The balance of power in English football has shifted many times down the years, but two of the most dominant teams in the Premier League era are both situated in Manchester, less than five miles apart.
Sunday sees the 195th and latest edition of the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City, and it is a fixture that will evoke memories of huge success for both clubs in the Premier League, despite finding themselves off the pace so far this season.
Whereas United dominated the 1990s and 2000s, their noisy neighbours Man City have taken on the mantle over the past decade and more, lifting eight Premier League titles in total including six of the last seven available.
As is to be expected from the two most successful sides in the Premier League era, some of the competition's greatest names have graced the clubs, with some even crossing the divide to feature for both.
Here, Sports Mole takes on the near-impossible task of choosing the best combined XI between the two clubs from 1992 onwards.
Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel
© Imago
There were many reasons behind United's dominance of the Premier League throughout the '90s, but the presence of Peter Schmeichel in goal was one of the biggest.
The great Dane cost the Red Devils just £505,000 in 1991 and left eight years later as a five-time title winner and having made 292 Premier League appearances for the club.
Schmeichel remains the only goalkeeper to win the Premier League Player of the Season award and was also named in the first ever Premier League PFA Team of the Year, while he ended his career across the divide at Man City, for whom he made a further 29 appearances in the competition.
Honourable mentions: David de Gea, Edwin van der Sar, Ederson, Joe Hart
Right-back: Gary Neville
© Imago
Another stalwart from United's all-conquering 90s team and beyond, Gary Neville played for United his entire career and finally hung up his boots in 2011 after exactly 400 Premier League appearances for the club.
The 85-time England international helped himself to eight top-flight titles in that time, being named in the PFA Team of the Year on five separate occasions including three in a row between 1996 and 1999.
Neville narrowly edges out Kyle Walker, whose time at Man City has seen him lift six Premier League titles along with a host of other trophies.
Honourable mentions: Kyle Walker, Pablo Zabaleta
Centre-backs: Rio Ferdinand, Vincent Kompany
© Imago
One of the most abiding memories of this fixture in recent years is Vincent Kompany's towering header against United in April 2012 - a goal which earned victory for his side to lift them above United on goal difference with only two games of the season remaining, setting up the dramatic events of the final day as Man City pipped their local rivals to the title when United were already celebrating.
Kompany again popped up with a goal as stunning as it was important to beat Leicester City in the 2018-19 title race, and the Belgian lifted Man City's first four Premier League crowns to firmly establish himself as one of the competition's greatest-ever captains.
In all, he made 265 appearances in the Premier League, being named in the PFA Team of the Year three times and winning the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2011-12.
All of those accolades are enough for him to beat Nemanja Vidic to a place in this team, but one half of that famous partnership does make it.
Rio Ferdinand became the most expensive defender in history when he joined United in 2002, but it quickly proved to be money well spent with the England international going on to make 312 top-flight appearances for the club.
During that time Ferdinand helped the all-conquering United to six Premier League titles and was named in the PFA Team of the Year five times, adding to the one selection he had earned during his final season with Leeds United.
Honourable mentions: Nemanja Vidic, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Jaap Stam, Aymeric Laporte, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister
Left-back: Denis Irwin
© Imago
Mr Dependable throughout his 12 seasons with United, Denis Irwin was equally adept at right or left-back and made almost 300 appearances for the club in the Premier League, having joined them before the new era began.
Also a set-piece specialist, Irwin won seven Premier League titles and was named in the PFA Team of the Year twice, narrowly edging fellow United alumnus Patrice Evra to a place at left-back.
Honourable mentions: Patrice Evra, Joao Cancelo, Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov
Central midfield: Kevin De Bruyne, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes
© Imago
There is an embarrassment of riches to choose from in central midfield, so much so that current Ballon d'Or holder Rodri does not even make the cut - although when all is said and done in his Premier League career, he may prove to be impossible to omit.
When it comes to looking at their Premier League careers as a whole, though, former Man United talisman Roy Keane still earns the anchor role in our combined XI.
The Irishman remains the club's most successful ever captain, boasting a trophy haul which included seven Premier League titles among a plethora of other honours.
In total, Keane made 326 Premier League appearances for the club, being named the PFA Players' and FWA Footballer of the Year in 2000 and earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year on five separate occasions.
Even Keane has to play second fiddle to Scholes in the silverware stakes, though, with the pass-master helping United to a whopping 11 Premier League titles - amongst other trophies - during his illustrious 22-year stay at the club.
Revered by his peers and teammates, Scholes remarkably only earned a place in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions, but most were in no doubt as to his ability and, when he eventually hung up his boots for a final time after briefly coming out of retirement once, he had scored 107 goals in 499 top-flight outings for United.
Kevin De Bruyne earns the accolade of being the only current player to make this XI, having established himself as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever players during his 10 seasons at Man City.
The Belgian has made more than 250 Premier League appearances in that time - a tally limited by injuries - scoring 70 goals, but more pertinently registering 114 assists, second only to Ryan Giggs in the all-time list.
Those numbers have helped Man City to six Premier League titles among 14 major trophies, and also seen De Bruyne named in five PFA Premier League Teams of the Year.
Honourable mentions: Rodri, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Yaya Toure, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, Phil Foden, Nicky Butt, Michael Carrick, Bruno Fernandes
Right wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
© Imago
There would not be many arguments with the suggestion that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player to have ever played in the Premier League, even though his very best years came after his United exit in 2009.
It was his Old Trafford spell which set him firmly on course to become one of the game's all-time greats, though, having arrived as a trick-happy winger and left as a formidable force who, at his peak in England, scored 31 goals in just 34 Premier League games.
Ronaldo won three Premier League titles with United, was a four-time inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year and picked up a plethora of other individual awards too, including being named the PFA Player, FWA Footballer and Premier League Player of the Season in both 2007 and 2008.
The first of Ronaldo's five Ballons d'Or also came at Old Trafford and, including his sensational return in 2021, he scored 103 goals in 236 Premier League appearances.
Honourable mentions: David Beckham
Left-wing: Ryan Giggs
© Imago
The ultimate advert for longevity in the Premier League era, Ryan Giggs signed his first professional contract at United in 1990 and played his 963rd and final game for the club 24 years later.
The Welsh wing wizard made 632 of those appearances in the Premier League, scoring 109 goals and creating a record 162 more as he outlasted even Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
Giggs was at the club for all 13 of their Premier League title successes - Liverpool and United are the only clubs to have won more titles in English football history than Giggs alone - and he was named in the PFA Team of the Year on six occasions.
Honourable mentions: Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford
Centre-forward: Sergio Aguero
© Imago
United have naturally been responsible for some of the Premier League's most abiding moments down the years, but they were on the wrong end of perhaps the most memorable of all when Sergio Aguero stole the title from their grasp in the last minute of the last game of the season in 2012.
That was the Argentine's first season in English football, and since then he has gone on to become Man City's all-time leading goalscorer and the highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history, taking that record off Thierry Henry.
Only four players have ever scored more goals in the Premier League and, while honourable mention Wayne Rooney is one of those and unfortunate to miss out on this team, Aguero's consistently prolific nature and superior goals-per-game ratio earns him the nod given the amount of creativity already in this team.
The Argentine ended his decade-long Man City career in 2021 having scored 184 goals in just 275 league appearances, helping the club to five Premier League titles and earning two PFA Team of the Year spots in that time.
Honourable mentions: Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Erling Haaland, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Carlos Tevez, Dwight Yorke, Robin van Persie, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
SPORTS MOLE'S MANCHESTER DERBY COMBINED XI
Sports Mole's Premier League Manchester derby XI: Schmeichel; G Neville, Ferdinand, Kompany, Irwin; De Bruyne, Keane, Scholes; Ronaldo, Aguero, Giggs
Barney Corkhill
