Manchester City have been one of the most fascinating clubs of the last 20 years.

It's astonishing to think that the Citizens were loitering in the third tier of English football as recently as 1998/99, while their rivals Manchester United were romping their way to a historic treble.

Fast-forward two decades and now City are the dominant force in Manchester having won two of the last three Premier League titles, while also bagging the trophy in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

All change at Man City

Now, of course, the elephant in the room is that the takeover of Sheikh Mansour in 2008 has played a massive role in City rising from mid-table to regularly competing in the Champions League.

Such a massive injection of cash from the United Arab Emirates has seen them consistently spending some of the biggest transfer fees in the sport and attracting truly world-class players.

However, while it might be easy to think that City have had the Midas touch since 2008, lest we forget that not everybody who has pulled on the sky blue jersey has thrived in the north-west.

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Man City alumni

In fact, there are several names that will be familiar to you in the footballing world that you might have forgotten ever played at the Etihad Stadium by way of them being, well, a little forgettable.

We've studied this phenomenon at AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid over the last few months, but City might be the biggest gold mine of all in terms of churning out forgotten players.

Now, we know they'll be footballing geniuses out there who will instantly recall all of these stars in City jerseys, but I feel pretty confident in saying that many of them will have slipped your mind.

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20 forgotten Man City players

So, without further ado, here are the 20 players you might have forgotten played for Manchester City over the last 20 years:

1. Loris Karius

Whaaaaaat!? That's right, before Karius' time in Liverpool ended in disaster, the German shot-stopper was learning his trade elsewhere in the north-west with two years in the City academy.

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2. Daniel Sturridge

Considering Sturridge actually spent six years in total with City, it's bizarre how forgettable his breakthrough spell really was and they were made to regret flogging him to Chelsea in 2009.

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3. Scott Sinclair

While Jack Rodwell's catastrophic switch in 2012 crops up every now and again, the arguably more-disastrous move of his compatriot Sinclair in the same summer seems to slip through the net.

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4. Denis Suarez

While Suarez's time in the Premier League is best known for his doomed loan spell with Arsenal, the ex-Barcelona man's first taste of England came with just two City appearances between 2011 and 2013.

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5. Kasper Schmeichel

Thrust into the City fold because of his father's swansong season at the club, Kasper was limited to just 10 appearances in Manchester, before going onto prove himself with Leicester City.

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6. Maicon

Just three years after establishing himself as the world's best right-back, Maicon looked like a faded force by the time he made a cameo with City and his mere 13 appearances are better forgotten.

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7. Ben Mee

Many fans' first introduction to Mee will have been his near-omnipresence in the Premier League teams of Burnley's recent history as opposed to his lone senior appearance at the Etihad Stadium.

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8. Jerome Boateng

One of the better-remembered 'forgotten' Premier League spells, but it's frankly head-scratching that a future World Cup winner, though admittedly played out of position, didn't make his mark at City.

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9. Wayne Hennessey

Hennessey has gone onto prove himself as a handy Premier League stopper and almost has 100 caps for Wales, but it was in the youth ranks of City that he learned his trade as long ago as 2003.

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10. Andrei Kanchelskis

One of a few players on this list to have represented both Manchester clubs and while his four years with United were simply unforgettable, his mere 10 outings on loan at City have largely been confined to trivia.

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11. Nolito

Pep Guardiola must have gotten carried away when he saw Nolito thriving at Euro 2016 because he never made the grade in the Premier League, leaving after just one season, 30 games and six goals.

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12. Owen Hargreaves

Hargraves brought down the curtain on his injury-ravaged career with a swansong at City that always felt like a passing gamble, though the former United man did manage a screamer on his debut.

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13. Daniel Van Buyten

With 14 major honours at Bayern Munich and almost 100 caps for Belgium, underrate Van Buyten at your peril, but we'll forgive you for letting his five-appearance loan spell at City slip your mind.

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14. Albert Riera

Best remembered for never really making the grade with Liverpool, Riera's first taste of English football actually came with, like so many players on this list, a completely forgettable loan to City.

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15. Pablo Mari

Despite signing for City in what should have been the prime of his career, Mari didn't make a single appearance for Guardiola's men and Arsenal fans will be desperately hoping he fares better down south.

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16. Adrien Rabiot

Huh??? Rabiot is without a doubt one of the most eyebrow-raising names of the 20 by way of briefly appearing in City's youth ranks, before making his name with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

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17. David Pizarro

If you've completely forgotten the former Chile, AS Roma and Inter Milan midfielder being airdropped into the middle of City's first ever Premier League-winning season, even scoring, then you're not alone.

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18. Kieran Trippier

City were made to regret showing Trippier during the door before he made a senior appearance for the club when he thrived at Tottenham, scored in a World Cup semi-final and secured an Atletico Madrid move.

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19. Andy Cole

A bonafide legend at United, Cole became something of a Premier League journeyman during the twilight years of his career, though 10 goals in 23 appearances for City is nothing to be sniffed at.

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20. Angus Gunn

It's a shame that Southampton's 9-0 defeat to Leicester essentially confined Gunn to the bench because he's actually one of England's best young 'keepers and a product of the City academy.

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How many did you remember?

Don't get me wrong, if you've remembered all 20 of them, then credit to you, but otherwise, be honest with yourself and tally up how many you couldn't recall in the colours of the Citizens.

For me, Kanchelskis was actually one of the biggest surprises, though that could have something to do with my age, while I only found out very recently that Rabiot spent time in City's academy.

At the end of the day, try as we might, it's almost impossible to keep up with every transfer that transpires in the crazy revolving-door of football, so forgetting certain spells is simply inevitable. 

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And for whatever reason, whether it's down to all the changes over the last 20 years or the rapid turnover in their academy system, it seems as though that's especially the case at the Etihad.

But when one of the best managers in the world has just signed a new contract with them, perhaps with Lionel Messi in tow, then I don't think City fans will be too bothered about the old straggler.