time at the time. He was signed by Monaco, where he had a successful stint both in terms of individual and collective accolades.

Within two seasons, Benarbia won his first major honour by winning the French League title with Monaco. He was also named as the Player of the Year in France. Despite those heroic efforts, a call up from the national side never came.

It was always a dream for Benarbia to play for France, which saw him reject several offers to play for his home country of Algeria.

Benarbia was also a part of Jean Tigana's legendary Monaco side, which shocked the world by knocking out Manchester United in the 1998 Champions League.

From Monaco to Bordeaux

After three seasons at Monaco, Benarbia's next chapter in football took him to Bordeaux. The French club signed the midfielder for a £1 million transfer fee. He continued his heroic displays at Bordeaux, where he played one of the best football in his career. Benarbia added yet another French League title to his cabinet with Bordeaux. His heroics at Bordeaux caught the attention of PSG, who eventually signed the player for £2 million in 1999. Thus, his stay at Bordeaux only lasted for a year.

PSG's leader

Benarbia was named as PSG captain during his stint at the club, in a side that had the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka. His time at Paris saw Benarbia win his first ever European honour, as PSG clinched the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup along with Aston Villa and Troyes.

City's Magical Algerian

The Algerian eventually departed from French football in 2001, and was signed by Manchester City as a free agent. Benarbia established himself as a fan favourite among the Citizens, as he helped the side win the First Division. This meant that City was promoted back to the Premier League. Benarbia's efforts were also rewarded by winning the club's player of the year award and being named in the select side for the Division.

Benarbia was made City's captain in their return season to the Premier League. However, he went on to struggle due to the pace of the league and thus his influence was less in that campaign.

His final game for City came against Barcelona in 2003, which was a historic tie that marked the opening of the City of Manchester Stadium.

Although Benarbia announced his retirement after this match, the Algerian had two short stints at Qatari sides Al-Rayyan and Qatar SC before ultimately bidding farewell to football. The Algerian Magic had finally ended.