Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club or you may also know them as ” The Red Devils! ” is one of the most popular and celebrated teams of all time. United has achieved every honour possible within the English league and the European Competitions. A club with significant history with a routine of making and breaking records possessing some of the biggest names in the history of football. United have won more than any other English team in the Premier League and still carrying on with their stride to achieve and add more to their glory.
History :
Manchester United is the second oldest team in the Premier League having operated for over 140 years. At the start, the club’s name was NEWTON HEATH L&YR FOOTBALL CLUB until 1902 when it changed to Manchester United Football Club. Industrial Revolution in Manchester paved the way for Urbanisation. Which made favourable conditions for the development of a footballing community. United was widely supported by their fans since their start.
Manchester United was blessed by many talented managers and two such managers changed the fate of united. Sir Alexander Matthew Busby was hired as Manager in 1945 at a time when the world was healing from World War II with the club achieving nothing in the past few decades. Busby made vast changes to the squad of United by adding young players to the squad. Busby managed United for 24 years achieving 5 Premier League titles and 2 FA Cup titles. Before Busby, many managers were hired but no one proved to be as victorious as busby. Busby had great confidence in his young players so much so that the average age of his team was 21 at the time of winning the League Title in 1956. United players were also famously called “Busby Bees“.
The Munich tragedy :
On 6 February 1958 Manchester United were returning home after a victory over Red Star Belgrade. At one point the aircraft had to refuel in Munich, at the time of take-off some unfortunate thing happened and the aircraft crashed leading to the death of 8 players among the 23 other people in the aircraft. This tragedy shook the fans and every person who loves the beautiful game. Sir Matt Busby was also on the aircraft but luckily he survived with multiple injuries. Recovery is a process and Busby took his time to recover from the tragic accident that the team faced. Massive changes were made to the team by signing more young and promising players to the squad. This new sturdy squad went on marching towards victory and retain the glory of United by winning many competitions.
Sir Alex Ferguson Era :
Sir Alex Ferguson is a revolution in itself. Ferguson is the most successful and complete manager in the history of the Premier League with a record of 12 Premier League titles. Ferguson joined United in 1986 and it took him just 4 years to win his first FA Cup. In 1992 he won his first Premier League title and since then he dominated the Premier League for a long time. United became the first team to win a treble ( Premier League + FA Cup + UEFA Champions League) in 1999 and won three consecutive Premier League titles from 1999-2001 which is a record in itself. Sir Alex is also blessed with great judgement and an eye for young talent. Everything that Cristiano Ronaldo achieved today is due to the opportunity that Sir Alex granted him. Sir Alex left the post of Manager in 2013 but continues to be the director and club ambassador of Manchester United. Hands down he is one of the most important parts of Manchester United’s history. Respect and love for him by fans and everyone who understands the game.
Current Times :
Since the departure of Sir Alex, there have been many changes to his position but no one proved to be useful. It started to look like no other manager can manage this side as Sir Alex did. In recent times United are having a tough time in the PremierLeague but they still look competitive for any team around the world. Since the departure of Sir Alex United didn’t win a single Premier League title. Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, they managed to win a Europa League and The EFL Cup. Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over United in 2019 and he is the current manager
Despite not being in their best form United fans can proudly say that they are the most successful club in the Premier League with a total of 66 titles to their name. United can change its fate in the near future and emerge as a Leader again as they the resources to do it.
Youth Team Academy :
The Manchester United scouting team have an eye for talent. The most notable among them are Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes, Bill Foulkes, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Alex Stepney, Tony Dunne, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.
Apart from the scouting network, United signed some of the greatest players to play the beautiful game. Some of them are Andrei Kanchelskis, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jaap Stam, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Peter Schmeichel, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dimitar Berbatov, Rio Ferdinand, Nani, Cantona and many more players.
Badge :
Manchester United is blessed with one of the most eye-catching crests of all time but it has changed with time. The devil which we see at the centre was added in 1970 as the club was famous as ” The Red Devils! ” among the crowds. Just above this Devil, a ship in full throttle can be seen, it is depicted from the Manchester City Council coat of arms. The term “Manchester United Football Club ” was written initially but was later removed in 1988.
Stadium :
Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United since 1909. Bank Street (1893-1909) and North Road (1878-1893) are the previously used stadiums in the United. Both these stadiums had less capacity for the fans. Fans consider Old Trafford to be their home as the club achieved a majority of things at this place. Old Trafford was massively damaged by a German strike during the World War, the club received compensation for the damages from the War Damage Commission. With this help, Old Trafford was rebuilt and reopened the next year. All these add to the history of Manchester United.
First Division/Premier League:
Winners: 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, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13
Second Division:
Winners: 1935–36, 1974–75
FA Cup:
Winners: 1908–09, 1947–48, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2015–16
Football League Cup/EFL Cup:
Winners: 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2016–17
FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield:
Winners: 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016
European Cup/UEFA Champions League:
Winners: 1967–68, 1998–99, 2007–08
European Cup Winners Cup:
Winners: 1990–91
UEFA Europa League:
Winners: 2016–17
European Super Cup:
Winners: 1991
Intercontinental Cup:
Winners: 1999
FIFA Club World Cup:
Winners: 2008
Doubles and Trebles:
Doubles:
League and FA Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99
League and UEFA Champions League: 1998–99, 2007–08
League and EFL Cup: 2008–09
EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
Trebles: League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League: 1998–99
One of the biggest clubs of England filled with rich history and tremendous potential for being the best among them all. Are you curious about the history of other great clubs? Read our other articles on:
FC Bayern Munich(Germany)
PSG (France)
Manchester City (England)
Liverpool (England)
Chelsea (England)
Arsenal (England)
