The story of the remarkable transformation of Manchester City since 2008 is told in a new Sky Sports Originals documentary by the three players whove been there since the beginning. Following the news that Pep Guardiola is set to start his new job at the Etihad Stadium on July 1, City Slickers takes a look at the remarkable journey the club has been on in the past eight years since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over.Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta are the three longest serving players at the club and spoke in depth about their experiences. I was here first, then Vinny [Kompany] came charging through the door and about two weeks later Zaba [Zabaleta] came, says Hart, who was signed for £600,000 from Shrewsbury Town.I was told they were both central midfielders! Ive seen Zaba age, thats how long weve been together. Zabaleta, Kompany and Hart are the three longest serving players at the club Zabaleta turned down Juventus to come to City in 2008 for £6.5m: It was so strange to go into the dressing room and I couldnt speak a word of English.Kompany was recruited from Bundesliga side Hamburg for £6.7m and straight away he felt the club was going places.He said: Before I signed I got told something big is about to happen and straight away you saw that those guys mean business.Since 2008, owner Sheikh Mansour and his associates have overseen £1billion transformation of the club, building a state of the art football academy and a team full of star names. Pablo Zabaleta speaks to Geoff Shreeves Everyones got their own story, no-ones just turned up for Manchester City, getting paid bundles of money, being bought for bundles of money just by being them, says Hart.Weve all had to go our own different routes, our own little scraps and perform in the right situations. Aguero: I get big-game nerves Sergio Aguero admits he suffers from nerves in the build-up to big games With their financial strength, City found they could compete in the transfer market - but bringing in so many new faces had its difficulties.In my first game I was asking, literally, Michael Johnsons name in the warm up before the game. I just didnt know the names. In the beginning it was about getting the names in and then slowly you could start building a real team, says Kompany.Its been a whole lot of fun looking forward to going in the next day to meet a new super talent, adds Hart.When we do sign players, I think theyre signing players not just because theyre fantastic players. Were signing peoples personalities, people who want to win, people who want to play for their community, play for their club, and thats where were trying to go. Joe Hart in City Slickers In recent years, City have experienced success on the field, notably winning the Premier League in dramatic fashion in 2012 and again two years later. Off the field the club has grown as well, most recently with the completion of a state-of-the-art training facility with the words of owner Sheikh Mansour stencilled on the walls: We are building a structure for the future not just a team of all-stars.Kompany believes City are leading the way for other clubs: The impact weve had on the local community has probably been bigger than any other club in the world and thats something to be proud of. Barnes and Goater Q&A We quiz Liverpool and Man City legends John Barnes and Shaun Goater on the Capital One Cup final. I mean you cant get past the fact that people are going to have opinions about amounts being spent but the reality is that a lot of money has been spent wisely as well.Ill be disappointed if at the end of my career Ive only got two titles to my name. In my head I just want to win everything. Thats what Ive set out to do in football.This journeys been incredible with City but it just has to carry on. We are part of making sure that this club is something that lasts for a long time.City Slickers is on Sky Sports 1 this Sunday February 28, after the Capital One Cup Final, and available On Demand now. Also See: City can win Champions League Man Citys best boss? Authentic Soccer Jerseys . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ Fake Soccer Jerseys For Sale . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Soccer Jerseys Black Friday .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. The most non-traditional hockey journey to one of the sports most history-laden franchises begins officially Wednesday night in Ottawa. Auston Matthews will pull on a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater for his first, real NHL game.The kid from Scottsdale, Arizona, who chose hockey over baseball six years ago, is now charged with being the Original Six teams savior as?the Leafs begin their Centennial season in the midst of a massive yet promising rebuild. At the middle of it all is Matthews, whose path from Arizona to Michigan to Switzerland and now Toronto is something to behold.There are so many things that run through your head, Brian Matthews told ESPN.com this week as his sons big moment approached. Probably a lot of the same stuff that was running through my head at the World Cup and at the draft: memories, emotions, road trips, all of these things that you thought were long lost and forgotten and they come rushing back in. You kind of relive moments that have nothing to do with whats happening at the time -- enjoyment and fun from previous years and how we got here.On Tuesday, young Auston -- along with linemate and fellow rookie William Nylander?-- was the last player to come off the ice at the teams practice facility in Toronto. A rink rat, like hes always been. There were no visible signs that it was the eve of a seminal moment in his young life.Afterward, the 19-year-old center allowed that he has indeed taken time to think what Wednesday night represents for him.Its going to be a dream come true. Its something that you think about ever since youre a little kid. My parents will be there. Its going to be a special moment.Brian and Ema Matthews, like many parents of gifted athletes, are central to the story. Ema lived with Auston last season when he played pro hockey in Switzerland during his NHL draft year, and this season it will be dad living with Auston in his Toronto pad.At some point we wont be there, well just be going to games, said Brian, a chief technological officer for a New Jersey-based manufacturing company. But this seemed to be the best possible plan for this transition.Matthews is still a kid, with enormous pressure on his shoulders, living in a foreign country. The decision to have dad live with his son seems awfully smart at this juncture.The job that his parents have done with him, with the maturity, the respectfulness and the politeness, it just comes out loud and clear, said Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello on Tuesday. We found that out right away when we had the opportunity to sit down with his parents and sisters. And then, spending some time with him, prior to the draft. He certainly has a presence about him, the way he handles himself beyond his age. Right now he just has to not expect too much of himself. He has to grow. Hes still young, [its his] first year in the league, there are a lot of highs and lows.To that end, the Leafs organization is ensuring that Matthews has only hockey to focus on this season. The demands are constant -- everyone in hockey-crazy Toronto wants a piece of young Matthews. But the Leafs, in conjunction with Matthews agent, Pat Brisson, are taking steps to make sure hes not overwhelmed.I have a tremendous respect and relationship with Pat Brisson,, said Lamoriello.dddddddddddd We talk often. Theres open communication about whats best for [Matthews] future. Everyone is on board.Matthews will be available to the media like any other player at practice and games, but Leafs PR director Steve Keogh will sift through the mountain of other daily requests to ensure that the young player isnt overrun.?Lamoriello believes the Leafs have a head coach who is perfectly suited to bring Matthews along -- and, in a way, protect him, too.Mike Babcock is, day in and day out, just outstanding at doing that, said Lamoriello. And I think thats basically our biggest asset, with the young group that we have.The season of pro hockey in Switzerland last season plus his experience at the IIHF world championships in Russia last spring and at the best-on-best World Cup in Toronto last month have all helped prepare Matthews for the level of competition hell face in the NHL.I think its benefitted me a lot, said Matthews. Just going against older, more mature players who have experience in the NHL and professional hockey for a long time.That Matthews chose the Swiss League last year, a tough test for a teenager, didnt surprise his father.Hes always sought after the best that he can go against, said Brian. It doesnt matter which sport. Hes always looking for another challenge. A big part is that hes willing to take on and accept the consequences; he just wants a shot. So if he gets to go up against the best, whether it was Switzerland or in Mini Mites, or now the NHL, thats all he wants -- that challenge, the ability to face it, to test his abilities, to see what he needs to work on.He knows he has a ton he has to learn, but you have to start somewhere and I think hes just looking forward to just getting it going.It was 31 years ago that Wendel Clark went from being taken with the first overall NHL pick by the Maple Leafs to rookie forward with the club just a few months later. Even though Matthews has benefitted from his pro experience during the past year, Clark says that his first official game wearing that Leafs uniform will be something that stands alone.The exhibition games are one thing, and playing in the World Cup certainly helps, but theres still that very first game, Clark said Tuesday. Thats the real kickoff to his career. That first game, the warm-up, putting the sweater on, its really happening now. Its fun.And to think, if the Winnipeg Jets hadnt moved to Arizona some 21 years ago, it might have never happened. Auston Matthews might have never have become a fan of the sport.I think he would have played baseball, it could have been football, it could have been a number of different sports, his father said. But if the Coyotes had not been in our backyard and he hadnt gotten that exposure early on ... I honestly would not give it a big chance as to where he would be from a hockey perspective today without the Coyotes being here. No doubt about that.The kid known affectionately by his family and friends as Papi is ready to take on the NHL. And with that, a franchise with a tortured past is officially set to the turn the page. ' ' '