Manchester City’s lawyer – who is known as ‘the best’ in the business – lost to Sportsmail in 2021

The email went down just before 9:30am. It was June 30, 2021 and our lawyer had just finished swimming when he checked his phone and then his watch. The day of the trial, in The Mail On Sunday’s open justice quest, was scheduled for 10:30.

Cue through London, towards the Strand, where we arrive outside Court 73 of the Royal Courts of Justice. It had been three months since our reporter, Nick Harris, discovered a twist in the Premier League investigation into Manchester City.

It had been almost three years since those proceedings began. And now we knew that the two parties were united in their desire to keep more details secret.

But in March, a judge, who had ruled against City in a private arbitration, decided that the public should see his findings. The club fought to reverse that call; this newspaper struggled to hear his case.

After a series of letters ended in dead ends, we found out about this latest hearing, barely a day in advance. A last-minute request was made, arguing that a journalist should be allowed to sit in court because another clandestine hearing would be ‘an enemy of open justice’.

The next morning, the Captain of the Rolls said that the court would hear our case. In front of our solicitor, however, and solicitors in a Premier League watch report, was a wall of sky-blue silk headed by Lord David Pannick KC, the greatest supporter of his generation. ‘Both David and Goliath’, as one legal figure put it.

Most lawyers never make it to the Supreme Court or the House of Lords. Pannick has appeared there 122 times, more than anyone else. “He knows more about the law than many judges, he has more experience than many judges,” says a source. Over the past three decades, he has been involved in many of the most high-profile cases in this country. Recently, Pannick has acted both against the Government and in favor of Boris Johnson.

Speak carefully, clearly and courteously. He stays away from rabbit holes and red herrings. His methods have become famous for the sheer brilliance of him.

No wonder City want him to lead their charge against the 115 charges brought this week by the Premier League.

“Of course you would,” says one expert. “He is literally the best.”

Even if it won’t be cheap. Reports suggest that Pannick’s fees put him on a par with some of the highest earners in the city.

“There is absolutely no reason why Kevin De Bruyne should be paid less than that,” says a source. ‘He will stand every day in court; De Bruyne plays for 90 minutes.

In Court 73, however, Pannick lost twice. First against The Mail On Sunday, which earned the right to have the only journalist in the gallery. City’s appeal then also failed.

Pannick was given a hard time by the bottom three of the court: Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls, Sir Julian Flaux, the Chancellor of the High Court, and Lord Justice Males, an arbitration expert.

Queuing up for the Premier League attack? One of yours. Among those signed by City’s opponents is reportedly Pannick’s teammate at Blackstone Chambers.

It promises to be a mighty war. But Pannick and City have already seen plenty of battles together.

Some have been in secret. Some have also been significant. The Mail on Sunday’s victory that day has become a ‘useful precedent’ for journalists trying to be the eyes and ears of the public in private hearings. “It comes up not infrequently in all sorts of courts and tribunals,” a source revealed. Despite the efforts of David and Goliath.