Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed has purchased the “oldest surviving piece of FA Cup silverware” at an auction, the club announced on Friday.
It was also the first trophy won by Manchester City 116 years ago in the 1904 FA Cup final, when the club beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0, becoming the first professional football club from the city of Manchester to win a major honour. “City are delighted to announce we are now the proud custodian of the 1896-1910 Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) following the recent purchase of the trophy at auction by Club owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed,” the club said in a statement.
“It was originally feared that the trophy — considered by The Arts Council to be an item of International Historic Significance — would be privately purchased and taken overseas. However, the trophy will now remain in England for the benefit of English football. A forerunner of the FA Cup in use today, the trophy is one of the most significant artefacts in world football and the oldest surviving piece of FA Cup silverware in England,” it added.
The club said, in line with Sheikh Mansour’s wishes, the trophy has been offered on loan to the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it has been housed since 2005. “The intention is to keep the trophy accessible for football fans in Manchester and across the country to visit and enjoy. The National Football Museum has accepted the offer and the creation of a new presentation display is underway,” the club said.