Their European campaign began in the unlikely surroundings of Barnsley’s Oakwell ground, against opponents from the Faroe Islands.
When Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, bought Manchester City in September 2008, he acquired a club that had already been beaten at home – the Etihad Stadium, not Oakwell, which was only required for one game – by the Danes of Midtjylland in the Uefa Cup.
Their European run had begun so early they faced the Faroese outsiders EB Streymur on July 14.
When Qatar Sports Investments took over Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, they made a still more inauspicious beginning in continental competition. They were eliminated from Europe before the end of August.
Times have changed. City and PSG have had injections of ambition as well as considerable resources. Now, over the next week, one will take a seismic step forward, into the Uefa Champions League semi-finals.
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Paris Saint-Germain have been there once before, propelled by George Weah in 1994/95. City had not even reached the quarter-finals until this season.
The other three semi-finalists could be the continent's three resident aristocrats, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, champions of Europe on a combined 20 occasions. Joining them would confer membership of a select band.
Each, for contrasting reasons, needs to. PSG have outgrown the French league. Like Bayern, they require European success to confer status as a superpower.
For City, meanwhile, a place in the final four would compensate for a season where they have been reduced to pursuing fourth spot in the Premier League.
It would set the scene for Pep Guardiola to try and plot a path further when he takes over in the summer and enable Manuel Pellegrini to depart with considerable credit in the bank.
Yet while City languish 15 points behind Leicester, PSG have to be branded hot favourites. Their record this season is astonishing: they have won 39 of 48 games in all competitions, retaining their domestic title on March 13.
They can swat inferiors aside with conspicuous ease. With the small matter of a 25-point lead and a goal difference of 63 in Ligue 1, they have to illustrate they are more than just flat-track bullies.
As blunt as ever, Samir Nasri, the City midfidler, highlighted the weakness of Ligue 1.
“I’d like to see Paris play a Monday night at Stoke, West Ham or at the Emirates against Arsenal,” said the Frenchman.
Yet for different reasons, City, who are yet to beat top-six Premier League opponents, have also failed to pass the tougher tests except in a Champions League campaign where they can boast away wins at Borussia Monchengladbach, Sevilla and Dynamo Kiev.
Their European record, while patchy, also includes triumphs on Bayern and Roma’s own turf. Famous victories have tended to come despite notable absences. They may hope that is an encouraging omen.
Yaya Toure is likely to miss out. Raheem Sterling and Vincent Kompany are sidelined. Joe Hart, the only survivor of the Streymur tie in 2008, is a doubt.
Willy Caballero, who has kept only four clean sheets in his City career, could start in goal.
He will face a forward, in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored seven goals in his last three games. The Swede is a winner of 13 domestic league titles, but the Champions League has eluded him. This may be his last chance.
Minus Kompany, the spotlight will shine brighter on Eliaquim Mangala, who has often looked uncomfortable in it.
For all the attacking riches on show, this tie features the two most expensive defenders ever, in the Frenchman and PSG’s David Luiz. Neither is a byword for solidity but PSG have only conceded three goals in eight Champions League games this season.
They present a formidable obstacle, a team who, after three consecutive quarter-final exits, look primed to reach the next stage. City’s task is to upset expectations and their hosts alike.
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