Meet the man with huge plans for the Citizens

In ten years time, when the first words of most children in Asia are ‘Manchester City’, and all of David Beckham’s children are begging for a game at Eastlands, we’ll have one man to thank. It’s not that barmy former Thai Prime Minister with the frozen assets, but City executive chairman Garry Cook. Keep reading for ten fascinating facts about the man and his mental ambitious plans for the future of his club and the entire league…

1. Shinawatra poached him from an executive position at Nike, where he has gained marketing expertise for the past 22 years.

2. His time in the USA with Nike has clearly affected his sensibilities about sport. He believes there should be a break-away division of 10-14 clubs with no promotion or relegation. “The fans would find a way to get passionate about it,” he says.

3. He sees City becoming a global empire that will be bigger than Manchester Utd. By tapping into the Chinese and Indian markets, which represent 30 per cent of the world’s population, he believes the Blues can win the Champions League in “ten years or more”.

4. He is obsessed with the nonsense term ‘box office signing’, and is the man responsible