Victory for Manchester City in Sunday's League Cup final against Sunderland is a vital step on the road to them becoming one of the best teams in the world and attracting more top talent, midfielder Yaya Toure said.
The competition may not have been top of City's priorities at the start of the campaign, but having battled through to Wembley, Toure feels success is crucial to the club's continued growth.
"I've dedicated my heart to winning cups for this club and I knew when I first arrived that getting the silverware would mean we would attract great players," the Ivorian said on the club website (www.mcfc.co.uk).
"After the FA Cup (in 2011), Sergio Aguero signed for us and we went on to win the (league) title. If you want to have great players around you, you need to keep winning trophies - if that happens, more great players will come.
"We have an amazing squad and we are determined to win the Capital One (League) Cup because we might not be quite there yet, but within the next couple of years I expect we will be one of the best teams in the world.
"We are all dedicated to making this club great and we are not far away from being where we want to be."
City are strong favourites to claim the season's first piece of silverware against a Sunderland team who are battling against relegation in the Premier League and coming into the game on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.
They have enjoyed better fortunes in the knockout competitions, however, and eliminated both Chelsea and Manchester United on their way to Sunday's final.
Their record in the cups is enough for City manager Manuel Pellegrini to guard against complacency.
"It is always dangerous to play against any team," Pellegrini told reporters.
"Sunderland has a lot of motivation to win the cup. We are favourites but we cannot forget they eliminated Chelsea and Manchester United."
City, who have scored a 118 goals in all competitions this season, will wait until Saturday before deciding whether to play top scorer Aguero after the Argentine striker missed the past month with a hamstring injury.
"I think it is very important for the team to have Sergio again with us because he is a very important player," City manager Pellegrini said before confirming forward Stevan Jovetic and defender Matija Nastasic were ruled out through injury.
"It is not easy to choose the starting XI. All the players deserve to start," the Chilean coach added.
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