Manchester United F.C.

"MUFC" redirects here. For other uses, see MUFC (disambiguation).

Manchester United

Manchester United's crest
Full name	Manchester United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Red Devils
Founded	1878, as Newton Heath LYR F.C.
Ground	Old Trafford
Capacity	75,957
Owner	Malcolm Glazer
Co-chairmen	Joel & Avram Glazer
Manager	Alex Ferguson
League	Premier League
2008–09	Premier League, 1st
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Stefan Whaley is a glory supporter and so are all man utd supporters.Manchester United Football Club is an English unprofessional team of cheats football club who play at a rubbish stadium]] in Stretford, Greater Manchester. Having won a joint-record 18 league titles and a record 11 FA Cups, Manchester United is one of the most successful clubs in the history of English football, and are the reigning Premier League champions and Football League Cup holders. It is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world.

Founded as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878, the club joined the Football League in 1892 and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the exception of the 1974–75 season. They were the first English club to win the European Cup, in 1968, and the Treble, in 1999; they added a third Champions League in 2008.

Alex Ferguson has been manager since 6 November 1986 and is the most successful manager in the club's history, having won 26 major honours. The current club captain is Gary Neville who succeeded Roy Keane in November 2005. Average attendances at Old Trafford have been higher than at any other English club ground for all but six seasons since 1964–65.

History

Early years (1878–1945)

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945)

The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905–06 season, in which they were runners-up in the Second Division and promoted.

A chart showing the progress of Manchester United F.C. through the English football league system since joining as Newton Heath in 1892–93 to 2007–08

The club was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F.C., the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. In 1892, they joined The Football League and became independent of the rail company, dropping the "LYR" from their name. They moved to a new ground at Bank Street in Clayton in 1893.

In January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to about £370,000 as of 2024 – the club was declared bankrupt. After seeking new investment, four local businessmen, found by captain Harry Stafford, invested £500 each in return for a direct interest in running the club, and it was decided that the club should change its name; on 26 April 1902, Manchester United officially came into existence.

After finishing as runners-up in the Second Division in the [1905–06 Football League|1905–06 season]], Manchester United were promoted to the First Division in which they won their first league title in 1908. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield and ended with the club's first FA Cup title. The club would have to wait another two years before winning any more trophies – winning the First Division for the second time in the 1910–11 season – which would prove to be the last time the club won the First Division for 41 years (the longest they have gone without winning the league in their history).

Following a period of gradual decline, the club was relegated to the Second Division in 1922, where it remained until its promotion in 1925. Manchester United became a yo-yo club, and were again relegated in 1931, achieving their all-time lowest position of 20th in the Second Division in 1934. However, in the 1938-39 season, the last year of football before the outbreak of the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division.

Busby years (1945–1969)

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1945–1969)

In October 1945, the impending resumption of football led to the managerial appointment of Matt Busby, who demanded a then unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers and training sessions. Busby's first significant action was to appoint Jimmy Murphy as reserve team manager.

Busby led the team to second-place finishes in the league in 1947, 1948 and 1949, winning the First Division title in 1952, and the FA Cup in 1948. With an average age of 22, the media labelled the back-to-back title winning side of 1956 "the Busby Babes", testament to Busby's faith in his youth players. In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season. En route to the semi-final, which they lost to Real Madrid, the team recorded a 10–0 victory over Belgian champions Anderlecht, which remains their biggest victory on record.

A plaque at Old Trafford in honour of the players who died in the Munich air disaster

Tragedy struck the following season; on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against Red Star Belgrade, the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich, Germany. The Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 claimed the lives of eight players – Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan – and another fifteen passengers, including United staff members Walter Crickmer, Bert Whalley and Tom Curry.

Jimmy Murphy took over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries and the club continued to play with a makeshift side that reached the FA Cup final, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers. In recognition of the great loss suffered by the team, UEFA invited the club to compete in the 1958–59 European Cup alongside eventual League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers; although the FA gave its approval for entry, the Football League determined that because the club had not qualified for the competition, it should not enter.

Throughout the 1960s, Busby rebuilt the team by signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand, who combined with the next generation of youth team players – including George Best – to win the FA Cup in 1963; however, they could only manage a 19th-place finish in the First Division. Nevertheless, the FA Cup triumph seemed to reinvigorate the team; the following season they finished second in the league, and then won the title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 in the final.

This United team contained three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve team coach and former United player, Wilf McGuinness.

1969–1986

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1969–1986)

Manchester United badge in the 1960s

Following an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season and a poor start to the 1970–71 season, Busby was persuaded to temporarily resume managerial duties and McGuinness returned to his position as reserve team coach. An improvement in results followed, but Busby finally left the club in the summer of 1971, by which time it had lost a number of high-profile players, including Nobby Stiles and Pat Crerand.

In June 1971, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as Busby's successor, but he lasted less than 18 months before he was replaced by Tommy Docherty in December 1972. Docherty succeeded in saving Manchester United from relegation that season, only to see them relegated in 1974, by which time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left the club. The team won promotion at the first attempt, and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton; they reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. In spite of this success, Docherty was dismissed shortly afterwards following revelations regarding his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife.

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, but despite major signings, including Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey, and Ray Wilkins, the team failed to achieve anything of significance; they finished in the top two in 1979–80 and lost to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final. Lack of success led to Sexton's dismissal in 1981, even though the team won his last seven games in charge.

Sexton was replaced by Ron Atkinson, who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from his old club, West Bromwich Albion. Under Atkinson, Manchester United won the FA Cup twice in three years – in 1983 and 1985 – and, after 13 wins and two draws in their first 15 matches, were favourites to win the league in 1985–86; however, their form collapsed and they finished in fourth-place. Their poor form continued into the following season, and with the club in danger of entering the relegation zone by the beginning of November 1986, Atkinson was sacked.

Alex Ferguson era (1986–present)

Main articles: History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–1998), 1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season, and History of Manchester United F.C. (1999–present)

Alex Ferguson has been manager of Manchester United since November 1986.

Alex Ferguson and his assistant, Archie Knox, arrived from Aberdeen on the same day that Atkinson was dismissed, and guided the club to an 11th-place finish in the league in their debut season. Despite a second-place finish in 1987–88, the following season the club were back in 11th place.

In 1990, victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final replay (after a 3–3 draw in the original match) saved Ferguson's career. The following season, the club beat Barcelona to claim their first Cup Winners' Cup title in Rotterdam, which allowed them to compete in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup, in which they beat European Cup holders Red Star Belgrade 1–0 at Old Trafford. A second consecutive League Cup final appearance followed in 1992, in which they beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at Wembley.

In 1993, Manchester United won their first league title since 1967, and a year later, for the first time since 1957, won a second consecutive title, and also won the FA Cup, completing the first "Double" in the club's history. The failure to win a third consecutive league title in 1995 prompted Ferguson into major restructuring of the team, selling established first-teamers Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes. They were replaced by players from the club's youth team, including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes, who helped the team win the League in 1996, and another double in 1997.

The Treble trophies – the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup (left to right).

Manchester United's 1998–99 season was the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first team to win the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League – known as "The Treble" – in the same season. Losing 1–0 going into injury time in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær secured a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich, in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks of all time. The club also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.

In 2000, Manchester United competed in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil but did not regain the league until 2003. They won the 2004 FA Cup, beating Millwall 3–0 in the final in Cardiff.

The club made a poor start to the 2005–06 season; midfielder Roy Keane left for Celtic in acrimonious fashion and the club failed to qualify for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade. However, the team recovered to secure a second-place league finish and victory over Wigan Athletic in the 2006 Football League Cup Final in a season that also saw the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid, after a disagreement with Alex Ferguson.

Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history.

New signings Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra, and the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo, saw Manchester United regain the Premier League in the 2006–07 season. They won the league again in 2007–08, and completed the European double by beating Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, after a 1–1 draw after extra time on 21 May 2008. This game saw Ryan Giggs make a record 759th appearance for the club, overtaking previous record holder, Bobby Charlton.

On 21 December 2008, the club won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, defeating the Ecuadorian side LDU Quito 1–0 in Japan. This was followed by the 2008–09 Football League Cup, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties in the final. Manchester United then secured their third consecutive Premier League title, the second time they have achieved this feat. They failed, however, to win a second consecutive Champions League title, losing 2–0 to Barcelona in the final in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. That summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million and replaced by Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia.

In 2010, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 at Wembley to retain the League Cup, the first time they have successfully defended a knockout cup competition.

Crest and colours

File:Manchester United Badge 1973-1998.png

Manchester United badge before the most recent revision in 1998

The Manchester United crest is derived from the crest of the city of Manchester. The devil on the club badge stems from the club's nickname "The Red Devils", which was adopted in the early 1960s after Matt Busby heard it in reference to the red-shirted Salford rugby league side. By the end of the 1960s, the devil was included on club programmes and scarves, before it was finally incorporated into the club badge in 1970. In 1998, the badge was redesigned, removing the words "Football Club".

Kits worn by Newton Heath included the yellow-and-green halved shirts worn in 1878–1892 and 1894–1896; these colours were revived as an away strip in the early 1990s. Others included a red-and-white quartered shirt (1892–1894) and a plain white shirt (1896–1902), both worn with blue shorts.

After changing its name in 1902, the club also changed its colours to red shirts, white shorts, and black socks – the standard for Manchester United home kits. Exceptions were red socks in 1920–21 and 1964–1971, and white socks from 1959 to 1964. The 1909 FA Cup Final shirt was white with a red 'V' sash, a design that was resurrected between 1922–1927.

Away strips are usually white shirts, black shorts and white socks, but other colours used include: blue-and-white striped shirts between 1903 and 1916, an all-black kit in 1994, 2003 and 2007, and navy blue shirts with silver horizontal pinstripes in 2000. An all-grey kit in 1995–96 was dropped after two games because players claimed to have trouble picking out their team-mates against the backdrop of the crowd. In 2001, a reversible white/gold away kit was worn to celebrate 100 years of using the name "Manchester United". This was the last kit supplied by Manchester sportswear firm, Umbro.

The club's third kit is traditionally all-blue – as worn in the 1968 European Cup final – a design used several times, most recently in 2008–2009, 40 years after it was first worn. Exceptions include a bright yellow kit worn in the early 1970s, blue-and-white striped shirts in 1994–1996, and white shirts with black-and-red horizontal pinstripes in 2003–2005.

Manchester United's current home kit consists of red shirts with a shallow black chevron on the chest and the club crest on the left breast, worn with white shorts and black socks, both with red trim. The away kit has a similarly designed black shirt with a blue chevron; the shorts and socks are both black with blue trim. The club's 2008–09 away kit – white shirts with blue and red trim, worn with blue shorts and white socks – is used as the 2009–10 third kit.

Grounds

Main articles: North Road, Bank Street, and Old Trafford

Old Trafford

Theatre of Dreams
Location	Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England
Owner	Manchester United
Operator	Manchester United
Capacity	75,957 seated
Construction
Broke ground	1909
Opened	19 February 1910
Construction cost	£90,000 (1909)
Architect	Archibald Leitch (1909)
Tenants
Manchester United (Premier League) (1910–present)

From 1878, Newton Heath played on a field on North Road, where they remained for 15 years before moving to Bank Street in Clayton in 1893. In 1902, the club was bankrupted and the Bank Street ground was closed by bailiffs. Club captain Harry Stafford raised enough money to pay for the club's next away game at Bristol City and found a temporary ground at Harpurhey for the next home game against Blackpool.

Following investment to save the club from liquidation, and a change of name to "Manchester United", the search for a new ground began. Six weeks before United's first FA Cup title 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 chairman John Henry Davies, and given a budget of £30,000 for construction. Original plans indicated that the stadium would hold around 100,000, though this was revised to 77,000 when the budget became stretched. Construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester. At the opening of the stadium, standing tickets cost sixpence, while the most expensive seats in the grandstand cost five shillings. Only a few days after the club played their last game at Bank Street, one of the stands was blown down in a storm. The stadium's record attendance was recorded on 25 March 1939, when an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town was watched by 76,962 spectators – more than the current stadium officially holds.

Bombing during the Second World War, on 11 March 1941, destroyed much of the stadium; the central tunnel in the main stand (now the South Stand) was all that remained of that quarter of the ground. After the war, the club received compensation from the War Damage Commission to the value of £22,278 for the reconstruction of the ground. Matches were not played at Old Trafford for nearly 10 years after the bombing. While the ground was rebuilt which took until 1949, the team played their "home" games at Manchester City's Maine Road ground; City charged United £5,000 per year for the use of their stadium, plus a nominal percentage of the gate receipts.

Subsequent improvements included the addition of roofs, first to the Stretford End and then to the North and East Stands. Old-fashioned roof supports obscured the view of many fans resulting in further renovation to incorporate the cantilevering still seen on the stadium today. The Stretford End was the last stand to receive a cantilevered roof, the work being completed in time for the 1993–94 season.

Floodlights were installed at Old Trafford in the mid-1950s. Four 180-foot (55 m)-tall pylons were erected, each housing 54 individual floodlights. The system cost £40,000 and was first used for a match on 25 March 1957. These floodlights were dismantled in 1987 and replaced by a lighting system embedded in the roof of each stand that remains in use today.

Following the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, the Taylor Report's requirement for an all-seater stadium lowered capacity at Old Trafford to around 44,000 by 1993. In 1995, the North Stand was redeveloped into three tiers, restoring the capacity to approximately 55,000. At the end of the 1998–99 season, second tiers were added to the East and West Stands, raising the capacity to around 67,000, and between July 2005 and May 2006, seating capacity was increased by 8,000 seats with the addition of a second tier to the north-west and north-east quadrants. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became a new Premier League record. The record continued to be pushed upwards before reaching its peak on 31 March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1, meaning that just 114 seats (0.15% of the total capacity of 76,212) were unoccupied. In 2009, reorganisation of the seating resulted in a reduction of the capacity by 255 to 75,957.

Further development could cost up to £114 million, equalling the amount spent on the stadium in the last fourteen years, as the club would have to acquire up to fifty houses and any extension would have to be built over the adjacent railway line. Ideally, the expansion would include adding extra tiers to the South Stand and filling in the South-West and South-East quadrants to restore the "bowl" effect. Estimates project the capacity of the completed stadium at approximately 96,000, more than the new Wembley Stadium.

Support

Manchester United is reputed to be the most popular football club in the world with the highest average home attendance in Europe. The West Stand of Old Trafford – the "Stretford End" – is the home end and traditional source of the club's vocal support.

It was the Munich air disaster that gave United the worldwide profile it has today, and the clubs European Cup victory 10 years later attracted the admiration of fans worldwide. Manchester United's worldwide fan base has more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC), in at least 24 countries. The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours.

Supporters are represented by two independent bodies; the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA), which maintains close links to the club through the 'MUFC Fans Forum', and the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST). In the wake of Malcolm Glazer's takeover in 2005, a group of fans formed a splinter club, F.C. United of Manchester.

Rivalries

Main articles: Manchester derby, Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry, and Leeds United A.F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry

Manchester United have major rivalries with three clubs: Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United. Of these three, the most hotly contested derby fixture is often Liverpool as both teams have had their own respective periods of domination in English football. In addition, the club developed a strong on-pitch rivalry with Arsenal in the late 1980s, which intensified in recent years when both clubs were competing for the Premier League title

Ownership and finances

See also: Malcolm Glazer ownership of Manchester United

In 1989, chairman Martin Edwards attempted to sell the club to Michael Knighton for £20 million, but the sale fell through and resulted in Knighton joining the Board of Directors. In 1991, in the wake of the Taylor Report, the club floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £47 million. Martin Edwards retained his position as chairman.

A proposed takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1998 resulted in the formation of Shareholders United Against Murdoch – now the Manchester United Supporters' Trust – who encouraged supporters to buy shares in the club in an attempt to block any hostile takeover.

In May 2005, Malcolm Glazer purchased the 28.7% stake held by J. P. McManus and John Magnier, thus acquiring a controlling interest through his investment vehicle Red Football Ltd in a takeover valuing the club at approximately £800 million (then approx. $1.5 billion). On 16 May, his stake reached the 75% necessary to de-list the club from the Stock Exchange and he announced his intention to do so within 20 days.

In July 2006, the club announced a £660 million refinancing package, resulting in a 30% reduction in annual interest payments to £62 million a year. On 11 January 2010, shortly before an announcement that Red Football's debt had increased to £716.5 million ($1.17 billion), Manchester United announced their intention to further refinance the debt through a bond issue worth approximately £500 million. The club raised £504 million in under two weeks, and were able to pay off most of the £509 million owed to international banks. The bonds were issued in two tranches, one with a coupon rate of 8.75% worth £250 million, and the other with a coupon rate of 8.375% worth $425 million. The annual interest payable on the bonds – which mature on 1 February 2017 – is approximately £45 million per annum.

Despite restructuring, the club's debt prompted protests from fans on 23 January 2010, at Old Trafford and the club's Trafford Training Centre. A protest was organised by supporters groups, encouraging match-going fans to wear green and gold, the colours of precursor club, Newton Heath. On 30 January, reports emerged that the Manchester United Supporters' Trust had held meetings with a group of wealthy fans, dubbed the "Red Knights", with a view to buying out the Glazers' controlling interest. The group met with Keith Harris, a United fan and chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, to broker a takeover.

Sponsorship

The club has had three shirt sponsors. Sharp Electronics sponsored the club from 1982 to 2000, one of the lengthiest and most lucrative sponsorship deals in English football. Vodafone took over in a four-year £30 million deal in February 2000, sponsorship beginning the following season. In December 2003, sponsorship was extended by four years with Vodafone agreeing to pay £36 million. However, in November 2005, Vodafone announced the deal would end in May 2006.

In September 2006, a £56.5 million deal with current shirt sponsors AIG became the most valuable in the world. AIG will not renew their sponsorship at the end of the deal in May 2010, but it is not clear whether they will continue to run MU Finance. American reinsurance company Aon was named as the club's principal sponsor on 3 June 2009, with their sponsorship of the club taking effect from the beginning of the 2010–11 season. It is reputed to be worth approximately £80 million over four years, making it the biggest sponsorship deal in football history.

The club has had four kit manufacturers, the first being Umbro followed by Admiral in 1975. Adidas followed in 1980, before Umbro started a second spell in 1992. Umbro's sponsorship lasted for ten years before Nike struck a record-breaking £302.9 million deal which will last until 2015.

Players

First-team squad

As of 16 March 2010, according to combined sources on the official website.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NED	Edwin van der Sar
2	DF	ENG	Gary Neville (captain)
3	DF	FRA	Patrice Evra
4	MF	ENG	Owen Hargreaves
5	DF	ENG	Rio Ferdinand
6	DF	ENG	Wes Brown
7	FW	ENG	Michael Owen
8	MF	BRA	Anderson
9	FW	BUL	Dimitar Berbatov
10	FW	ENG	Wayne Rooney
11	MF	WAL	Ryan Giggs (vice-captain)
12	GK	ENG	Ben Foster
13	MF	KOR	Park Ji-Sung
15	DF	SRB	Nemanja Vidić
16	MF	ENG	Michael Carrick
17	MF	POR	Nani
18	MF	ENG	Paul Scholes
19	FW	ENG	Danny Welbeck
20	DF	BRA	Fábio
21	DF	BRA	Rafael

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
22	DF	IRL	John O'Shea
23	DF	NIR	Jonny Evans
24	MF	SCO	Darren Fletcher
25	MF	ECU	Antonio Valencia
26	FW	FRA	Gabriel Obertan
27	FW	ITA	Federico Macheda
28	MF	IRL	Darron Gibson
29	GK	POL	Tomasz Kuszczak
30	DF	BEL	Ritchie De Laet
31	MF	NIR	Corry Evans
32	FW	SEN	Mame Biram Diouf
36	MF	SCO	David Gray
37	DF	NIR	Craig Cathcart
38	GK	GER	Ron-Robert Zieler
41	FW	NOR	Joshua King
42	MF	NOR	Magnus Wolff Eikrem
44	DF	NIR	Joe Dudgeon
45	DF	ENG	Oliver Gill
46	MF	ENG	Cameron Stewart
47	MF	NIR	Oliver Norwood

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
14	MF	SRB	Zoran Tošić (at Köln until 30 June 2010)
35	MF	ENG	Tom Cleverley (at Watford until 30 June 2010)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
40	GK	ENG	Ben Amos (at Molde until 30 June 2010)
43	MF	ENG	Matthew James (at Preston North End until 30 June 2010)

Reserves and academy

For the reserve and academy squads, see Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy.

Former players

For details on former players, see List of Manchester United F.C. players and Category:Manchester United F.C. players.

Club captains

Dates	Name	Notes
1878–1882	Unknown
1882	E. Thomas	First known club captain
1882–1883	Unknown
c.1883–1887	Sam Black
c.1887–1890	Jack Powell
1890–1892	Unknown
1892–1893	Joe Cassidy
1893–1894	Unknown
c.1894	James McNaught
1894–1896	Unknown
c.1896–1903	Harry Stafford	First captain of Manchester United
1903–1904	Unknown
c.1904–1905	Jack Peddie
c.1905–1912	Charlie Roberts
1912–1913	George Stacey
1913	Dick Duckworth
1914	George Hunter
1914–1915	Patrick O'Connell
1915–1919	None	No football was played during the First World War
1919–1922	Unknown
c.1922–1928	Frank Barson
c.1928–1931	Jack Wilson
1931–1932	George McLachlan
1932	Louis Page
1932–1935	Unknown
c.1935–1939	Jimmy Brown
1939–1945	None	No football was played during the Second World War
1945–1953	Johnny Carey	First post-war captain, and first from outside the United Kingdom
1953–1954	Stan Pearson
1954–1955	Allenby Chilton
1955–1958	Roger Byrne	Died in the 1958 Munich air disaster
1958–1959	Bill Foulkes
1959–1960	Dennis Viollet
1960–1962	Maurice Setters
1962–1964	Noel Cantwell
1964–1967	Denis Law
1967–1973	Bobby Charlton
1973	George Graham
1973–1975	Willie Morgan
1975–1982	Martin Buchan
1982	Ray Wilkins
1982–1994	Bryan Robson	Longest-serving captain in United's history
1994–1996	Steve Bruce
1996–1997	Eric Cantona	First United captain from outside the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland
1997–2005	Roy Keane	Most trophies won as captain
2005–present	Gary Neville	First club captain to be born in Greater Manchester since Dennis Viollet

Player records

Main article: List of Manchester United F.C. records and statistics

As of match played 7 April 2010 and according to the official statistics website. Players in bold are still currently playing for Manchester United.

Most appearances

#	Name	Career	Appearances	Goals
1	Ryan Giggs	1991–present	833	152
2	Bobby Charlton	1956–1973	758	249
3	Bill Foulkes	1952–1970	688	9
4	Paul Scholes	1994–present	638	148
5	Gary Neville	1992–present	595	7
6	Alex Stepney	1966–1978	539	2
7	Tony Dunne	1960–1973	535	2
8	Denis Irwin	1990–2002	529	33
9	Joe Spence	1919–1933	510	168
10	Arthur Albiston	1974–1988	485	7

Most goals

#	Name	Career	Goals	Appearances	Goals/Game Ratio
1	Bobby Charlton	1956–1973	249	758	0.328
2	Denis Law	1962–1973	237	404	0.587
3	Jack Rowley	1937–1955	211	424	0.498
4=	Dennis Viollet	1953–1962	179	293	0.611
4=	George Best	1963–1974	179	470	0.381
6	Joe Spence	1919–1933	168	510	0.329
7	Mark Hughes	1983–1986 1988–1995	163	467	0.349
8	Ryan Giggs	1991–present	152	833	0.182
9	Ruud van Nistelrooy	2001–2006	150	219	0.685
10=	Stan Pearson	1937–1954	148	343	0.431
10=	Paul Scholes	1994–present	148	638	0.232

Award winners

Ballon d'Or

The following players have won the Ballon d'Or whilst playing for Manchester United:

• Denis Law – 1964
• Bobby Charlton – 1966
• George Best – 1968
• Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

European Golden Shoe

The following players have won the European Golden Shoe whilst playing for Manchester United:

• Cristiano Ronaldo (31 goals) – 2008

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year

The following players have won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award whilst playing for Manchester United:

• David Beckham – 1999
• Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

FIFA World Player of the Year

The following players have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award whilst playing for Manchester United:

• Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

Ladies team

Manchester United Ladies F.C. was founded in 1977 as Manchester United Supporters Club Ladies. They joined the Three Counties League in 1979, and became founding members of the North West Women's Regional Football League in 1989, when they officially changed their name to Manchester United Ladies FC. Although they were relegated from the league in their first season, they were promoted again the season after and went on to win the league title in 1995–96. For the 1998–99 season, the team joined the Northern Combination, two steps below the FA Women's Premier League. They were officially brought under the banner of Manchester United FC at the start of the 2001–02 season, but for financial reasons they were disbanded before the start of the 2004–05 season. However, the club is still involved in girls' football, offering coaching to girls under the age of 16.

Club officials

• Owner: Malcolm Glazer
• Honorary president: Martin Edwards

Manchester United Limited

• Co-chairmen: Joel Glazer & Avram Glazer
• Chief executive: David Gill
• Chief operating officer: Michael Bolingbroke
• Commercial director: Richard Arnold
• Executive director: Ed Woodward
• Non-executive directors: Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer & Darcie Glazer

Manchester United football club

• Directors: David Gill, Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Maurice Watkins
• Club secretary: Ken Ramsden (to be replaced by John Alexander from 2010–11 season)
• Assistant club secretary: Ken Merrett
• Global ambassador: Bryan Robson

Coaching and medical staff

• Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
• Assistant manager: Mike Phelan
• First team coach: René Meulensteen
• Goalkeeping coach: Eric Steele
• Fitness coach: Tony Strudwick
• Strength & conditioning coach: Mick Clegg
• Head of human performance: Dr. Richard Hawkins
• Reserve team manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjær
• Reserve team coach: Warren Joyce
• 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

Managerial history

Main article: List of Manchester United F.C. managers

Dates	Name	Notes
1878–1892	Unknown
1892–1900	A. H. Albut
1900–1903	James West
1903–1912	Ernest Mangnall
1912–1914	John Bentley
1914–1922	Jack Robson
1922–1926	John Chapman	First manager from outside of England
1926–1927	Lal Hilditch
1927–1931	Herbert Bamlett
1931–1932	Walter Crickmer
1932–1937	Scott Duncan
1937–1945	Walter Crickmer
1945–1969	Matt Busby	First post-Second World War manager and longest serving manager in United's history
1969–1970	Wilf McGuinness
1970–1971	Matt Busby
1971–1972	Frank O'Farrell	First manager from outside the United Kingdom
1972–1977	Tommy Docherty
1977–1981	Dave Sexton
1981–1986	Ron Atkinson
1986–present	Alex Ferguson	Most successful manager in terms of trophies

Honours

Domestic

League

• Premier League: 11
  • 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• First Division: 7
  • 1907–08, 1910–11, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
• Second Division: 2
  • 1935–36, 1974–75

Cups

• FA Cup: 11
  • 1908–09, 1947–48, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• League Cup: 4
  • 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• FA Charity/Community Shield: 17 (13 outright, 4 shared)
  • 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008 (* joint holders)

European

• European Cup/UEFA Champions League: 3
  • 1967–68, 1998–99, 2007–08
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1
  • 1990–91
• UEFA Super Cup: 1
  • 1991

Worldwide

• Intercontinental Cup: 1
  • 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup: 1
  • 2008

Doubles and Trebles

• Doubles:
  • League and FA Cup: 3
    • 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99 (as part of The Treble)
  • League and League Cup: 1
    • 2008–09
  • European Double (League and European Cup): 2
    • 1998–99 (as part of The Treble), 2007–08
• "The Treble" (League, FA Cup and European Cup): 1
  • 1998–99

Especially short competitions such as the Charity/Community Shield, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup or Super Cup are not generally considered to contribute towards a Double or Treble.

The only major honour that Manchester United has never won is the UEFA Cup, although they reached the quarter-finals in 1984–85 and the semi-finals of the competition's precursor tournament, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1964–65.

See also

• Richest football clubs

Supporters' organisations

• IMUSA
• Manchester United Supporters' Trust

Fanzines

• Red Issue
• United We Stand (fanzine)
• Red News

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Barnes, Justyn; Bostock, Adam; Butler, Cliff; Ferguson, Jim; Meek, David; Mitten, Andy; Pilger, Sam; Taylor, Frank OBE; Tyrrell, Tom (2001) [1998]. The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). London: Manchester United Books. ISBN 0-233-99964-7.
• Murphy, Alex (2006). The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United. London: Orion Books. ISBN 0-75287-603-1.
• Tyrrell, Tom; Meek, David (1996) [1988]. The Hamlyn Illustrated History of Manchester United 1878–1996 (5th ed.). London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-59074-7.

External links

Official

• Official site

Independent sites

• Statistics website
• Independent Manchester United Supporters Association website
• Official Manchester United Supporters' Trust
• Manchester United F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• Manchester United at skysports.com
• Manchester United at premierleague.com