Full name - Manchester United Football Club

Nickname - The Red Devils

Founded - 1878, as Newton Heath LYR F.C.

Ground - Old Trafford, Manchester

Capacity - 76, 000

League - FA English Premier League


Club officials

Owner: Malcolm Glazer

Honorary Life President: Martin Edwards

Manchester United Limited

Joint Chairmen: Joel Glazer & Avram Glazer

Directors: Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer & Darcie Glazer

Chief Executive: David Gill

Chief Operating Officer: Michael Bolingbroke

Commercial Director: Richard Arnold

Manchester United football club

Directors: David Gill, Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Maurice Watkins

Club Secretary: Ken Ramsden

Assistant Club Secretary: Ken Merrett

Coaching and Medical Staff

Manager : Sir Alex Ferguson

Assistant Manager:

First Team Coach: Mike Phelan

Technical Skills Development Coach: René Meulensteen

Academy Director: Brian McClair

Reserve Team Coach: Ole Gunnar Solskjær 

Under-18 Team Coach: Paul McGuinness

Goalkeeping Coach: Eric Steele 

Fitness Coach: Tony Strudwick

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Mick Clegg

Chief Scout: Jim Lawlor

Chief European Scout: Martin Ferguson

Director of Youth Academy: Brian McClair

Director of Youth Football: Jimmy Ryan

Club Doctor: Dr. Steve McNally

Assistant Club Doctor: Dr. Tony Gill

First Team Physiotherapist: Rob Swire

Below is the list of first team players with their squad numbers for 2008/09 season:

Team Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

Back row (L-R): Louis Saha, Danny Welbeck, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans, Manucho, Rodrigo Possebon, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Fraizer Campbell.

Second Row (L-R): Dr Steve McNally, Masseur Andy Caveney, Masseur Garry Armer, Kit Manager Albert Morgan, Ji-Sung Park, Anderson, Nani, Ben Foster, Edwin van der Sar, Tomasz Kuszczak, Darron Gibson, Rafael Da Silva, Fabio Da Silva, Goalkeeping Coach Eric Steele, Physio Neil Hough, Assistant Kit Manager Alec Wylie, Physio Rob Swire, Fitness Coach Tony Strudwick.

Front Row (L-R): Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Cristiano Ronaldo, First Team Coach Rene Meulensteen, Ryan Giggs, Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, First Team Coach Mike Phelan, Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes.

Created by DMI, CKeer, zocoss, Rejected & Spica!

This is the current Manchester United FC badge.
On the right you can see their previous badge last used during the 1970s.

Manchester United is a world famous English football club, based at Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester. The club is one of the most successful football clubs in English football history, having won the FA Premier League/Football League 15 times, FA Cup 11 times, the League Cup twice, the European Cup twice, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, the Intercontinental Cup once, and the European Super Cup once. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the past 34 seasons, with the exception of 1987-89 during redevelopment at Old Trafford. The 'Red Devils' are reported to be the best-supported football club in the world.



Championship Titles: First Division/Premier League - 15
1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 & 2008.

FA Cup - 11
1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006

European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1967-68, 1998-99, 2007-08

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1991

Intercontinental Cup 1 / Club World Cup Champions
1999, 2008

European Super Cup 1
1991

FA Charity/Community Shield - 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008. (* joint holders)


Winning the EPL title.

The Historic Treble

Historic Facts: Man U conquered the historic Treble in 1999 - winning the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.



The Treble (1998-99)

1998-99 was when Manchester United had the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble - winning the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season. After a very tense Premier League season, Manchester United won the title on the final day beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, whilst Arsenal won 1-0 against Aston Villa.

Winning the Premiership was the first part of the Treble in place, the one part that manager Alex Ferguson described as the hardest. In the FA Cup Final United faced Newcastle United and won 2-0 with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes.

In the final match of that season, the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final they defeated Bayern Munich in what was then considered the greatest comeback ever witnessed. After going down to an early goal from a Mario Basler free kick, United chased the game for 85 minutes. After 90 minutes they forced a corner, from which late substitute Teddy Sheringham scored. Not giving up, Man Utd went for a second and it came again from a corner, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, another late substitute, poking it into the roof of the net. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football. Later that year Manchester United won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1-0 in Toyota.

Manchester United's 1999 treble... Watch them here!!

Their last EPL match of 1999 - Manchester United vs Spurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=092N_rE-NIU

The 1999 English FA Cup Final.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNPM7yRRsPA

The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3GOhTCvb_E&mode=related&search=


Ferguson with trophies after Man Utd's Treble joy in 1999.
From left to right: (The Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League)


Fergie, along with Schmeichel, Teddy Sheringham, David May, David Beckham,
Nicky Butt, Denis Irwin, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. (UEFA Champions League 99).


Fergie and Schmeichel lift the European Cup. (UEFA Champions League)


Team photo after winning the UEFA Champions League 1999.

Solskjaer along with Ronny Johnsen, Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Denis Irwin
and Giggs: (UEFA Champions League 99).



Solskjaer along with Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke and Denis Irwin : (UEFA Champions League 99).


Teddy Sheringham, Wes Brown and Beck celebrate their EPL title with champagne.


Team Photo after winning the 1999 FA cup final.


Celebration in the streets of Manchester.

Parading the 3 trophies (The Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League)
in the streets of Manchester.


The Treble team players from the 98/99 Squad :

Peter Schmeichel
Denis Irwin
Henning Berg
Ronny Johnsen
Jaap Stam
Gary Neville
Phil Neville
Wes Brown
David May
Roy Keane
David Beckham
Paul Scholes
Ryan Giggs
Nicky Butt
Jesper Blomqvist
Jordi Cruyff
Andy Cole
Teddy Sheringham
Solskjaer
Dwight Yorke
Van Der Gouw

Many players have come and gone. Since the 1999 treble success, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, David Beckham, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Dwight Yorke have all left to be replaced by a new generation of players including Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Edwin van der Sar, Wayne Rooney, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Nani and Park Ji-Sung. Other players like Fabien Barthez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Kléberson and Juan Sebastián Verón have arrived and left within the space of a few seasons.




Beck celebrating together with the rest of the team after winning another EPL title.

Created by zocoss

Manchester United Players Profile :

Sir Alex Ferguson
Managing: Manchester United
Nationality: Scottish
Date of Birth: 31/12/1941



Biography:

Alex Ferguson succeeded Ron Atkinson as Manchester United manager on 6th November 1986 and in his first full season guided United to a League runners-up position. This was nothing compared to the success he was to later enjoy at Old Trafford as he built a team capable of matching the best in Europe.

Born in Govan, Glasgow Ferguson made his league debut for Scottish Second Division side Stranraer in 1957 having joined from amateur club Queen's Park and having represented his country at Youth and Amateur levels. He joined St Johnstone on a part-time basis in 1960 whilst completing his apprenticeship as a toolmaker for a typewriter manufacturer. He went on to score 19 goals in 37 league appearances for St. Johnstone before an exchange deal took him to Dunfermline Athletic as a full-time professional in 1964.

He gained his first taste of European football with the Fife club and moved to Rangers, the team he supported as a boy, in 1967, spending two-and-a-half years at Ibrox before joining Falkirk where he began to take on coaching duties. His final playing days were spent at Ayr United as a part-timer as he pursued business interests before being appointed to his first managerial position at East Stirlingshire in July 1974. He moved to moved to St Mirren in October that year and promptly guided the Paisley club to the First Division Championship in 1976-77. This led to a number of offers from the bigger clubs in Scotland and Ferguson accepted the manager's job at Aberdeen in 1978. It was with the Granite City club that he really began to make a name for himself as The Dons eclipsed their Old Firm rivals taking three league titles, four Scottish Cups and a League Cup in eight seasons. Probably Ferguson's greatest achievement at Pittodrie came in 1983 when he led Aberdeen to victory over Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners Cup.

The untimely death of Scotland manager Jock Stein in 1986 led to Ferguson taking over the national team temporarily for the World Cup finals in Mexico. He turned down the opportunity to remain in charge of Scotland on a permanent basis however, as well as several other lucrative offers, to move South of the border and manage Manchester United. He was charged with returning the glory days to Old Trafford and United fans were expectant having waited over twenty years since their last league title. His first three years at United did not bring the success that he had enjoyed in Scotland however and it seemed at one stage that his tenure in Manchester may be short-lived.

Victory in the 1990 FA Cup final replay over Crystal Palace however began an incredible run that saw United win countless trophies as they dominated the English game. A European Cup Winners Cup followed in 1991 and a League Cup in 1992, as United were edged into second place in the League by Howard Wilkinson's Leeds United. The following year saw the inauguration of the Premier League and Ferguson drafted in the mercurial French striker Eric Cantona, a League Championship winner with Leeds and a precocious talent. He was instrumental in helping United end their twenty-six year wait to capture the elusive League title, with Ferguson becoming the first man to manage teams to Premier League titles on both sides of the border.

1993-94 saw United and Ferguson repeat their success of the previous year, this time going one better, winning the League and Cup double. Blackburn Rovers pipped the Reds to the trophy in 1994-95 and Ferguson tasted defeat in the FA Cup final but United were triumphant once again, on both fronts, as they won another Double in 1995-96, missing out on an unprecedented treble as they lost to Aston Villa in the League Cup final.

Another League title followed in 1996-97 before Arsenal stole the limelight, winning the Double themselves in 1997-98, coming from behind to snatch the Premiership trophy from the holders. This served only to stir Ferguson and his team into action as the 1999-2000 season brought United an incredible treble. Despite losing his long-time assistant Brian Kidd halfway through the season, Ferguson - with the help of Kidd's replacement, Steve McClaren - led the Red Devils to victory in the League, the FA Cup and the European Champions League in an incredible two-week period, the like of which may never be repeated.

Controversially, United did not defend the FA Cup the following year and they were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by eventual winners Real Madrid. They made a successful defence of their Premiership title however, beating Arsenal by an incredible 18 points. The following season brought United's seventh league title in nine years as they clinched the Premiership crown yet again, this time with a record five games to spare, making Ferguson the most successful manager in the history of English football.

Alex Ferguson became Sir Alex in 1999 (having already received the OBE and CBE honours in 1983 and 1995 respectively) as his achievements in football were recognised. It is largely thanks to his success in the transfer market that he has achieved so much in English football. Signings such as Peter Schmeichel, Dennis Irwin, Eric Cantona, Paul Ince, Andy Cole, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all made significant contributions to United's success during Ferguson's time in charge. Alongside young players like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Wes Brown, whose talents have been nurtured at Old Trafford, these players helped United produce an almost unchallenged level of performance that has enabled them to dominate the domestic game in a similar fashion to the Liverpool side of the 1980's.

In the summer of 2001 - Sir Alex took to the training field. Having served his apprenticeship as a coach at Derby and Old Trafford, Steve McClaren accepted an offer to become the manager of Middlesbrough. Having planned to retire as manager of United after the 2001/2002, Ferguson felt it would be unfair to recruit an new assistant for a single season and appointed Jim Ryan as his number two, taking on more of the coaching responsibilities himself. Midway through the campaign, as speculation continued unabated as to who would replace Sir Alex, the United boss had a change of mind and signed a new three-year deal to stay on at Old Trafford.

Hoping to lead his team to Champions League glory once again, as well as a record fourth straight Premiership title, Ferguson was disappointed to end the year empty handed. Despite drawing both legs of their semi-final with Bayer Leverkusen, United went out of Europe's most prestigious competition on away goals. To make matters worse, the league title was won by Arsenal - who completed another domestic double - and Liverpool snatched second place and automatic qualification for the following season's Champions League proper. Nevertheless, Sir Alex's desire for success remains as strong as ever, as do his efforts to promote the work of the LMA and improve the lot of his fellow managers and the English game itself.

Prior to the beginning of the 2002-03 season, he appointed a new assistant, Carlos Queiroz, the Mozambique-born former Portugal and South Africa coach, and smashed the British transfer record to sign Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United for £33million; signally his intentions for the new campaign.

Previous Clubs
Aberdeen (SC), St.Mirren (SC), East Stirling (SC)

Sir Alex Ferguson's 20 years at Manchester United



It was the year of Chernobyl, the Nasa Challenger disaster and Margaret Thatcher was in the seventh of her 11 years as PM. The 1986 World Cup in Mexico saw Maradona's infamous Hand of God, while closer to home Steaua Bucuresti had won the European Cup and Oxford the League Cup. Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew, while Alex Ferguson moved south from Aberdeen to take the helm at Manchester United. As the following 20 years bear testimony, Sir Alex Ferguson has made United the ultimate winners.

Ferguson had to wait three-and-a-half years for his first piece of silverware, but once he found a winning formula titles became the norm at Old Trafford. So what is the key to Ferguson's sustained success? Despite the public persona, he is renowned for the humour and enthusiasm he translates through to his players on the training pitch. He has said: "The really good coach is the one who is happy to work. The drive, the hunger, the passion must be inside you because players need to recognise that you care." But he has also adapted his methods as player power has increased over time: "You have to deal with that and the one thing you must have is control. There has to be a strong discipline in the training and in general."

Ferguson has overseen 1,109 games as the Old Trafford supremo and he has tasted victory in 57% of them, losing just 19%. He has won more games than Arsene Wenger - the second longest serving manager in the Premiership - has presided over. And after a slow start that winning percentage has steadily risen, passing and staying above 50% for good in the 1992/93 season. And as well as bringing success to the club, Ferguson has ensured it has been done in style. Goals have come at an average of 1.79 a game, up from a lowly 1.24 in his first season to a dizzying 2.19 to date this term.

Having replaced Ron Atkinson, Ferguson lost his first game at Oxford who have since spiralled out of the league, using 21 bosses in an effort to arrest the decline. He had to wait 213 minutes to celebrate a goal, with John Sivebaek - one of just 14 overseas players in the top-flight - scoring to secure a first win in his third game. With just one top-half finish in four seasons and Liverpool still dominant fans were growing restless, one memorable banner saying: "Three years of excuses and it's still crap...ta-ra Fergie." However, he pointed them on the glory trail with the 1990 FA Cup success against Crystal Palace.



Ferguson's first priority was to overhaul the playing personnel. "I'm running a football club, not a drinking club," he proclaimed, and with that Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath were shown the door. In came men who laid the foundations for future success. He went through the £1m barrier for the first of 49 times to lure Mark Hughes and signed Gary Pallister for a then British record £2.3m. Ferguson has gone on to break that mark a further four times and has spent in the region of £300m, but it was the £1m he splashed out on Eric Cantona that helped United dominate the domestic scene in the 1990s.

With just 27 points from 17 games at the start of the 1992/93 season it seemed as if United's 26-year wait for a title would go on. However, fate intervened. Leeds rang with an offer for Denis Irwin but ended up selling Eric Cantona and Ferguson had the missing piece of the jigsaw which saw his team "inspired and transformed".

There was the defining late win at home to Sheffield Wednesday which had Ferguson and assistant Brian Kidd dancing in delight - and the first of eight titles in 11 years was the prize. A League and Cup Double - United's first - followed in 1994 and they were now undeniably the top dogs.



But after a trophyless season in 1995, Ferguson boldly ripped up the form book and started again. Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis were sold and 'Fergie's Fledglings', for whom Ryan Giggs provided the template, came in. Giggs himself was "bewildered" by the sales and Alan Hansen was adamant: "You don't win anything with kids". But the youngsters fired a new-look side to even greater glory - and another Double in 1996. "It's always a nice challenge to see young people come through," Ferguson has said. "That's the great beauty of football, it never stops. You win one day and the next you have to start again."

The pinnacle of achievement came in 1999 when, in the space of 10 days in May, Ferguson's United re-wrote the record books. After wrapping up another double with a comprehensive victory over Newcastle, it was on to Barcelona and a Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Trailing to Mario Basler's early goal and without the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, it seemed as if Ferguson was going to miss out on his Holy Grail with injury time fast approaching. But Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck to secure victory and the Scot's famous response: "Football, bloody hell."



Despite being the most successful manager in the English game and revolutionising United, there are aspects that sully his reputation. As well as a poor return in Europe, there have been transfer failures, unseemly legal squabbles over the horse Rock of Gibraltar and he over-stepped the mark with his 'hairdryer' treatment when kicking a boot at David Beckham. He was soon sold for crossing the boss - as were Paul Ince, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy. But that is all part of the man's fabled character that makes him feared and feted in equal measure. He has said: "You mellow a bit but the inner desire is just the same."



Ferguson has flirted with retirement in the past, announcing that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2002 campaign. Despite nearing pensionable age, he has an indefatigable footballing spirit and captain Gary Neville says: "It wouldn't surprise me if he carried on for another 10 years."

As for Ferguson, he says: "It is scandalous that people are saying it is time for me to retire because it is none of their bloody business! "If you don't win then you're not going to be here 20 years, that's for sure. It's been an incredible spell and the way we have done it has been good. It has been the right way - the United way."

The top 50 Manchester United moments



50 Stock Exchange flotation, 1991

United were not the first football club to take this route, but it helped consolidate their position as the wealthiest outfit in the country.

49 Thrashed by Barcelona, 1994

United harboured hopes of becoming European champions but – hampered by the rule that restricted foreign players and classed non-English players from the British Isles as such – they were put firmly in their place by Romario, Stoichkov and Co.

48 Betting scandal, 1915

With United in danger of relegation from the top division, three of their players conspired with four Liverpool players to fix the match. All were banned for life.

47 Playing at home in Plymouth, 1977

Hooliganism followed United during the mid-1970s and, as punishment for their fans’ behaviour in the first leg away to St Etienne, they had to play the return at least 200 kilometres from Manchester, and duly progressed after a 2-0 win at Home Park.

46 Louis Edwards scandal, 1980

Granada Television’s World in Action programme accused United chairman Louis Edwards of suspect dealing in the meat industry and bribing the parents of schoolboy players. The police and football authorities began investigating but Edwards soon died of a heart attack, leaving the inquires to peter out.

45 Whiteside’s winner, 1985

Norman Whiteside had already shown his liking for the big occasion by scoring in the FA Cup and League Cup finals of 1983 and playing in the 1982 World Cup finals. Facing Everton, the league champions, in the 1985 FA Cup Final in a United side down to ten men, he curled a brilliant shot home in extra-time to ensure a 1-0 win.

44 MUTV launched, 1998

To emphasise their ambition and commercial standing, United formed their own television channel, three years before any other English club. Chelsea TV followed in 2001.

43 Signing of Rooney, 2004

Wayne Rooney was English football’s hottest property for years so United flexed their financial muscle to prize him from Everton for a transfer fee of up to £29million.

42 Michael Knighton’s juggling, 1989

The prospective owner played keepy-uppy in the sunshine before the opening-day hammering of Arsenal but the deal fell through amid claims that he could not find backers.

41 Ray Wood’s injury, 1957

United were firm favourites to complete the first League and Cup Double of the 20th century but Peter McFarland’s violent foul on Ray Wood after six minutes forced the United goalkeeper off. In the days before substitutes and proper punishment for foul play, United had to play 10 against 11 (instead of 11 against 10) and duly lost 2-1.

40 Holders drop the FA Cup, 2000

Apparently encouraged by the FA to play in the inaugural Club World Championship in Brazil, United withdrew from the FA Cup having won it the previous season. They were criticised for showing a lack of respect to the famous competition.

39 Barcelona blown away, 1984

After losing the first leg of their Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final 2-0 in Spain, United stormed back on a raucous night at Old Trafford to beat Diego Maradona’s side 3-0, with two goals from Bryan Robson and one from Frank Stapleton.

38 Docherty’s affair, 1977

Newspapers revealed that manager Tommy Docherty was having an affair with Mary Brown, wife of United physio Laurie, so United, embarrassed by the scandal, sacked him.

37 Giggs’ weaving run, 1999

United were a man down in extra-time of their FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal when Ryan Giggs intercepted Patrick Vieira’s pass on the halfway line and swayed around several challenges before blasting the winner and baring his chest. The goal gave United the belief that they could achieve the treble.

36 Comeback at Anfield, 1988

The league table showed United were inferior to Liverpool throughout the 1980s yet they raised their game when up against their bitter rivals. Facing one of the great Liverpool sides, they fell 3-1 behind but, with ten men, recovered to draw 3-3, extending their league record against the Merseysiders to one defeat in 17 games. Gordon Strachan celebrated his equaliser provocatively, pretending to smoke a cigar

35 Kung-fu fighting, 1995

Eric Cantona had a unique way of dealing with life’s problems so, when a spectator abused him at Selhurst Park in the match against Crystal Palace, he launched his feet into the man’s chest and was banned for eight months.

34 Agonising collapse, 1992

Nerves and a congested fixture list foiled United’s pursuit of a first league title for 25 years. Defeats in late April at home to Nottingham Forest and away to West Ham United and a draw away to Luton Town, all in the space of five days, left Leeds United in pole position. The failure only added to the sense of exhilaration when the holy grail was finally reached a year later.

33 BSkyB’s failed takeover, 1998

Fourteen years after Robert Maxwell proved unable to take control of United, Rupert Murdoch tried his luck and seemed to have got his way when the club recommended that shareholders accept BSkyB’s offer. But, after the deal had been referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, the Department of Trade and Industry blocked it.

32 Robson signs, 1981

Ron Atkinson described Robson as “pure gold” when signing the England midfield player from West Bromwich Albion and the player repaid the compliment by helping to ensure United finished in the top four throughout the manager’s five-year reign.

31 Fergie gives Beckham the boot, 2003

Angered by David Beckham’s supposedly failure to mark an opponent when Arsenal scored in their FA Cup win at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot that flew at David Beckham, scarring his forehead. It symbolised the manager’s frustration at the celebrity circus surrounding the player and Beckham was sold at the end of the season.

30 United turn on Wembley style, 1948

In what was considered one of the great FA Cup Finals, United beat Blackpool 4-2 to help create their reputation for stylish football that remains today.

29 Nike deal, 2002

The sportswear company agreed to give United £300million over the next 13 years, cementing their position as England’s richest club.

28 Giggs swaps sides, 1988

Ryan Giggs played at Manchester City as a schoolboy but he was poached by United, who have been repaid with 15 years of flair, consistency and success.

27 Saints Day, 1976

United reached their first FA Cup Final in 13 years in 1976 when they met Southampton. While the game ended in a surprising defeat, it established United’s habit of reaching this fixture – five times in ten years from 1976 to 1985 – just as the game was being shown around the world in more and more countries on television, thereby increasing their worldwide following.

26 United almost third rate, 1934

Only a last-day win away to Millwall saved United from relegation to the third tier. Such was their lowly status in the 1930s that just 3,900 watched the match against Middlesbrough in 1931.

25 Fergie’s U-turn, 2002

Sir Alex Ferguson had announced that he would retire at the end of the 2001-02 season and the campaign started badly. The manager decided he couldn’t get let go, though, and stayed to engineer further league titles in 2003 and 2007.

24 United raid City, 1906

Manchester City were forced to sell a raft of players after making illegal payments, while Billy Meredith also had to leave them for allegedly bribing an Aston Villa player. An auction was planned where all clubs could attempt to buy them but United courted and signed four in advance in secret, including Meredith, angering their rivals. The new players helped United win their first trophies, the league titles of 1908 and 1911 and the FA Cup of 1909.

23 Denis Law arrives, 1962

The Scotland striker was signed from Torino and became European Footballer of the Year in 1964 and a cult hero at Old Trafford.

22 Busby steps down, 1969

Sir Matt Busby had built up Manchester United almost single-handedly so the decision to maintain his enormous presence in the background, as general manager, seemed to hamper Wilf McGuiness, his successor. A decline set in.

21 Title collapse, 1986

United had begun the season in scintillating style with ten successive victories and seemed likely to end their long search for the league title. But their challenge gradually fell apart and they lost the lead in February on a weekend when they were beaten by West Ham United at Upton Park.

20 Old Trafford is bombed, 1939-1945

The war-time damage inflicted on Old Trafford forced United to play at Manchester City’s Maine Road ground until 1949. It reinforced the feeling that the club had to start again from scratch having not won a trophy since 1911, and they did so to great effect.

19 Cantona signs, 1992

Almost as an after thought, Sir Alex Ferguson asked Leeds United if he might be allowed to have Eric Cantona and he was granted his wish for just £1 million. The France forward inspired four league titles in his five seasons at the club and galvanised the young players with his diligent training.

18 Relegation, 1974

The shock of demotion six years after conquering Europe shook up the club. Tommy Docherty built an exciting team that attracted the highest average attendances in the country despite playing in the second tier and they stormed back to the top flight.

17 Old Trafford expands, 2006

The increase in capacity to 76,000 meant the stadium held 16,000 more seats than any other English club.

16 Robins keeps Fergie bobbing along, 1990

Sir Alex Ferguson was thought to be close to the sack but Mark Robins scored the only goal in the FA Cup third round tie away to Nottingham Forest and United went on to win the manager’s first trophy, buying him time that he put to good use.

15 Fergie’s Jimmy Hill outburst, 1994

After television highlighted a foul by Eric Cantona in United’s FA Cup victory away to Norwich City, Sir Alex Ferguson showed he had little time for perceived unfair media criticism, accusing the BBC’s football panel of being Liverpool fans and announcing that “Jimmy Hill is a prat” – a line that was repeated in front-page headlines the following day.

14 League title, 1952

In the season when the phrase “Busby Babes” was first mentioned, United won their first league championship under Sir Matt Busby.

13 Keane joins United, 1993

Roy Keane had told Blackburn Rovers he would sign for them from Nottingham Forest but United intervened and the Irishman changed his mind. He was their driving force from midfield for 12 years.

12 American nightmare, 2005

A club with no debt was plunged deeply into the red via the takeover by Malcolm Glazer and his family. Many United fans were so aghast that they formed their own club, FC United.

11 Perfect ten, 1956

United shrugged off the opposition of English football authorities to become European pioneers. They won their first home match 10-0 against Anderlecht.

10 Entertainment, please, 1981

Jose Mourinho’s recent dismissal by Chelsea was far from the first case of a manager losing his job because his team’s football was too dull. Dave Sexton had just finished the season with seven successive league wins but he was ditched in favour of the extrovert Ron Atkinson, who brought a flamboyancy to United’s play.

9 George Best emerges, 1963

The swaggering Northern Irishman is widely considered to have been the greatest British player and his presence helped swell interest in United during the 1960s.

8 Keane’s prawn sandwich blast, 2000

Roy Keane was so angered by the criticism from the corporate areas of Old Trafford during the Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev that he dismissed their occupants as prawn sandwich eaters who had little knowledge of the game.

7 Bruce’s header, 1993

United had trailed at home to Sheffield Wednesday until late in the game in the league run-in but, after conjuring up the equaliser, Steve Bruce added the winning goal deep into stoppage time to leave Brian Kidd, the assistant manager, on his knees on the pitch in delight and United ahead of Aston Villa in the table. Three weeks later they wrapped up their first league title in 26 years.

6 Bobby Charlton’s debut, 1956

As perhaps the most famous English player of all time, his presence in the team for 17 years helped to make United famous around the world.

5 The Nou Camp, 1999

United’s first European Cup for 31 years and the first such League-FA Cup-European Cup treble by an English team were achieved through two goals in stoppage time against Bayern Munich in the final.

4 European champions at last, 1968

Ten years after the destruction in a plane crash of the United team that had seemed destined to win the European Cup, Sir Matt Busby guided a rebuilt side to glory against Benfica on an emotional night at Wembley.

3 Fergie’s appointment, 1986

Sir Alex Ferguson became manager, kicked out the drinkers, overhauled the youth system and achieved his stated aim of knocking Liverpool off their perch.

2 Munich air crash, 1958

Eight United players were killed when their plane crashed in Munich after a refuelling stop on the return from a European Cup tie in Belgrade. The wiping out of the standard bearers of English football brought world-wide sympathy for the club and fired imaginations as to what they might have achieved.

Get to know more about the Victims and Survivors of The 1958 Munich Air Disaster here

1 Busby’s arrival, 1945

United were just another medium-sized club when Sir Matt Busby became manager after the war and he, more than anyone, was responsible for turning them into giants of the world game, building three great teams and laying down a philosophy of attacking football.

His genius offered a footballing immortality.

Full Name : George Best
Date of Birth : 22nd May 1946
Place of Birth : Belfast
Position : Winger/Forward
Height : 5ft 8


George Best with good friends Bobby Charlton and Denis Law

The Genius from Belfast

It was obvious to Sir Matt Busby from the outset that the skinny 16 year old from East Belfast's Cregagh Estate was something extra-special. United's Northern Ireland scout Bob Bishop famously sent a telegram Busby that read: "I believe I've found you a genius." Best made his league debut for United in 1963 aged 17 and won an international cap before he turned 18. It wasn't long before he was a household name throughout Britain. George was perhaps the most important member of the great United team which won the League Championship twice in the 1960's.

By 1966, George Best superstar had arrived, especially after his magnificent performance in United's 5-1 thrashing of Benfica in Lisbon where he scored twice. Stepping off the plane the Portuguese press dubbed him "El Beatle".

The only pupil in his class to pass the eleven-plus, the grammar Best attended did not encourage football so he began truanting, then moved to the secondary school. Best was offered a two-week trial. His mother bought him his first pair of long trousers, but two days into the trial he returned to Belfast complaining he was homesick. Busby persuaded him back. Perhaps, Sir Matt would reflect later, if his parents had accompanied him during his apprenticeship, he would not have careered so spectacularly off the rails. Although the manager himself acted as a father figure he would soon wield little influence over his hedonistic young charge.

The peak at 22

After five years of playing breathtaking football his place in history was secured in 1968 - United became the first English team to win the European Cup and Best scored a superb solo goal in the final against Benfica. He later claimed that having beaten round the Benfica keeper he wanted to take the ball up to the line stop it, lie down on the ground and head the ball over the line. Only a truly special sort of player would even have considered such an outrageous act in a game of such importance.

In 1968 he was at his peak at only 22 years of age. That year he also deservedly won both the English and European Footballer of the Year awards. He was also the club's top scorer that year with 28 goals, and for the following four seasons. In 1970 he scored six goals in an 8-2 win over Northampton in the FA Cup, the most goals ever scored in a single match by any United player.

Bestie goals captured on television, such as the dazzling runs against Sheffield United, Chelsea, West Ham and the delicate lob against Spurs have become all-time classics. And who knows what other gems he scored in an age before blanket television coverage, great goals that now live on only in the memories of those lucky to have been there at the time.

The first pop-star footballer

Nicknamed "the fifth Beatle", he was one of the most famous stars in Britain during the 1960s. Best was the first pop-star footballer, a personification of youth culture and the swinging sixties. He had the good looks, the style and the girls went mad for him with Best getting 10,000 fan letters a week. This had never happened to a footballer before. Sadly it was this pop star image that proved his eventual downfall, for he began to live the lifestyle of a pop star, and not a footballer.

Best himself once said, "If I'd been ugly, you'd never have heard of Pele". The alcohol, women and wild nights spent partying would ultimately shorten his career and lead to severe health problems later on. As he became a casualty of intense media attention, George could not concentrate on football without being hounded everywhere by paparazzi. He opened a night club and a number of fashion boutiques which were not a success, while a string of famous actress/model girlfriend's meant he was under incredible media scrutiny.

At 17 Best turned professional and the rest is sporting history. At 20 he was earning £1,000 a week. By the age of 26 he had won a European Cup winner's medal, two championship medals, European and England Footballer of the Year and had been United's top scorer for six seasons. After that, in his own words, there was "nowhere else to go but down". And it was his life outside football that ensured that was the direction he took.


Best: Known as the 5th Beatles

Best's talent was matched by his good looks. The long dark hair, the brilliant blue eyes, the dimple, the effortless Irish charm - all of it a magnet for women. He oozed high-octane celebrity. He was the first footballer with pop star status and looks. His feet, according to one commentator, were as dexterous "as a pickpocket's fingers", his feints devastatingly deceptive, his bank account swollen.

Everything was on a plate, and he was greedy. Clubbing, women, fast cars, drink - in all he was insatiable. "It was spirits in those days. I was a hairy-arsed footballer from Belfast and wine was for poofters. So every night it was the same routine: out on the town and stay partying until all the others had gone," he once recalled.

His favourite haunt was Slack Alice, a Manchester nightclub he part-owned. But he soon found himself on the wrong side of the law, being fined for speeding in 1966, running over a woman in 1967, and banned from driving in 1968 after ramming his Jaguar into another car. But still he seemed untouchable.

When, in 1968, United defeated Benfica to lift the European Cup, he got so drunk that "after the greatest day of my footballing life, everything is a complete blank. I don't even remember going to the official dinner". Women flocked to him. "Pulling girls had become a sport for me and so I wanted to be the best at it…I would fly in a girl from Australia…and after a couple of weeks when I got bored I would send her back," he wrote in the second of his autobiographies.


Eva Haraldsted became engaged to Best just weeks after they met

United urged him to settle down. Even so, they were surprised when a few weeks later he announced his engagement to a statuesque student Eva Haraldsted, 21, whom he had met on a pre-season tour of Denmark. "But you've only just met her," Sir Matt is said to have spluttered. It was short-lived. Best told reporters he was too young to marry and could not promise to be faithful. She sued for breach of promise - he used to boast he was the last man to be sued - and she received a £500 out-of-court settlement.

The decline

Many who knew him well believe that the seeds of this self-destruction were sown the day he left Belfast. He was brought up a Protestant on the religiously mixed Cregagh estate, the son of Dickie, who worked in the shipyards, and Ann, who worked in an ice cream factory. She was to die an alcoholic aged 58, her addiction blamed on her cherished son's fame.

Once Sir Matt retired in 1969 it was downhill for the Ulsterman as he became increasingly rebellious and erratic. Busby's successors, Frank O'Farrell and Tommy Docherty lacked his fatherly influence on Best. The United team was in decline and Best found it hard to take. Seeing United beaten by teams they used to hammer a few years ago was painful and his love for football slowly diminished. He took solace in the bottle with drinking and partying taking over his entire life. He was now frequently missing training and failing to turn up for games.

By now, though, Best's bedroom and bar room capers were seriously encroaching on his football. He missed training sessions, and in 1971 failed to turn up for a tie with Chelsea, instead going on a date with the Irish actress Sinead Cusack. He missed another match to spend a weekend with Miss Great Britain. It was behaviour Tommy Docherty, United's new manager, was not prepared to tolerate. Best's drunken binges dominated the headlines.

Docherty would later say: "George was a fantastic player and he would have been an even better one if he'd been able to pass nightclubs the way he passed the ball." Best's relationship with United soured and in 1972 he announced his retirement. He would make a brief comeback, only to leave again.



So, at 27, his career in top-class football was over. His success with women, however, remained phenomenal. There were rumours that he had slept with seven Miss Worlds, and in a later career as an after-dinner speaker he would joke about this saying: "I used to go missing a lot…Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World." He did admit to three Miss Worlds, and the tally appears to include a Miss United Kingdom and a Miss Scotland and Northern Ireland as well.

Marjorie Wallace, the Miss USA who claimed the Miss World title in 1973, was stripped of it 104 days later after the beauty contest organisers could no longer tolerate the steamy headlines. It was a relationship that would end in more headlines when Best was arrested at a nightclub and found himself in the dock before Marylebone magistrates accused of stealing her mink coat, passport and some letters. The charges were later dropped.

Susan George, the actress, and Lynsey de Paul, the singer were to join his list too. As he said, in one of his most famous one-liners: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." During this time he made a living playing for clubs in Britain and America, and by 1978 had decided it was time to settle down. He chose as his bride Angie Macdonald James, an Essex-born Bunnygirl who had moved to the US and was working as an assistant to the singer Cher. She recalled that Best arrived drunk for the wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, forgot the ring and then spent his wedding night gambling. The marriage lasted six years but produced his son Calum, 24.

There followed a romance with Mary Stavin, a former Miss World, which kept him in the tabloids, especially during their explosive break-up, and then he appeared to settle down with Mary Shatila. By 1982 Best was bankrupt, but there was always someone in the pub honoured to buy their hero a pint.

In 1972 he announced his retirement at only 26 but was persuaded back