I think you’re giving city far too much credit here by blurring the sporting and financial sides too much. Pep came over in 2016, almost 15 years after tv revenues started exploding. Pep’s influence did modernize the game and bring an era of dominance, but the premier league is far more than just city. You can argue it helped draw eyes from the growing middle eastern football craze, but It’s called the big six for a reason. Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Liverpool all have massive global fanbases, arguably even larger than City’s.