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{{Infobox Football club |
clubname = Manchester United |
image = [[Image:Manchester United FC.png|150px|Manchester United's emblem]] |
fullname = Manchester United Football Club | <!-- see discussion, and the club badge.-->
nickname = The Red Devils, United, Man U |
founded = 1878, as ''Newton Heath LYR FC'' |
ground = [[Old Trafford (football ground)|Old Trafford]] |
capacity = 76,312 |
chairman = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Joel Glazer|Joel]] & [[Avram Glazer]] |
manager = {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alex Ferguson|Sir Alex Ferguson]] |
captain = {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Neville]] |
league = [[Premier League]] |
season = [[Premier League 2006-07|2006–07]] |
position = Premier League, 1st |
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pattern_la2=_goldborder| pattern_b2=_thinblacksides| pattern_ra2=_goldborder| leftarm2=FFFFFF| body2=FFFFFF| rightarm2=FFFFFF| shorts2=000000| socks2=FFFFFF|
}}
<!--The lead section should describe the subject in no more than three paragraphs (see Wikipedia:Lead section). Therefore, anything that goes in it should be both notable and concise. Things such as recent signings and the unpopularity of the nickname 'Man U' should go later on in the article, if they need to be in it at all. -->
'''Manchester United Football Club''' is an [[England|English]] [[Football (soccer)|football]] club, based at the [[Old Trafford (football)|Old Trafford stadium]] in [[Trafford]], [[Greater Manchester]], and one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.4thegame.com/features/feature/82571/.html | title=Who's The Greatest? | publisher=4thegame.com | date=[[2001-07-27]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.999today.com/sport/news/story/5662.html| date=[[2007-01-26]]| title=Manchester United score with annual profits| last=Henderson| first=Ian| publisher=999Today| accessdate=2007-04-16}}</ref> The club is one of the most successful in English football, second only to [[Liverpool F.C.]] in terms of trophies won by an English club. They have been the most successful of any English, Spanish or Italian club over the last 20 years, having won 18 major honours starting from the 1986-1987 season.<ref>Starting from the 1986-1987 season, [[Manchester United]] have won 9 [[Premier League]] titles, 1 [[European Cup]], 1 [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]], 5 [[FA Cup|FA Cups]] and 2 [[English League Cup|League Cups]]. Trophies such as the [[Intercontinental Cup]], [[European Super Cup]] and [[Community Shield]] are by convention considered minor trophies of lesser worth than other honours.</ref> They are the [[Premier League]]'s reigning champions, and have now won the Premier League/[[Football League First Division|Football League]] on a total of 16 occasions. They have also won the [[FA Cup]] a record 11 times, the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] twice, the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] twice, the [[UEFA Cup Winners Cup]] once, the [[Intercontinental Cup]] once, and the [[European Super Cup]] once.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={EE4D6083-FCB8-4FAB-A765-75E2B0F4B4E0} |title=Trophy Room |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref> The club has had the highest average attendance in English football in all but six seasons since 1964-65.<ref name="attendance">{{cite web | title=European Football Statistics | url=http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/attneng.htm| accessdate=2006-06-24}}</ref> In the late 1990s and early 2000s the club were world leaders in revenue. As of 2007, they have the fourth largest turnover in club football.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2008280,00.html | title=United slip to fourth in rich list after Champions League failure | publisher=The Guardian | first=Jon | last=Brodkin | date=February 8, 2007}}</ref> Manchester United is a founding member of the [[G-14]] group of [[Europe]]'s leading football clubs.
The current [[Coach (sports)|manager]] of Manchester United is [[Sir Alex Ferguson]], who has held the position since [[6 November]] [[1986]]. The current club captain is [[Gary Neville]], who succeeded [[Roy Keane]] in [[November]] [[2005]].
==History==
===Early years (1878-1945)===
{{main|Manchester United pre-1945}}
[[Image: ManUnited1905-1906.jpg|right|frame|The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905/6 season in which they were runners up in Division 2 and promoted]]
The club was formed as '''Newton Heath L&YR F.C.''' in [[1878]] as the works team of the [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]] depot at [[Newton Heath]]. The club's shirts were green and gold halves. They played on a small, dilapidated field on [[North Road (stadium)|North Road]], near the future site of the [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly]] railway station for fifteen years, before moving to [[Bank Street (stadium)|Bank Street]] in the nearby town of [[Clayton, Manchester|Clayton]] in [[1893]]. The club had entered [[the Football League]] the previous year and began to sever its links with the rail depot, becoming an independent company, appointing a club secretary and dropping the "L&YR" from their name to become simply '''Newton Heath F.C.'''. Not long afterwards, in 1902, the club neared bankruptcy, with debts of over £2500. At one point, their Bank Street ground was even closed by the bailiffs. <ref name="north_road">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Orion Books]] |___location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp14 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>
Just before having to be shut down for good, the club received a sizeable investment from [[John Henry Davies|J. H. Davies]], the managing director of Manchester Breweries. Legend goes that [[Harry Stafford]], the club captain, was showing off his prized [[St. Bernard (dog)|St. Bernard]] dog at a club fund-raiser, when Davies approached him to buy the dog. Stafford declined, but was able to persuade Davies to invest in the club and become club chairman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4630489.stm |title=Man Utd's turbulent business history |accessdate=2007-06-08 |author=Bill Wilson |date=2005-06-29 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref> It was decided at one of the early board meetings that the club required a change of name to reflect the fresh start they had been afforded. '''Manchester Central''' and '''Manchester Celtic''' were among the names suggested, before Louis Rocca, a young immigrant from [[Italy]], said "Gentlemen, why don't we call ourselves Manchester United?"<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Orion Books]] |___location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp16 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref> The name stuck, and Manchester United officially came into existence on [[26 April]] [[1902]]. Davies also decided it would be appropriate to change the club's colours, abandoning the green and gold halves of Newton Heath, and picking red and white to be the colours of Manchester United.
[[J. Ernest Mangnall|Ernest Mangnall]] was appointed as club secretary after [[James West (football manager)|James West]] had resigned as manager on [[28 September]] [[1902]]. Mangnall was charged with trying to get the club into the [[Football League First Division|First Division]], and fell just short of that target at the first attempt, finishing in 5th in [[Football League Second Division|Division Two]]. Mangnall decided that it was necessary to bring in some fresh faces to the club, and signed players such as [[Harry Moger]] in goal, [[Dick Duckworth]] at half-back and John Picken up front, but it was another new half-back by the name of [[Charlie Roberts]] who made the biggest impact. He cost the club a then-record £750 from [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] in April 1904, and helped them to a third place finish in the 1903-04 season, just a point short of the second promotion place.
It wasn't long, however, before the club was at last promoted to the First Division for the first time under their new name, finishing in second place in the 1905-06 Second Division. A season of consolidation followed, with the club finishing in 8th, before they finally won their first league title in [[1908]]. [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] had recently been under investigation for paying some of their players a salary over the amount allowed by [[The Football Association|FA]] regulations. They were fined £250 and eighteen of their players were banned from playing for them ever again. United were quick to pounce on the situation, picking up [[Billy Meredith]] (the Welsh Wizard) and [[Sandy Turnbull]], amongst others. The new boys from across town were ineligible to play until [[New Year's Day]] [[1907]], due to their suspension, so it was left until the 1907-08 season for them to make a proper impact on United's bid for the title. And that they did, getting the campaign off to a storming start, with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, beginning a run of ten consecutive victories. Despite a shaky end to the season, United managed to hang on and finished the season nine points ahead of their closest rivals, [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].
The following season began with United picking up another piece of silverware, the first ever [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]], and ended with another, the club's first [[FA Cup]] title, sowing the seeds for what has become a record number of FA Cup titles. Just as they were in the club's first title-winning campaign, Turnbull and Meredith were instrumental in this season, Turnbull scoring the winner in the [[FA Cup Final]]. The club had to wait another two years before winning any more silverware, winning the First Division for the second time in the 1910-11 season. In the meantime, United moved to their new ground at [[Old Trafford (football ground)|Old Trafford]]. They played their first game there on [[19 February]] [[1910]] against [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], but lost 4-3 having thrown away a 3-0 lead. They then went trophyless again in the 1911-12 season, which not only proved to be the last with Mangnall in charge (he moved to Manchester City after ten years with United), but also the last time the club won the First Division for 41 years, the longest time they have gone without winning the league in their history.
For the next ten years, the club went into a state of gradual decline before being relegated back down to Division Two in [[1922]]. They were promoted again in [[1925]], but struggled to get into the top half of the table, and were relegated again in [[1931]]. In the eight years leading up to [[World War II]], the club became somewhat of a [[yo-yo club]], reaching their all-time lowest position of 20th in Division Two in [[1934]]. They were promoted and relegated once again before being promoted in the penultimate season before World War II. They guaranteed their place in the top flight for after the war by finishing in 14th in the 1938-39 season.
Old Trafford was bombed during the Second World War, on [[11 March]] [[1941]]. The majority of the stands were destroyed - only the centre tunnel survived the bombing of the main stand - and the pitch was wrecked, leading the club to seek charity from their then-more illustrious neighbours Manchester City, who allowed them to play their games at [[Maine Road]] for a period and a nominal fee of £5000 plus a percentage of the gate receipts. World War II turned out to be a blessing in disguise for United, as it allowed them time to do an almost total restructuring of the club, including the appointment of a certain [[Scottish people|Scot]] as the new manager.
===The Busby years (1945-1969)===
{{main|Manchester United 1945-1969}}
[[1945]] saw the appointment of [[Matt Busby]] to the manager's post at Old Trafford. He took a then-unheard of approach to his job, insisting that he be allowed to pick his own team, choose which players to sign and direct the team's training sessions himself. He had already missed out on the manager's job at his former club, [[Liverpool F.C.]], because the club saw those tasks as jobs for the directors, but United decided to take a chance on Busby's innovative ideas. Busby's first signing was not a player, but a new assistant manager by the name of [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]]. The risk the club had taken in appointing Busby paid immediate dividends, with the club finishing second in the league in [[1947]], [[1948]] and [[1949]] and winning the [[FA Cup]] in 1948, thanks in part to the locally-born trio of [[Stan Pearson]], [[Jack Rowley]] and [[Charlie Mitten]] (Rowley and Pearson both scored in the [[FA Cup Final 1948|1948 Cup Final]]), as well as the centre-half from the North-East, [[Allenby Chilton]].
Charlie Mitten had fled to [[Colombia]] in search of a better salary, but the remainder of United's old heads managed to win the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] title back in [[1952]]. Busby knew, however, that football teams required more than just experience in the side, and so he adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible. At first, the young players such as [[Roger Byrne]], [[Bill Foulkes]], [[Mark Jones (footballer)|Mark Jones]] and [[Dennis Viollet]], took time to bed themselves into the side, sliding to a low of 8th place in [[1953]], but the team won the league again in [[1956]] with an average age of only 22, scoring 103 goals in the process. The youth policy set in motion by Busby has now become a hallmark of the most successful periods in the club's history (the mid-1950s, mid-to-late-1960s and 1990s). The real jewel in the crown of the Man Utd youth system was a wing-half named [[Duncan Edwards]]. The boy from [[Dudley]] in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] made his United début at the age of just 16 back in 1953. It was said that Edwards could play at any position on the field, and many who saw him play said that he was the greatest player ever. The following season, 1956-57, they won the league again and reached the [[FA Cup]] final, losing to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]. They also became the first English team to compete in the [[European Cup]], at the behest of the [[The Football Association|FA]], who had denied [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] the same opportunity the previous season, and reached the semi-final, only to be knocked out by Real Madrid. En route to the semi-final, United also recorded a win that still stands as their biggest win in all competitions, beating [[Belgium|Belgian]] champions [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]] 10-0 at [[Maine Road]].
[[Image:Munich memorial plaque.JPG|thumb|200px|left|A plaque at Old Trafford in honour of the players who died in the Munich Air Disaster.]]
Tragedy struck the following season, when the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed on take-off at a refuelling stop 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 [[Liam Whelan|Liam "Billy" Whelan]] - and another fifteen passengers, including United staff members [[Walter Crickmer]], [[Bert Whalley]] and [[Tom Curry]]. There had already been two attempted take-offs before the fatal third, which was caused by a build-up of slush at the end of the runway slowing the plane down to a speed insufficient for take-off. The plane skidded off the end of the runway, through a fence and into an unoccupied house. United goalkeeper [[Harry Gregg]] managed to maintain consciousness after the crash, and through fear of the plane exploding at any second, he grabbed both [[Bobby Charlton]] - who had made his United début less than 18 months earlier - and Dennis Viollet by their waistbands and dragged them to safety. Seven United players died at the scene, while Duncan Edwards died a fortnight later in hospital. Right-winger [[Johnny Berry]] also survived the accident, but injuries sustained in the accident brought his football career to a premature end. Matt Busby was not given much hope of survival by the Munich doctors, and was even given the [[Anointing of the Sick (Catholic Church)|Last Rites]] at one point, but recovered miraculously and was finally let out of hospital after having spent over two months there.
There were rumours of the club folding and withdrawing from competitions, but with Jimmy Murphy taking over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. Despite the accident, they reached the [[FA Cup]] final again, where they lost to [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]. At the end of the season, [[UEFA]] offered the FA the opportunity to submit both United and the eventual champions, [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], for the 1958-59 European Cup as a tribute to the victims, but the FA declined. United managed to push Wolves right to the wire the following season, finishing in a creditable 2nd place; not bad for a team that had lost nine first-team players to the Munich air disaster.
Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as [[Denis Law]] and [[Pat Crerand]], all the while nurturing his new generation of youngsters. Perhaps the most famous of this new batch was a young man from [[Belfast]] named [[George Best]]. Best had a natural athleticism not seen very often, but his most valuable asset was his close control of a football. His quick feet allowed him to pass through almost any gap in the opposition defence, no matter how small. The team won the FA Cup in [[1963]], albeit finishing in 19th place in the First Division. The FA Cup triumph seemed to reinvigorate the players, who helped the club to 2nd place in [[1964]], and then went one better by winning the league in [[1965]] and [[1967]]. United won the [[European Cup]] in [[1968]], beating [[Eusébio]]'s [[S.L. Benfica|SL Benfica]] 4-1 in the [[1968 European Cup Final|final]], becoming the first English club to win the competition. This United team was notable for containing three [[European Footballer of the Year|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|Manchester United 1969-1986}}
[[Image:Manchester United Badge 1960s-1973.png|thumb|Manchester United badge in the 1960s and early 1970s]]
United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under [[Wilf McGuinness]] in the 1969-70 season, finishing a disappointing 8th, and following a poor start to the 1970-71 season, McGuinness was demoted back to the position of reserve team coach. Busby was coaxed back to the club, albeit only for six months. Results got better with Busby's guidance, but he finally left the club for the last time in the summer of [[1971]]. In the meantime, United had lost a number of high-profile players such as [[Nobby Stiles]] and [[Pat Crerand]].
Despite approaching [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]'s European Cup-winning manager, [[Jock Stein]], for the manager's job - Stein had agreed a verbal contract to join United, but pulled out at the last minute - [[Frank O'Farrell]] was appointed as Busby's successor. However, like McGuinness, O'Farrell only lasted less than 18 months, the only difference between the two being that O'Farrell reacted to the team's poor form by bringing in some fresh talent, most specifically [[Martin Buchan]] from [[Aberdeen F.C.|Aberdeen]] for £125,000. [[Tommy Docherty]] became manager at the end of [[1972]]. Docherty, or "the Doc", saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in [[1974]], by which time the golden trio of Best, Law and Charlton had left the club. [[Denis Law]] had moved to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] in the summer of [[1973]], and ended up scoring the goal that many people say relegated United, and politely refused to celebrate the goal with his team mates. Players like [[Lou Macari]], [[Stuart Houston]] and [[Brian Greenhoff]] were brought in in to replace Best, Law and Charlton, but none could live up to the stature of the three that came before.
The team won promotion at the first attempt, with a young [[Steve Coppell]] making his début towards the end of that season, having joined from [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]], and reached the [[FA Cup]] final in [[1976]], but were beaten by [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]. They reached the final again in [[1977]], beating [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] 2-1. In spite of this success and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was sacked soon after the final when he was found to have had an affair with the physiotherapist's wife.
[[Dave Sexton]] replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, and made the team play in a more defensive formation. This style was unpopular with supporters, who were used to the attacking football preferred by Docherty and Busby. Major signings under Sexton included [[Joe Jordan (footballer)|Joe Jordan]], [[Gordon McQueen]], [[Gary Bailey]] and [[Ray Wilkins]], but Sexton's defensive United failed to break out of mid-table obscurity, only once finishing in the top two, and only reached the FA Cup final once, losing to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]. Because of this lack of trophies, Sexton was sacked in [[1981]], even though he won his last seven games in charge.
He was replaced by the flamboyant [[Ron Atkinson]], whose extrovert attitude was reflected in the clubs he managed. He immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign [[Bryan Robson]] from his old club, [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Brom]]. Robson would come to be touted in the future as United's best midfield player since [[Duncan Edwards]]. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as [[Jesper Olsen]], [[Paul McGrath]] and [[Gordon Strachan]] playing alongside former youth-team players [[Norman Whiteside]] and [[Mark Hughes]]. United won the FA Cup twice in three years, in [[1983]] and [[1985]], and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the 1985-86 season after winning their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October. The team's form collapsed, however, and United finished the season in fourth place. The poor form continued into the following season, and with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone by the beginning of November 1986, Atkinson was sacked.
===Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986-1998)===
{{main|Manchester United 1986-1998}}
[[Image:Alex Ferguson.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Alex Ferguson]]]]
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->[[Alex Ferguson]] arrived from [[Aberdeen F.C.|Aberdeen]] to replace Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. The following season ([[1987-88 in English football|1987-88]]), United finished second, with [[Brian McClair]] becoming the first United player since [[George Best]] to score twenty league goals in a season.
However, United struggled throughout the next two seasons, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. Alex Ferguson was reportedly on the verge of being sacked at the beginning of 1990 but a Mark Robins goal gave United a narrow 1-0 win in the third round of the [[FA Cup]] over [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. This kept the season alive, and the team went on to win the competition, beating [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] in a replay in the final.
United won the [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]] in [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990-91|1990-91]], beating that season's Spanish champions [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] in the final, but the following season was a disappointment as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals [[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]]. Meanwhile in 1991, the club floated on the [[London Stock Exchange]] with a valuation of £47 million,<ref>{{cite book |last=Lee |first=Simon |editor=Sean Hamil, Jonathan Michie, Christine Oughton |title=A Game of Two Halves? The Business of Football |url=http://www.football-research.org/gof2h/Gof2H-contents.htm |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=[[University of London]] |chapter=CHAPTER 4. The BSkyB Bid for Manchester United Plc - All the Passion of a Banknote |chapterurl=http://www.football-research.org/gof2h/Gof2H-chap4.htm }}</ref> bringing its finances into the public eye.
The arrival of [[Eric Cantona]] in November 1992 provided the crucial spark for United, and blending with the best of trusted talent in [[Gary Pallister]], [[Denis Irwin]] and [[Paul Ince]], as well as budding stars like [[Ryan Giggs]], they finished the [[1992-93 in English football|1992-93]] season as champions for the first time since 1967. They won [[the double]] (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, aided by the capture of [[Roy Keane]], a determined midfielder from [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]], who would go on to become the team captain. In the same year, however, the club was plunged into mourning following the death of legendary manager and club president [[Matt Busby]], who died on [[20 January]] [[1994]].
In [[1994-95 in English football|1994-95]], Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assaulting [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] supporter Matthew Simmons, who had given Cantona racial abuse as he left the field, in United's game at [[Selhurst Park]]. Drawing their last league match and losing to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in the [[FA Cup]] final left United as runners-up in both the league and [[FA Cup]]. Ferguson then outraged the supporters by selling key players and replacing them with players from the club's [[Youth system|youth team]], including [[David Beckham]], [[Gary Neville]], [[Phil Neville]] and [[Paul Scholes]]. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals for [[England national football team|England]], did surprisingly well and United won the double again in [[1995-96 in English football|1995-96]]. This was the first time any English club had won the double twice, and the feat was nicknamed the "Double Double".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/1996/05/12/sfgliv12.xml | title=Cantona crown's United's season of Double delight | publisher=[[The Telegraph]] | accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref>
They won the league in 1996-7, and Eric Cantona announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. They started the following season ([[1997-98 in English football|1997-98]]) well, but they finished in second place, behind the double-winning champions [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].
===The Treble (1998-99)===
{{main|Manchester United 1998-1999}}
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->The [[1998-99 in English football|1998-99]] season for Manchester United was the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble - winning the [[Premier League|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 F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] 2-1, whilst [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] won 1-0 against [[Aston Villa F.C.|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 F.C.|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 one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed, losing going into [[injury time]] and scoring twice to win 2-1. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football. Rounding out that record breaking year, Manchester United also won the [[Intercontinental Cup (football)|Intercontinental Cup]] after beating [[Palmeiras]] 1-0 in [[Tokyo]].
===After the Treble (1999-present)===
{{main|Manchester United 1999-present}}
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->United won the league in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. In 2000, Manchester United became one of 14 founder members of the [[G-14]] group of leading [[Europe]]an football clubs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.g14.com/G14members/index.asp | title=G-14's members | work=G14.com | accessdate=12 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the [[FA Premier League 2001-02|2001-02 Premiership]] season in third place. They regained the league the following season ([[2002-03 in English football|2002-03]]) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when [[Rio Ferdinand]] received a controversial eight month suspension for missing a [[doping (sport)|drugs test]]. They did win the [[FA Cup Final 2004|2004]] [[FA Cup]], however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final in which they beat [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]].
The [[2004-05 in English football|2004-05]] season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]] and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. This time, even the "consolation prize" of the FA Cup eluded them as Arsenal beat United on penalties after a goalless draw after 120 minutes. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] businessman [[Malcolm Glazer]], [[Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United|acquired a controlling interest]] in the club.
United made a poor start to the [[2005-06 in English football|2005-06]] season, with midfielder [[Roy Keane]] leaving the club to join [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] after publicly criticising several of his team-mates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade after losing to [[Portugal|Portuguese]] team [[SL Benfica]]. Their season was also dealt cruel blows with injuries to key players such as [[Gabriel Heinze]], [[Alan Smith]], [[Ryan Giggs]] and [[Paul Scholes]]. However, they were prevented from being left empty handed in successive seasons -a disappointment not endured in the last 17 years - by winning the 2006 [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] beating newly-promoted neighbours [[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] in the final 4-0. United also ensured a second-place finish and automatic [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] qualification on the final day of the season by defeating [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]] 4-0. At the end of the 2005-2006 season, one of United's key strikers, [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]], left the club to join [[Real Madrid]], due to a row with [[Alex Ferguson]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/5322562.stm | title=Ruud accuses Ferguson of betrayal | publisher=[[BBC]] | date=[[2006-09-07]] | accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref>
The [[Premier League 2006-07|2006-07]] season saw United return to the attacking style of football that was the cornerstone of their years of success in the late 1990s, scoring almost 20 more goals in 32 matches than second placed side [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]. In [[January 2007]], United signed [[Henrik Larsson]] on a two-month loan from [[Sweden|Swedish]] side [[Helsingborgs IF|Helsingborgs]], and the [[striker]] played an important role in advancing United to the [[UEFA Champions League 2006-07#Semi-finals|semi-finals of the Champions' League]],<ref>{{cite news | title=Seven wonders of sublime United dazzle and destroy helpless Roma | publisher= The Guardian| url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,,2054231,00.html | date=[[April 11]], [[2007]]}}</ref> with hopes for a second [[The Treble|Treble]]; however Manchester lost to [[A.C. Milan]] 3-5 on [[Two-legged match|aggregate]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/6603095.stm |title=AC Milan 3-0 Man Utd (Agg: 5-3) |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Caroline Cheese |date=2007-05-02 |publisher=BBC.co.uk }}</ref>.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Manchester United's entry into European competition, as well as the 50th anniversary of the [[Treaty of Rome]], Manchester United played [[Marcello Lippi]]'s [[Marcello Lippi#Europe XI|European XI]] at Old Trafford on [[13 March]] [[2007]]. United won the game 4-3, with two goals from [[Wayne Rooney]], and one each from [[Wes Brown]] and [[Cristiano Ronaldo]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Manchester United 4-3 Europe XI | publisher= ManUtd.com| url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=410702 | date=[[2007-03-13]]}}</ref>
Four years after their last championship, United claimed back the Premier League title on [[6 May]] [[2007]], after Chelsea drew away with Arsenal, leaving the Blues seven points behind in second place following United's 1-0 victory in the [[Manchester derby]] the previous day, making it their ninth Premiership title in the 15 seasons of its existence. However, an unprecedented fourth Double was not to be, as Chelsea beat United 1-0 in extra time in the first FA Cup Final to be held at the new [[Wembley Stadium]]; the first to be held in England since the old stadium was demolished seven years earlier.
United's trip to the [[Far East]], scheduled for [[July 2007]] will clash with the four-yearly [[AFC Asian Cup]] and came under attack by the [[Asian Football Confederation]] on [[May 9]] [[2007]], who feared the visit of the newly installed Premiership champions will draw attention away from the region's show-piece tournament.<ref>{{cite news | title=United's plans for Asian tour under attack | publisher= The Telegraph| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/05/09/sfnfro09.xml| date=[[2007-05-09]]}}</ref> The [[Football Association of Malaysia|Malaysian FA]], as hosts of the tournament, are under obligation not to promote any other major football events in the period from ten days before the start of the tournament to three days after the end of it, and United's match against a Malaysian XI fell within this period, forcing the match to be called off.
====The Malcolm Glazer takeover====
{{main|Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United}}
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->On [[13 May]] [[2005]], [[United States of America|American]] businessman [[Malcolm Glazer]] acquired a controlling interest in the club through his investment vehicle Red Football Ltd. in a takeover valuing the club at approximately [[GBP|£]]800 [[million]] (approx. [[USD|$]]1.5 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]]). On [[16 May]], he increased his share to the 75% necessary to de-list the club from the [[London Stock Exchange|Stock Exchange]], making it private again, and announced his intention to do so within 20 days. On [[8 June]] he appointed his sons to the Manchester United board as non-executive directors.
In July 2006, the club announced a refinancing package. Previously the debt taken on by the Glazers to financing the club was split between the club and the family, but now it will all be in the club. The total amount will be £660 million, on which interest payments will be £62 million a year. This is a 30% reduction in interest charges.
==Club crest and colours==
[[Image:Manchester United Badge 1973-1998.png|thumb|Manchester United badge up to the most recent revision]]
During its days as Newton Heath, the club's home jerseys were yellow and green; this strip was revived as an away kit in the early 1990s. In 1902, in conjunction with the name change to Manchester United, the club changed their colours to red jerseys, white shorts and black socks, which has become the standard for most Man Utd home kits ever since. The most notable exception to this is the shirt that the team wore in the [[FA Cup Final 1909|1909 FA Cup Final]] against [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]], which was white with a thin red V-neck. This design was resurrected in the 1920s before United reverted back to the all-red shirts.
Away strips are usually white jerseys with black shorts and white socks, but other colours have been used, including a blue and white striped shirt used on-and-off from 1903 to 1916, an all-black kit in 1994 and 2003 and a navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes in 2000. One of the most famous, yet short-lived, United away kits, though, was the all grey kit from 1996. This kit was dropped after Manchester United failed to win a single game while wearing it. At half-time during a game against [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]], when United were already 3-0 down, they switched to their blue and white third kit, but eventually lost 3-1. According to the players, the grey kit wasn't visible enough which led to the poor results.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/tennis/features/newsid_2223000/2223651.stm |title=Grey day for Manchester United |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=BBC.co.uk }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rivals.net/default.asp?sid=969&p=2&stid=8434024 |title=Excuses, excuses, excuses |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Anthony Thomas |date=2007-01-03 |publisher=Black-and-amber.co.uk }}</ref> Another famous Man Utd away kit included a reversible shirt that was white with black sleeves and gold trim on one side, and gold with black trim on the other side. This shirt was released as the last kit created by [[Umbro]] for the club before the change to [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], and commemorated 100 years since the club had changed its name from Newton Heath to Manchester United.
The United third kit is traditionally all-blue in homage to the kit that the 1968 European Cup was won in. Exceptions to this rule have included a bright yellow kit worn in the early 1970s, the aforementioned blue and white striped shirt from 1996, which proved to be a firm favourite with the fans, and a white shirt with black and red horizontal pinstripes from 2004. United have also used what were originally used as training shirts as their third kit in the past, having adopted an all-black kit in the 1998-99 season and a dark blue shirt with maroon sides in 2001 for games against Southampton and PSV Eindhoven.
Currently, Manchester United's jerseys are red with a gold pinstripe going down each side. The sleeves are capped with white and the [[American International Group|AIG]] and [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] logos are also white. The letters MUFC are embroidered in gold at the bottom of the shirt. The club crest sits on a white shield on the left breast. The away jerseys are white with black panels down the side. The crest sits on a black shield, also on the left breast. The sleeves and collar are capped in gold and the AIG and Nike logos, and MUFC embroidery are black. The third shirt is blue with red across the shoulders. The sleeves are capped with red. The Nike logo is white and sits below the right shoulder, while the AIG logo is also white and sits on a red background. The club crest is placed in the centre of the shirt.
The Manchester United crest has been altered on a few occasions, but the basic form remains similar. The badge 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 City Reds|Salford]] [[rugby league]] side. By the end of the 1960s, the devil had started to be included on club programmes and scarves, before it was finally incorporated into the club badge in 1970, holding its unmistakable trident. In 1998, the badge was once again redesigned, this time removing the words "Football Club".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prideofmanchester.com/sport/mufc-kits.htm |title=Manchester United kits |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=prideofmanchester.com }}</ref> This move was met with opposition from some supporters, who viewed it as a move away from the club's footballing roots and more into the business side of the game.
==Players==
===First-team squad===
''As of [[11 March]] [[2007]], according to combined sources on the official website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={91EA3BE2-963A-4BAB-802C-F46A0EF3FCA3}&page=1 |title=First Team |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BC7DF7CEC%2D3BC3%2D4859%2DA3FD%2DFE4AAD215DD8%7D&newsid=355757 |title=New numbers for Edwin & co |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Ben Hibbs |date=2006-08-17 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=393111 |title=Eckersley joins Tykes - Reds on loan |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Steve Bartram |date=2007-01-08 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref> All loans until [[30 June]] [[2007]] unless otherwise stated.
<!-- Please stop adding Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson to the squad list. Although they have agreed terms and passed their medicals, they haven't signed their contracts yet, and will not be United players before 1st July. -->
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1 |nat=NED|pos=GK|name=[[Edwin van der Sar]]}}
{{Fs player|no=2 |nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=[[Gary Neville]]|other=[[Captain (football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=3 |nat=FRA|pos=DF|name=[[Patrice Evra]]}}
{{Fs player|no=4 |nat=ARG|pos=DF|name=[[Gabriel Heinze]]}}
{{Fs player|no=5 |nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=[[Rio Ferdinand]]}}
{{Fs player|no=6 |nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=[[Wes Brown]]}}
{{Fs player|no=7 |nat=POR|pos=MF|name=[[Cristiano Ronaldo]]}}
{{Fs player|no=8 |nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=[[Wayne Rooney]]}}
{{Fs player|no=9 |nat=FRA|pos=FW|name=[[Louis Saha]]}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=WAL|pos=MF|name=[[Ryan Giggs]]|other=[[Vice-captain (football)|vice-captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=13|nat=KOR|pos=MF|name=[[Park Ji-Sung]]<!-- Not Ji-Sung Park as it is a Korean name and so the family name comes first -->}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=[[Alan Smith]]}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=SER|pos=DF|name=[[Nemanja Vidić]]}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Michael Carrick]]}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Paul Scholes]]}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=NOR|pos=FW|name=[[Ole Gunnar Solskjær]]}}
{{Fs player|no=21|nat=CHN|pos=FW|name=[[Dong Fangzhuo]]}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=IRL|pos=DF|name=[[John O'Shea (footballer)|John O'Shea]]}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Kieran Richardson]]}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=SCO|pos=MF|name=[[Darren Fletcher]]}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=[[Phillip Bardsley|Phil Bardsley]]}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=FRA|pos=DF|name=[[Mikael Silvestre]]}}
{{Fs player|no=29|nat=POL|pos=GK|name=[[Tomasz Kuszczak]]|other=on loan from [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Brom]] <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={FE60904B-C2A8-4E60-9B05-700DBBC29BBC}§ion=playerProfile&teamid=458&bioid=92179 |title=29. Tomasz Kuszczak |accessdate=2007-04-19 |publisher=ManUtd.com }} Kuszczak has signed a three-year pre-contract agreement with Manchester United, and will join the club on a permanent basis on 1 July 2007</ref>}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=NIR|pos=DF|name=[[Craig Cathcart]]}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Chris Eagles]]}}
{{Fs player|no=35|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=[[Kieran Lee]]}}
{{Fs player|no=38|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=[[Thomas Heaton|Tom Heaton]]}}
{{Fs end}}
====As of July 1,2007====
''New Signings.''
{{Fs player|no=|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=[[Owen Hargreaves]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BRE|pos=MF|name=[[Anderson]]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=POR|pos=MF|name=[[Nani]]}}
<!-- Who are you? Why should play by your rules? Those players should be added. -->
====On loan====
''All loans until [[30 June]] [[2007]] unless otherwise stated.''
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=ITA|pos=FW|name=[[Giuseppe Rossi]]|other=on loan to [[Parma F.C.|Parma]]}}
{{Fs player|no=28|nat=ESP|pos=DF|name=[[Gerard Piqué]]|other=on loan to [[Real Zaragoza]]}}
{{Fs player|no=— |nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=[[Ben Foster (footballer)|Ben Foster]]|other=on loan to [[Watford F.C.|Watford]]}}
{{Fs end}}
===Reserves and academy===
''For the reserve and academy squads, see [[Manchester United F.C. Reserves & Academy Squad]].''
===Former players===
''For details on former players, see [[List of Manchester United F.C. players]] and [[:Category:Manchester United F.C. players]].''
===Club captains===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dates
! Name
! Notes
|-
| 1878-1896
| Unknown
|-
| 1896-1903
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Harry Stafford]]
| Captain of Newton Heath and first captain of Manchester United
|-
| 1904-1907
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[John Hope Peddie|Jack Peddie]]
|-
| 1907-1913
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Charlie Roberts]]
|-
| 1913-1919
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Stacey]]
|-
| 1919-1922
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Hunter (footballer)|George Hunter]]
|-
| 1922-1928
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank Barson]]
|-
| 1928-1932
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Wilson (footballer)|Jack Wilson]]
|-
| 1932-1936
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Hugh McLenahan]]
|-
| 1936-1939
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[James Brown (Scottish footballer)|Jimmy Brown]]
|-
| 1945-1953
| {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Johnny Carey]]
| First captain not from the United Kingdom
|-
| 1953-1955
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Allenby Chilton]]
|-
| 1953-1958
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Roger Byrne]]
| Died in the 1958 Munich Air Disaster
|-
| 1958-1966
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Foulkes]]
|-
| 1966-1973
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bobby Charlton]]
|-
| 1973-1979
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Martin Buchan]]
|-
| 1979-1982
| {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Sammy McIlroy]]
|-
| 1982-1994
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bryan Robson]]
| Longest-serving captain in United's history
|-
| 1991-1996
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Bruce]]
| Co-captain with Bryan Robson from 1991 to 1994
|-
| 1996-1997
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Eric Cantona]]
| First United captain from outside British Isles
|-
| 1997-2005
| {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Roy Keane]]
| Won more trophies than any other United captain
|-
| 2005-present
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Neville]]
| First club captain to be born in Greater Manchester since Roger Byrne
|}
<!-- This table may not be 100% accurate for dates before 1953. Any assistance in getting it perfect would be appreciated. -->
===Player records===
====Most appearances====
''As of match played 19 May 2007 and according to the official statistics website.<ref>[http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/ StretfordEnd.co.uk]</ref> Players in bold are still currently playing for Manchester United.''
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bobby Charlton|Sir Bobby Charlton]]
|1956 - 1973
|759
|249
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|WAL}} '''[[Ryan Giggs]]'''
|1991 - present
|716
|140
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Foulkes]]
|1952 - 1970
|688
|9
|-
|4
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Gary Neville]]'''
|1992 - present
|540
|7
|-
|5
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alex Stepney]]
|1966 - 1978
|539
|2
|-
|6=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Tony Dunne]]
|1960 - 1973
|536
|2
|-
|6=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Paul Scholes]]'''
|1994 - present
|536
|137
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Denis Irwin]]
|1990 - 2002
|529
|33
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Spence]]
|1919 - 1933
|510
|168
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Arthur Albiston]]
|1974 - 1988
|485
|7
|}
====Most goals====
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
!Goals/Game<br />Ratio
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bobby Charlton|Sir Bobby Charlton]]
|1956 - 1973
|759
|249
|0.328
|-
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Denis Law]]
|1962 - 1973
|404
|237
|0.587
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Rowley]]
|1937 - 1955
|424
|212
|0.500
|-
|4=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dennis Viollet]] <!-- I have placed him ahead of George Best as he has a better goals/game ratio -->
|1953 - 1962
|293
|179
|0.611
|-
|4=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|NIR}} [[George Best]]
|1963 - 1974
|470
|179
|0.381
|-
|6
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Spence]]
|1919 - 1933
|510
|168
|0.329
|-
|7
|align="left"|{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Mark Hughes]]
|1983 - 1986, 1988 - 1995
|466
|164
|0.352
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]]
|2001 - 2006
|220
|150
|0.682
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stan Pearson]]
|1937 - 1954
|347
|148
|0.427
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[David Herd (footballer)|David Herd]]
|1961 - 1968
|265
|145
|0.547
|}
====European Footballers of the Year (Ballon d'Or)====
The following players have won European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) whilst playing for Manchester United:
*[[Denis Law]] - 1964
*[[Bobby Charlton]] - 1966
*[[George Best]] - 1968
===Ladies team===
Manchester United Ladies FC was founded in 1977, and officially became a part of Manchester United FC at the start of the 2001/2 season. They played in the Northern Combination league (the third tier of women's football in England) until they were controversially disbanded before the start of the 2004/5 season for financial reasons. The decision was met with considerable criticism given the huge profits made by Manchester United and also due to the fact that the teams were withdrawn from all their leagues before the players were even informed of the decision.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joinmust.org/news/newsletter/UnitedShareholder26.pdf |title=United abandons women’s football |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Theresa Towle |year=2005 |month=May |format=PDF |work=United Shareholder |publisher=ShareholdersUnited |pages=[http://www.joinmust.org/news/newsletter/UnitedShareholder26.pdf#page=10 p. 10-11] }}</ref>
==Club officials==
'''Board of Directors'''
*Owner: '''[[Malcolm Glazer]]'''
*Honorary Life President: '''[[Martin Edwards]]'''
*Joint Chairmen: '''[[Joel Glazer]]''' & '''[[Avram Glazer]]'''
*Chief Executive: '''[[David Gill (executive)|David Gill]]'''
*Chief Operating Officer: '''Michael Bolingbroke'''
*Group Commercial Director: '''Lee Daley'''
*Non-Executive Directors: '''[[Bryan Glazer]]''', '''Edward Glazer''', '''Kevin Glazer''' & '''Darcie Glazer'''
*Football Board Directors: '''[[Martin Edwards]]''', '''[[Sir Bobby Charlton]]''', '''Maurice Watkins''', '''Michael Edelson''' & '''Ken Merrett''' (Secretary)
<!-- '''Senior club staff'''
*Company Secretary: '''Patrick Stewart'''
*Assistant Company Secretary: '''Ken Ramsden'''
*Director of Communications: '''Phil Townsend'''
*Director of Commercial Enterprises: '''Ben Hatton'''
*Director of Marketing: vacant
*Director of Financial Services: '''Steve Falk'''
*Director of Finance & IT: ''' Steve Deaville'''
*Director of Facilities: '''Clive Snell'''
-->'''Coaching and Medical Staff'''
*Manager: '''[[Alex Ferguson|Sir Alex Ferguson]]'''
*Assistant Manager: '''[[Carlos Queiroz]]'''
*First Team Coach: '''[[Mike Phelan]]'''
*Goalkeeping Coach: '''[[Tony Coton]]'''
*Fitness Coach: '''[[Valter di Salvo]]'''
*Strength & Conditioning Coach: '''Mick Clegg'''
*Caretaker Reserve Team Coach: '''[[Brian McClair]]'''
*Chief Scout: '''Jim Lawlor'''
*Chief European Scout: '''Martin Ferguson'''
*Director of Youth Academy: '''[[Brian McClair]]'''
*Director of Youth Football: '''[[Jimmy Ryan (footballer)|Jimmy Ryan]]'''
<!--
'''Academy coaching staff'''
*Assistant Director for 17-21 Year olds: '''[[Paul McGuinness (footballer)|Paul McGuinness]]'''
*Assistant Director for 9-16 Year olds: '''[[Tony Whelan]]'''
*Under 18's Coach: '''[[Paul McGuinness (footballer)|Paul McGuinness]]'''
*Under 13-16's Coach: '''[[Mark Dempsey]]'''
*Under 11-12's Coach: '''[[Tony Whelan]]'''
*Under 9-10's Coach: '''Eamon Mulvey''' -->
*Technical Skills Development Coach: '''[[René Meulensteen]]'''
<!--*Director of Goalkeeping Training: '''Richard Hartis'''
*Academy Coaches: '''Eddie Leach''', '''Tommy Martin''', '''Mike Glennie''' & '''Andy Welsh'''
'''Medical staff''' -->
*Club Doctor: '''Dr. Steve McNally'''
*Assistant Club Doctor: '''Dr. Tony Gill'''
*First Team Physiotherapist: '''Rob Swire'''<!--
*Reserve Team Physiotherapist: '''Neil Hough'''
*Senior Academy Physiotherapist: '''Mandy Johnson'''
*Academy Physiotherapists: '''John Davin''' & '''Richard Merron'''
*Masseurs: '''Gary Armer''' & '''Rod Thornley'''
*Club Dietician: '''Trevor Lea''' -->
===Managerial history===
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Period
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[A. H. Albut]]
|1892-1900
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[James West (football manager)|James West]]
|1900-1903
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[J. Ernest Mangnall]]
|1903-1912
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Bentley (football manager)|John Bentley]]
|1912-1914
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Robson]]
|1914-1922
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Chapman (footballer)|John Chapman]]
|1921-1927
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Lal Hilditch]]
|1926-1927
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Herbert Bamlett]]
|1927-1931
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Walter Crickmer]]
|1931-1932, 1937-1945
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Scott Duncan]]
|1932-1937
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Matt Busby|Sir Matt Busby]]
|1945-1969, 1970-1971
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wilf McGuinness]]
|1969-1970
|-
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Frank O'Farrell]]
|1971-1972
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Tommy Docherty]]
|1972-1977
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dave Sexton]]
|1977-1981
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ron Atkinson]]
|1981-1986
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alex Ferguson|Sir Alex Ferguson]]
|1986-present
|-
|}
==Support==
Before [[World War II]], few English football supporters travelled to away games because of time, cost, and logistical constraints such as the scarcity of cars amongst the population. As City and United played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next, but after the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose to follow one team exclusively.
When United won the league in 1956, they had the highest average home attendance in the league, a record that had been held by [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] for the previous few years. Following the [[Munich air disaster]] in 1958, more people began to support United and many started to go to matches. This caused United's support to swell and is one reason why United have had the highest league attendances in English football for almost every season since then, even as a [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] side in 1974-75.<ref name="attendance"> More poignantly, for two of the seasons that United did not have the league's largest attendance, Old Trafford was undergoing major building work (1971-72 and 1992-93).
A 2002 report, entitled ''Do You Come From Manchester?'', showed that a higher proportion of [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] season ticket holders live in the Manchester postal districts, whilst United had the higher absolute number of season ticket holders living in the same area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-space.mmu.ac.uk/e-space/bitstream/2173/2032/2/seasonticketreport+-+brown1.pdf |title=Do You Come From Manchester? |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Dr. Adam Brown |year=2002 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Manchester Metropolitan University]] |pages=3 }}</ref>
In the late 1990s and early part of the 2000s, an increasing source of concern for many United supporters was the possibility of the club being taken over. The supporters' group [[IMUSA]] (''Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association'') were extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by [[Rupert Murdoch]] in 1998. Another pressure group, ''Shareholders United Against Murdoch'' (which became Shareholders United and is now the ''[[Manchester United Supporters' Trust]]'') was formed at around this time to encourage supporters to buy shares in the club, partly to enable supporters to have a greater say in the issues that concern them, such as ticket prices and allocation, and partly to reduce the risk of an unwanted party buying enough shares to take over the club. However, this scheme failed to prevent [[Malcolm Glazer]] from becoming the majority share holder. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a splinter club called [[F.C. United of Manchester]].
Despite the anger towards the new owners, attendances have continued to increase, and the team's excellent performances have re-kindled the enthusiasm of the supporters. In recent years, there has been much debate about the lack of atmosphere at Old Trafford for some games but during the 2006/7 season there have been several passionate and raucous occasions, possibly unsurpassed anywhere in European football. The vocal United fans have a reputation for being innovative with a plethora of newly-created chants becoming established each season.
==Stadium==
{{Main|Old Trafford (football ground)}}
{{Infobox_Stadium |
stadium_name = Old Trafford |
nickname = Theatre of Dreams |
image = [[Image:Old Trafford inside 20060726 1.jpg|350px|Old Trafford after it's most recent expansion]] |
___location = {{flagicon|ENG}} Sir Matt Busby Way,<br />[[Old Trafford, Manchester|Old Trafford]],<br />[[Greater Manchester]],<br />[[England]] |
broke_ground = 1909 |
opened = [[1910-02-19]] |
owner = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] |
operator = Manchester United |
pitch_size = 106m x 69.5m |
construction_cost = £60m [[Great Britain Pound|GBP]] |
architect = [[Archibald Leitch]] |
tenants = <center>Manchester United ([[Premier League]]) (1910-present)</center> |
seating_capacity = <center>76,312</center> |
highest attendance = 76,098 (vs. [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]], [[31 March]] [[2007]])
[http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7B3D311A73-611A-43C9-9852-82DF97917873%7D§ion=oldTrafford] |
}}
When the club was first founded, Newton Heath played their home games on a small field on North Road in Newton Heath, near to where Manchester Piccadilly Station is currently located. However, visiting teams often complained about the state of the pitch, which was "a bog at one end and rocky as a quarry at the other".<ref name="north_road"/> The changing rooms were also nothing to be proud of, being located ten minutes walk away at the Three Crowns pub on Oldham Road. They were later moved to the Shears Hotel, another pub on Oldham Road, but a change was needed if the club was to continue in the Football League.
The Heathens remained at their North Road ground for fifteen years from 1878 to 1893, a year after entering the Football League, before moving to a new home at Bank Street in nearby Clayton. The new ground was not much better, only a few tufts of grass sticking up through the sandy surface, and clouds of smoke coming down from the factory next door. On one occasion, the Walsall Town Swifts even refused to play, the conditions were so bad. A layer of sand was put down by the groundsman and the visitors were finally persuaded to play, eventually losing 14-0. They protested against the result, citing the poor conditions as the reason for their loss and the match was replayed. The conditions were not much better the second time around, and the Walsall team lost again, although this time they only lost 9-0.<ref name="north_road"/>
In 1902, the club went close to bankruptcy and the Bank Street ground was closed by bailiffs due to their insolvency. They were saved at the last minute by club captain Harry Stafford, who managed to scrape together enough money to pay for the club's next away game at Bristol City and found a temporary ground at neighbouring Harpurhey for the next home game against Blackpool.<ref name="temporary_home">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=Orion Books |___location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp15 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>
Following investment to get the club back on an even keel, they renamed as Manchester United, though still with a desire for a passable ground. 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 necessary 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. Original plans indicated that the stadium would hold around 100,000, though this was scaled back to 77,000. Despite this, a record attendance of 76,962 was recorded, which is more than even the current stadium officially supports. 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 would have set you back five shillings. The inaugural game was played on [[19 February]] [[1910]] against [[Liverpool F.C.]], and resulted in a 4-3 win for the visitors. As it happened, the change of ground could not have come soon enough. Only a few days after the club played their last game at Bank Street, the main stand was blown down in a storm.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=Orion Books |___location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp27 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>
Bombing during the [[Second World War]] - on [[11 March]] [[1941]] - destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand. The central tunnel in the South Stand was all that remained of that quarter of the ground. Though the ground was rebuilt in 1949, it meant that a game had not been played at Old Trafford for nearly 10 years as the team played all their "home" games in that period at [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]'s ground, [[Maine Road]]. Man City charged the club £5000 per year for the use of their stadium, plus a nominal percentage of the gate receipts. United filed a report with the War Damage Commission and received compensation to the value of £22,278 for the reconstruction of the ground.<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=John |title=The United Miscellany |origyear=2005 |edition=2nd edition |year=2007 |publisher=Carlton Books |___location=London |isbn=978-1-84442-745-1 |pages=pp11 }}</ref>
Subsequent improvements occurred, beginning with the addition of a roof first to the Stretford End and then to the North and East Stands. However, the old-fashioned roof supports obscured the view of many fans, resulting in the upgrading of the roofs to incorporate the cantilevering still seen on the stadium today. The Stretford End was the last stand to receive the upgrade to the cantilevered roof, the work being completed in time for the start of the 1993-94 season.<ref name="expansion">{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/oldtrafford/oldtrafford.htm |title=Old Trafford 1909-2006 |accessdate=2007-05-21 |publisher=ManUtdZone.com }}</ref>
Floodlights were first installed at the ground in the mid-1950s. Four 180-foot-tall pylons were erected, each housing 54 individual floodlights. The whole lighting system cost the club £40,000, and was first used for a match on [[25 March]] [[1957]]. However, the old style floodlights were dismantled in 1987, to be replaced by a new lighting system embedded in the roof of each of the stands, which has survived to this day.
In 1990, following the [[Hillsborough disaster]], a report was issued which demanded all stadia must be [[all-seater|all-seater stadia]], leading to subsequent renovation, which dropped capacity to around 44,000. However, the club's popularity ensured that further development would occur. In 1995, the North Stand was redeveloped into three tiers, bringing the capacity up to approximately 55,000. This was followed by expansions of first the East and then West Stands to reach a total capacity of 68,000. The most recent expansion was completed in 2006, when the North-East and North-West Quadrants were opened, allowing the current record of 76,098, only 204 short of the stadium's maximum capacity.<ref name="expansion"/>
It has been estimated that for any further development to be attempted on the stadium, specifically the South Stand which is still only one tier high, development costs would almost equal the £114 million already spent on the stadium in the last fourteen years. This is due to the fact that up to fifty houses would have to be bought out by the club, which would cause a lot of disruption to local residents, and any extension would have to be built over the top of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium. Ideally, the expansion would include bringing the South Stand up to at least two tiers and filling in the South-West and South-East quadrants to restore the "bowl" effect of the stadium. Present estimates put the projected capacity of the completed stadium at approximately 96,000, more than the new Wembley Stadium.<ref name="expansion"/>
==Sponsorship==
On [[23 November]] [[2005]], [[Vodafone]] ended their £36 million, four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Manchester United. On [[6 April]] [[2006]], chief executive [[David Gill (executive)|David Gill]] announced [[American International Group|AIG]] as the new shirt sponsors of Manchester United in a British record shirt sponsorship deal of £56.5 million to be paid over four years (£14.1 million a year).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4882640.stm |title=Man Utd sign £56m AIG shirt deal |accessdate=2007-05-28 |date=2006-04-06 |publisher=BBC.co.uk }}</ref> Manchester United now has the most valuable sponsorship deal in the world, due to the renegotiation of the £15 million-a-year deal [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] had with oil firm [[Tamoil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/160395/oilinvest-to-renegotiate-juventus-sponsorship |title=Oilinvest to renegotiate Juventus sponsorship |accessdate=2007-05-28 |date=2006-09-07 |publisher=SportBusiness.com }}</ref> The four-year agreement has also been heralded, by extension, as the largest sponsorship deal in British history, eclipsing [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]'s deal with [[Samsung]].
Companies that Manchester United currently have sponsorship deals with include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={3479FBF4-753A-4BF4-8FDD-0F0BFCEA3FFF} |title=Official Sponsors |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref>
*[[American International Group|AIG]] - Principal Sponsor
*[[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] - Official Sportswear Partner
*[[Audi]] - Official Car Supplier and Dugout Seat Provider
*[[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]] - Official Beer
*[[Betfred]] - Official Betting Partner
*[[105.4 Century FM|Century Radio]] - Official Radio Station
The club has only ever had three main shirt sponsors, the longest-running being [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp Electronics]], who sponsored the club from [[1982]] to [[2000]], when Vodafone took over in an initial four-year £30 million deal. Similarly, the club has only had four independent kit manufacturers, the first being [[Admiral (sportswear)|Admiral]]. [[adidas]] took over in the mid-1980s, only for local sportswear company [[Umbro]] to replace them in [[1992]]. Umbro's sponsorship lasted for a whole ten years, until the club struck a record-breaking £302.9 million deal with [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]. The agreement with Nike will last an initial 13 years, although the [[United States of America|American]] company does have the option to cancel the deal in [[2008]]. Otherwise, the contract will run until at least 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/atoz/n.html#Nike |title=A to Z of Manchester United - N |accessdate=2007-05-22 |publisher=ManUtdZone.com }}</ref>
==Honours==
===Domestic===
====League====
* '''[[Premier League]] (including [[Football League First Division|(Old) First Division]])'''<ref>Up until 1992, the top division of [[Football in England|English football]] was the [[Football League First Division]]; since then, it has been the [[Premier League]].</ref>''' titles: 16'''
**1907-08, 1910-11, 1951-52, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1964-65, 1966-67, [[FA Premier League 1992-93|1992-93]], [[FA Premier League 1993-94|1993-94]], [[FA Premier League 1995-96|1995-96]], [[FA Premier League 1996-97|1996-97]], [[FA Premier League 1998-99|1998-99]], [[FA Premier League 1999-2000|1999-2000]], [[FA Premier League 2000-01|2000-01]], [[FA Premier League 2002-03|2002-03]], [[Premier League 2006-07|2006-07]].
*'''[[Football League Second Division|(Old) Second Division]]'''<ref>The Second Division became the First Division upon the formation of the Premier League, and is now known as the Football League Championship.</ref>''': 2'''
**1935-36, 1974-75
====Cups====
*'''[[FA Cup]]: 11'''
**[[FA Cup Final 1909|1909]], [[FA Cup Final 1948|1948]], [[FA Cup Final 1963|1963]], [[FA Cup Final 1977|1977]], [[FA Cup Final 1983|1983]], [[FA Cup Final 1985|1985]], [[FA Cup Final 1990|1990]], [[FA Cup Final 1994|1994]], [[FA Cup Final 1996|1996]], [[FA Cup Final 1999|1999]], [[FA Cup Final 2004|2004]]
*'''[[Football League Cup|League Cup]]: 2'''
**1992, [[Football League Cup Final 2006|2006]]
*'''[[FA Community Shield|FA Charity/Community Shield]]: 15 (11 outright, 4 shared)'''
**1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (* joint holders)
===European===
*'''[[UEFA Champions League|European Cup / UEFA Champions League]]: 2'''
**[[1968 European Cup Final|1968]], [[1999 UEFA Champions League Final|1999]]
*'''[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]: 1'''
**[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990-91|1991]]
*'''[[European Super Cup]]: 1'''
**1991
===International===
*'''[[Intercontinental Cup (football)|Intercontinental Cup/World Club Championship]]: 1'''
**1999
The only major honour that Manchester United F.C. has not yet won is the [[UEFA Cup]].
==Club records==
*Record League victory: '''10-1''' v [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]], Division 1, 15 October 1892
*Record Premiership victory: '''9-0''' v [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]], 4 March 1995
*Record [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] victory: '''10-0''' v [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], European Champion Clubs' Cup, Preliminary Round, 26 September 1956
*Record European Cup (Champions League era) victory: '''7-1''' v [[AS Roma]], 10 April 2007
*Record home win '''10-0''' v [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], 26 September 1956
*Record away win: '''8-1''' v [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]], 6 February 1999
*Record League defeat: '''0-7''' v [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]], Division 1, 10 April 1926 / v [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], Division 1, 27 December 1930 / v [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]], Division 2, 26 December 1931
*Record Cup defeat: '''1-7''' v [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]], FA Cup, 1st Round, 13 February 1901
*Record 'Home' attendance: '''83,250''' v [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], Division 1, [[Maine Road]], 7 January 1948
*Record League attendance (at [[Old Trafford (football)|Old Trafford]]): '''76,098''' v Blackburn Rovers, 31 March 2007.
*Longest unbeaten run : '''45''' (all competitions), 24 December 1998 to 3 October 1999
*Most appearances : '''754''' [[Bobby Charlton]]
*Most League appearances: '''606''' - [[Bobby Charlton]]
*Most goals scored : '''247''' - [[Bobby Charlton]]
*Most League goals: '''199''' - [[Bobby Charlton]]
*Most League goals in a season: '''32''' - [[Dennis Viollet]], Division 1, 1959-60
*Most goals in a season in all competitions: '''46''' - [[Denis Law]], 1963-64
*Most goals scored in a match: '''6''' - [[George Best]] v [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]], 7 February 1970 / [[Harold Halse]] v [[Swindon Town]], 25 September 1911
*Most goals scored in European competition: '''38''' - [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]]
*Goals in consecutive league matches: '''10''' consecutive matches - [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]], 22 March 2003 to 23 August 2003
*Highest transfer fee paid: '''£31.12 million''' - [[Rio Ferdinand]], 2002/2003<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dps.twiihosting.net/manutd/doc/content/doc_10_139.pdf |title=MANCHESTER UNITED PLC - REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2005 |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2005 |format=PDF |publisher= Manchester United plc|pages=[http://dps.twiihosting.net/manutd/doc/content/doc_10_139.pdf#page=14 p. 14] }}</ref> (includes £300k in agents fees)
*Most League goals in a season (by team): '''103''' 1956/57, 1958/59
*Most points in a 42-game season: '''92''' - 1993/94
*Most points in a 38-game Season: '''91''' - 1999/2000
*Most capped player: '''129''' - [[Peter Schmeichel]] - [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]
*Fastest goal: '''15 seconds''' - [[Ryan Giggs]] v [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]], Premiership, 18 November 1995
*Fastest four goals: '''13 minutes''' - [[Ole Gunnar Solskjær]] v [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]], Premiership, 6 February 1999<ref>{{cite web | last = McNulty | first =Phil | title = The hat-trick Hall of Fame | publisher =BBC Sport | date =February 25, 2004 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/3485602.stm }}</ref>
==See also==
{{commons|Manchester United}}
*[[List of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors]]
'''Supporters' organisations'''
*[[IMUSA]]
*[[Manchester United Supporters' Trust]]
*[http://www.manutdusa.org/ Manchester United Supporters Club of America]
'''Fanzines'''
*[[Red Issue]]
*[[United We Stand]]
*[[Red News]]
'''Chart'''
*[[Manchester United F.C. - 50 Greatest Players Of All Time]]
==References==
{{scrollref|2}}
==External links==
===Official===
*[http://www.manutd.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.manutd.com/messageboard Talking Reds (message board)]
===Independent media sites===
{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=m/man_utd}}
*[http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/sport/football/manchesterunited/ Manchester Evening News]
*[http://www.ManUtdWeb.com Manchester United coverage from SportNetwork.net]
*[http://www.football365.com/teams/manchester_united/index.shtml Football365's Manchester United coverage]
*[http://www.4thegame.com/club/mufc/ 4thegame.com's Manchester United Section]
*[http://www.premierleague.com/manchester-united.html Manchester United - Premierleague.com]
*[http://www.carling.com/football/manchester-united-football-club.html Manchester United Football Club team news from Carling]
*[http://www.stretford-end.co.uk Current season's stats]
*[http://www.prideofmanchester.com/sport/mufc-kits.htm Complete list and illustrations of Manchester United kits down the years]
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[[Category:English football clubs]]
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[[Category:Sport in Manchester|United]]
[[Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners]]
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