Manchester United FC is perhaps the most iconic football club in the entire world. It was originally founded as Newton Heath in 1878 and is one of the most successful clubs in the country. Home games are played at Old Trafford by the “Red Devils”. The team has been in the Premier League since it was started and has won the title a record number of times.
History of Manchester United
Manchester United FC was started in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by a department of the Yorkshire and Lancashire Railway depot. The club started playing in the First Division in 1892/1893.
The club ran into financial issues at the turn of the century and this led to the club being taken over and renamed as Manchester United. The team won its first league title in 1908 when winning the First Division. They then won the Charity Shield and FA Cup the following season.
Busby Babes
Manchester United FC went 41 years without winning a league title until 1952 when Matt Busby was in charge. They won the following season also and were called the “Busby Babes” due to the young age of the team. The club was the first English team to play in the European Cup, doing so in 1957 despite protests by the Football League.
The Munich air disaster happened in February 1958 when the team were trying to take off from Munich and the plane crashed. There were 23 people killed, including eight players. It was in 1968 that Manchester United won its first European Cup, being the first English club to do so.
Ferguson years
The second golden era for Manchester United was when Alex Ferguson took over in 1986. This reign lasted until 2013 and the club won an unprecedented amount of silverware during this time. Under Ferguson, they won the Premier League a record 13 times, the FA Cup on five occasions, the League Cup four times, the Community Shield ten times, the UEFA Champions League twice and a FIFA World Club Cup.
The best season for the club ever was in 1998/1999 when the club won the treble for the first and only time. This saw the team capture the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season.
The departure of Ferguson led to a turbulent few years, with a high turnover of managers. The likes of David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were largely unsuccessful after taking over.
Manchester United supporter base
Manchester United has one of the biggest fan bases of any football team in the world. Its home attendance on average is one of the highest in Europe and there are supporters clubs in dozens of countries. According to estimates, there could be more than 75 million Manchester United fans across the globe.
The main rival for the club is Manchester City, with the Manchester Derby being hotly contested in recent years. It also has rivalries against the likes of Liverpool, Leeds United and Arsenal.
Notable Manchester United players
Over the years, many legends of the game have lined out for Manchester United FC. Some of the best-known players to line out for the club include:
- Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg, Johnny Giles, Denis Law, George Best, Brian Kidd, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes and Brian McClair.
In more recent years when the team won the treble at the end of the 20th century, there were club legends like:
- David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona. Other notable players include Rio Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba.
Betting on Manchester United
Manchester United has always been known to play an exciting brand of football. While the team has struggled in recent years playing a more restricted type of football, it looks like Manchester United are returning to their roots. Manchester United games have a massive audience and are always available on a ton of different mediums.
Every sportsbook will have hundreds of betting markets for each Manchester United game, so you are spoilt for choice. You can see a list of the best football betting sites on Roger.com, with each of them having been reviewed by a team of experts. After choosing a site that looks to fit your needs, you can sign up for a new account in just a couple of minutes.
