Manchester United Football Club
Man United, M.U.F.C., United, Red Devils
1878
Old Trafford, Manchester
Joel and Avram Glazer
Sir Alex Ferguson
Facts & History
Contents[hide] |
Manchester United Football Club
Manchester United Football Club is an English football club based at the Old Trafford Stadium in Greater Manchester in the North of England. Manchester United FC was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992 and has played in the top division of English football since 1975. Also known as the Red Devils, it is the most popular football team in the world with over 330 million supporters worldwide and one of the most successful in English and European Football, with 16 league titles, 11 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues! Since 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson has been manager of the team, leading them to win 18 trophies in 20 years! According to Forbes Magazine, Manchester is the richest football club in the world, with a $1.5 Billion value.
Club History
Founded in 1878, the club was originally named Newton Heath L&YR F.C. as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. In 1892, they entered the Football League and changed their name, becoming Newton Heath F.C. However, in 1902, the club was near bankruptcy with more than £2500 in debts: it was saved by J.H Davies, who was the managing director of Manchester Breweries, becoming club chairman. The new staff first decided to rename the team, in order to start fresh: Manchester Central and Manchester Celtics were among the names suggested before Louis Rocca mentioned Manchester United. On April 26, 1902, Manchester United was born. New name implied new club's colours: they abandoned the green and gold halves in favour of red and white. Ernest Mangnall was appointed as head coach to get the club in the First Division. That year, Manchester finished 5th in Division 2, a good result for a first attempt. The next season, thanks to new players such as Charlie Roberts, who cost the club a then-record £750, Manchester finished 3rd, only 1 point short from the promotion in First Division. Finally, in 1906, they were promoted to First Division, finishing 8th in their first season in the top-flight.
In 1907, 18 players of Manchester City were banned from playing for them ever again: United quickly signed some of them (Sandy Turnbull, Billy Meredith…). They made a huge impact on the team, leading them to win their first league title in 1909! The following season was also very successful for the Red Devils: they won the first edition of the Charity Shield and their first FA Cup! That same year, the team moved to their new stadium, Old Trafford: they played their first game there on February 19, 1910 against Liverpool in a 4-3 loss, despite a 3–0 lead. In 1911, they won their second league title, which was also their last one for 41 years. Manchester was relegated in Division 2 in 1922, struggling for the next ten years between promotions and relegations. They were back in Division 1 in 1939, right before WWII.
After WWII, Matt Busby was appointed as manager and revolutionized coaching, bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible. He was allowed to pick his own team, choose which players to sign and direct the team's training sessions himself, which were usually the tasks reserved to the club’s directors. Manchester trusted him and finished 2nd in 1947, 1948 and 1949. Moreover, they won the 1948 FA Cup, thanks to the ‘magic trio’ of Stan Pearson, Jack Rowley and Charlie Mitten. With an average age of only 22, the Red Devils won the league title again in 1956: Busby’s Youth policy was working. The following season, the Busby Babes who were led by Duncan Edwards won another league title and reached the FA Cup Final, which United lost against Aston Villa. The same season, they were the first English team to compete in the European Cup, reaching the semi-finals before being knocked out by Real Madrid. During their European campaign, they also recorded their biggest win in all competitions, beating Belgian champions Anderlecht 10–0 at Maine Road!
On February 6, 1958, the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed in Munich, Germany: 8 players (Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam "Billy" Whelan) died and 15 persons were injured. Despite the accident, United reached the FA Cup Final, losing against Bolton Wanderers and even managed to finish 2nd in Division 1 the following year.
Busby was rebuilding the team at the beginning of the 1960s, signing players such as Denis Law, Pat Crerand and the eventual legend George Best. Best was known for his control of the ball. The Red Devils won the 1963 FA Cup, despite finishing 19th in Division 1. They reached the 2nd place the next year, and won the league title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, United became the first English club to win the European Cup, wining 4-1 against Eusebio’s Benfica in the final! Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, and George Best were named European Footballer of the Year, respectively in 1964, 1966 and 1968. Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by former United player Wilf McGuinness.
United struggled under Wilf McGuinness, finishing 8th in 1970: McGuinness was demoted and Busby came back for 6 months. Results were better, although he left the club for the last time in the summer of 1971. Frank O'Farrell was named as Busby's successor but only lasted less than 18 months. However, in the mean time, he brought new players such as Martin Buchan for £125,000 to make up the team's poor form. Tommy Docherty, or 'the Doc', became manager at the end of 1972. Despite saving United from relegation that season, the Red Devils were relegated in 1974. Moreover, the golden trio of Best, Law and Charlton had left the club: Law moved to Manchester City in the summer of 1973, and scored the goal that relegated United, and politely refused to celebrate the goal with his team mates. In 1975, they were promoted again, back to the top flight, and reached the 1976 FA Cup Final, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2-1. In spite of this success and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was fired soon after the final.
In 1977, Dave Sexton was appointed as manager and made the team play in a defensive formation, which is why Sexton was unpopular with supporters. This defensive formation failed to win any trophies: Manchester United lost the FA Cup Final against Arsenal in what was known as the "five-minute final" for the flurry of goals in the last minutes and finished once 2nd in Division 1. Sexton was fired in 1981 and replaced by Ron Atkinson.
Ron Atkinson's first move was to sign Bryan Robson from his old club for £1.75 million, breaking the British record transfer fee. Robson was considered as United's best midfielder since Duncan Edwards. The Red Devils won the 1983 and 1985 FA Cups. In the 1985-1986 season, they won their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October and were favourites to win the league. However, they finished only 4th and the following season, with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone, Atkinson was fired.
In 1986, Alex Ferguson arrived from Aberdeen to replace Atkinson. For his first season as head coach, United finished 11th, and the following season, they finished 2nd with Brian McClair becoming the first United player to score more than 20 league goals in a season since George Best! However, the team struggled the next 2 seasons, and Ferguson was on the edge to be sacked! Fortunately, the team won the 1990 FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace in the final. In 1991, United won their first and only one European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Spanish champions Barcelona. The 1992-1993 season was very successful for Manchester United: the arrival of Eric Cantona, combined with the talent of Ryan Giggs and Paul Ince, led the team to win its first league title since 1967! Moreover, they won their first double League and FA Cup the following year, helped by a newcomer named Roy Keane, who would eventually become the team captain. However, on January 20, 1994, the club and all the fans were plunged into mourning following the death of Sir Matt Busby. United finished runner-up in both league and FA Cup in the 1994-1995 season.
The 1995-1996 season was a key period for the Red Devils. Actually, Ferguson brought new players from the club's youth team such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, in order to replace some of the key players. The team did surprisingly well, wining the double again. This was the first time any English club had won the double twice, and the feat was nicknamed the "Double Double".
The 1998-1999 season was the most successful season in the English Football Club History as United became the first and only English team to win The Treble Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League! United won the title on the final day beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 and they won the FA Cup Final 2-0 against Newcastle United, the 2 goals were scored by Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes. In the UEFA Champions League Final, they won against Bayern Munich: they scored twice in injury time to finally win 2-1! Moreover, they won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football. They won the league in 2000 and 2001.
In 2000, Manchester United became one of the 14 founders of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs. They finished 3rd in the 2002 Premiership, but they regained the title the following season (2003), securing their 8th title in 11 seasons. Ferguson even described this success as his greatest achievement since becoming United manager in 1986. The 2004 FA Cup was the only trophy United won during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. However, they rebuilt the team, signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand respectively for £12.24 million, £23 million and £29.1 million. Roy Keane left United to join the Celtics in 2005 and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in more than 10 years. They finished 2nd in the Premiership and were eliminated in the FA Cup by Liverpool. However, they won the 2006 League Cup, beating Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the final. At the end of the season, Ruud Van Nistelrooy left to join Real Madrid due to a row with Ferguson.
On May 6, 2007, United won the English Premier League title, 4 years after their last one: it was their 9th Premiership title in the 15 seasons of its existence. Moreover, they scored 20 more goals in 32 matches than second placed Chelsea. However, they lost 1-0 against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. In the Champions League, they advanced to the semi-finals, but they lost against eventual winner A.C Milan 5-3 on aggregate.
In the 2007-2008 season, they are currently leading the Premiership followed by Chelsea and Arsenal. In the FA Cup, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Portsmouth. In the 79th, after Van Der Saar was substitute at half-time, second goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak was sent off for a professional foul on Milan Baroš. Rio Ferdinand was given the responsibility of attempting to save the penalty but he failed: United were knocked out of the FA Cup. In the Champions League, they are qualified for the quarter-finals, after beating Lyon in the first knockout round: they will face A.S Roma.
Club Rivalries
Manchester United has 3 'traditional' rivals: Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United. Although, most fans see Liverpool as the number 1 rival, due to the success of both clubs as well as their proximity to each other.
Liverpool
The rivalry with Liverpool began during the 1960s, when both clubs were the best in England. Here is an interesting fact: the fixture is usually played at midday to discourage fans from drinking before the game! Ryan Giggs even said that "it is the most famous fixture in English football". Liverpool has a total of 40 trophies and Manchester United of 32, and both clubs claim the title of 'the Greatest English Football Club'. Unfortunately for Liverpool, only one team has it right.
Manchester City
The Manchester City rivalry dates back to the Newton Heath era of the 1890s. The game between the 2 teams is called the Manchester derby. United fans point out that City have gone awhile without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. The 2 teams have met 149 times, United have won 59 and City 41.
Leeds United
The Rivalry with Leeds began during the late 60s, reaching its apex when Leeds won the league title in 1992, Manchester United finishing 2nd. One of the rivalry's nicknames is the Roses rivalry, a historical reference to the Wars of the Roses. Moreover, when British Football Hooliganism was at its height, the fights between Leeds' Service Crew and Manchester United's Red Army became known as the most violent clashes in British football. Nowadays, there is a high level of security when the clubs face each other.
Stars of the Current Squad
Edwin Van der Sar is a Dutch goalkeeper and the captain of the Dutch national team. In 1990, he joined the Ajax's youth centre. In 9 years with Ajax, he played in 226 games, won the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 Champions League. He then moved to Juventus for 2 years making only 66 appearances and eventually lost his place to Gianluigi Buffon. He joined the Premiership with Fullham in 2001 for around £7.7 million. He has been playing for Manchester since 2005, Sir Alex Fergusson consider him as one of the best goalkeeper in the world. Van der Sar’s solid presence, agility and reliability have been crucial to United’s success in recent years. He started his international career in 1995 against Belarus, and has played in all the major international competitions since then. On October 2007, he said he intends to retire from international football following the 2008 Euro.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese right winger/striker. The wonder boy from Ilha da Madeira joined local Nacional before going to Sporting in Lisbon. In 2003, after a friendly between Sporting and Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson decided to go for the boy, at that time only 18 years old, and signed him for £12.24 million. He was presented at Old Trafford weeks after David Beckham left the club to join Real Madrid. He was handed the number 7 shirt, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the greatest Manchester United legends, such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Beckham. With a difficult start, he finally became the most important player of the team. Last season, after a polemic game between England and Portugal in Germany, Ronaldo became hated by most of the English fans, except the Red Devils' ones as Cristiano became the best player of the season at Manchester side. So far, he has 228 appearances and scored 84 goals.
Wayne Rooney is an English striker, and is always where he is supposed to be! Opportune like no other, he’s the key reference to every play in the English team. Rooney never gives up on a ball and is one of the top strikers in the powerful offensive line of Manchester United with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. He started his professional career in 2002 with Everton, before joining United in 2004 for £23 million. In his first game at Old Trafford, he produced a stunning display to blast an unforgettable debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce! Sir Alex Ferguson describes him as “the best young player I have seen in my time”. He has scored a total of 72 goals in 179 appearances. Gary Neville is an English defender. He started his professional career in 1992 with the Reds, and has been playing for them since then. In December 2005, Gary was appointed the new captain of Manchester United, following Roy Keane's departure. He enters every game refusing to contemplate defeat, and the fans love him for it. He has won an impressive amount of trophies, with seven Premiership titles, three FA Cups, one European Cup and one League Cup! Since his debut with the Red Devils, he has played in 540 matches and scored 7 goals! His brother Phil Neville is a former player of United (1993-2005). Gary Neville made his debut with the English National Team in 1995, in a friendly against Japan and has earned 85 caps so far.
Rio Ferdinand is an English centre back. He started his professional career in 1995 with West Ham United. In 2000, he joined Leeds United for a £18 million transfer fee, becoming the world's most expensive defender. On July 22, 2002, he signed with United for £29.1 million! One of the best defenders in the world, he has an incredible reading of the game. In September 2003, he missed a routine drugs test and, despite appealing, was banned from playing for 8 months in January 2004. He has a personal record of 255 appearances and 7 goals. On November 15 1997, he made his international debut with England in a friendly against Cameroon, making him the youngest defender to play for England at 19 years and 8 Days old at that time. He was named captain of England for the friendly against France on March 26, 2008.
Club Legends
Sir Bobby Charlton is a former English striker. He played almost his entire career at Manchester United and was well-known for his attacking instincts and his amazing long-range shot. He started his professional career in 1954 with United. Having survived the Munich air disaster, he played as if every game was for his fallen colleagues. One of the Busby Babes, he played a record of 754 games, scoring 247 goals, holding both appearances and goals records in United's history. Named European Footballer of the Year in 1966, he also won the World Cup with England the same year. Part of the famed Best-Law-Charlton triumvirate, he retired in 1973. In June 1984 Charlton became a director of Manchester United, a position he still holds today.
George Best was a Northern Irish winger. He started his professional career in 1963 with Manchester United at the age of 17. Spotted by United scout Bob Bishop, who famously told Matt Busby: “Boss, I think I’ve found you a genius”, he was one of the key players alongside Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law in United's first European Cup in 1968. Nicknamed The Fifth Beatle for his long hair, good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and won 2 League titles and the 1968 European Cup with the Reds. In 1974, he left United with 470 appearances and 179 goals! He then joined several clubs in Australia, Scotland and in the US. He played his first international game with Northern Ireland in 1964 and scored a total of 9 goals in 37 caps. He died on December 3, 2005 at the age of 59: 100,000 people were at his funeral in Belfast.
Dennis Law is a former Scottish striker. He started his professional career in 1956 at second division Huddersfield Town. In 1960, Manchester City signed him for a transfer fee of £55,000, setting a new British record. A year later, he was bought by Italian club Torino for £110,000. He spent only one year in Italy, having a difficult time to settle there. In 1962, he signed with Manchester United for £115,000, setting another British record. In 11 years with the Reds, he won 2 league titles, 1 FA Cup and the 1968 European Cup. He scored a total of 237 goals in 404 appearances. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964 and was nicknamed The King and The Lawman by supporters. He left United in 1973 and joined Manchester City. Law also played for Scotland, making his international debut in 1958. He earned 55 caps and scored 30 goals for his national team.
Roy Keane is a former Irish midfielder. He started his professional career in 1990 with Nottingham Forrest. He then signed with United in 1993 for £3.75 million, a British transfer record at the time. In his first season, he won the club's first ever double League title and FA Cup! In 1995, younger players such as David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were brought into the team, which left Keane as the most experienced player in midfield. That season, Keane won his second double in 3 years! He took over the United captaincy from Eric Cantona at the start of the 1997/98 campaign, but he missed most of the season due to a knee ligament injury! He returned for the 1998-1999 season, and was one of the key players in United's Treble (Premiership, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League). In 2000, he was named Footballer of the Year and Players' Player of the Year. On November 18, 2005, he left Manchester United with a personal record of 480 appearances and 51 goals scored, and joined Celtic. Six months after joining Celtic and helping them secure the Scottish Premier League title and Scottish League Cup, Keane announced his retirement from professional football. Manchester United....
Most Appearances
| Rank | Player | Career Dates | # Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Giggs | 1991-present | 759 |
Most Goals
| Rank | Player | Career Dates | # Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Bobby Charleton | 1956-1973 | 249 |
Player Recognition & Awards
Dennis Law
* European Player of the Year - 1964
Bobby Charlton
* European Player of the Year: 1966
* Footballer of the Year: 1966
George Best
* European Player of the Year: 1968
* Footballer of the Year: 1968
Eric Cantona
* Players' Player of the Year: 1995
* Footballer of the Year: 1996
Roy Keane
* Footballer of the Year: 2000
* Players' Player of the Year: 2000
Cristiano Ronaldo
* Footballer of the Year: 2007
* Players' Player of the Year: 2007
Team Honours
League Title (16): 1907–08, 1910–11, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07
FA Cups (11): 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cups (2): 1992, 2006
FA Charity/Community Shield (16): 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007 (* joint holders)
UEFA Champions League (2): 1968, 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991 European Supercup: 1991 Intercontinental Cup: 1999
The Club's Best Season
The 1998-1999 season was United's most successful season as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League! In particular, United went undefeated from December 1998 – May 1999, a run of 33 matches. United won the title on the final day beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 and they won the FA Cup Final 2-0 against Newcastle United, the 2 goals were scored by Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes. In the UEFA Champions League Final, they won against Bayern Munich: they scored twice in injury time to finally win 2-1! Moreover, they won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo.
Club Management
On May 12, 2005, American businessman Malcolm Glazer took control of United through his investment vehicle Red Football Ltd. for £800 million. On May 16, he increased his share to the 75% necessary to de-list the club from the Stock Exchange, making it private again. On June 8, he appointed his sons to the Manchester United board as non-executive directors.
Owner: Malcolm Glazer Chairmen: Joel and Avram Glazer Head Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson
Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex is a Scottish football manager and former player. He has been the manager of Manchester United since 1986. Considered as one of the best managers in the world, he is the second-longest serving manager in the history of Manchester United after Sir Matt Busby and the most successful manager in the history of English football! He has won 9 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League, 1 Supercup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup. In 1999, he became the first manager to lead an English team to the treble of Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.
Uniforms
From 1878 to 1902, the club's shirts were green and gold halves. When the was renamed Manchester United in 1902, the staff also changed the jerseys, abandoning the green and gold halves of Newton Heath, and picking red and white as new colours.
Stadium
From 1878 to 1893, The Heathens were playing on a small field on North Road, near to where Manchester Piccadilly Station is currently located. In 1893, when United entered the Football League, they moved to a new home at Bank Street in nearby Clayton. In April 1909, Old Trafford was named as the home of Manchester United, following the purchase of the land for around £60,000. Architect Archibald Leitch was hired by United chairman John Henry Davies, and given a budget of £30,000 for construction. The inaugural game was played on 19 February 1910 against Liverpool F.C. in a 4–3 win for the visitors. Most of the stadium was destroyed during WWII, but it was rebuilt in 1949. Currently, it has a capacity of 76,212.
Sponsors
AIG (Principal Sponsor), Nike (Official Sportswear Partner), Audi (Official Car Supplier and Dugout Seat Provider), Budweiser, Betfred (Official Betting Partner), Xfm Manchester (Official Radio Station)
AIG was announced as the new shirt sponsors of Manchester United in a record sponsorship deal of £56.5 million on April 6, 2006.
Important Links
Official team site: http://www.manutd.com/
Official league site: http://www.premierleague.com/
Official ticket site: http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={833A50E3-D881-494E-911F-28054F2734B9}
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