Manchester United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. The club was formed in Newton Heath in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F.C., and played their first competitive match in October 1886, when they entered the First Round of the 1886–87 FA Cup. [2] The club was renamed Manchester United F.C. in 1902, and they moved to Old Trafford in 1910. [3] The club won its first significant trophy in 1908 – the First Division title. Since then, the club has won a further 19 league titles, along with 12 FA Cups and five League Cups, among many other honours. They have also been crowned champions of Europe on three occasions by winning the European Cup. [3] [4] The club was one of 22 teams in the Premier League when it was formed in 1992. They experienced the most successful period in their history under the management of Alex Ferguson, who guided the team to 13 league titles in 21 years. [5] [6]
Since playing their first competitive match, 964 players have made a competitive first-team appearance for the club, of whom 223 players have made at least 100 appearances (including substitute appearances). Manchester United's record appearance-maker is Ryan Giggs, who made a total of 963 appearances over a 23-year playing career; he broke Bobby Charlton's previous appearance record in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final. [7] Giggs also holds the record for the most starts (802 matches), and for the most matches played as a substitute (161).
Charlton was also the club's top goalscorer with 249 goals in his 17 years with the club. He held the mark for 45 years, until his record was overtaken by Wayne Rooney, who scored his 250th goal during the 2016–17 season; Rooney finished his 13-year tenure with Manchester United with 253 goals in 559 appearances. Other than Charlton, Giggs and Rooney, only eight players have made more than 500 appearances for the club, including three members of the 1968 European Cup–winning team (Tony Dunne, Alex Stepney and Bill Foulkes as well as Charlton) and three members of the 1999 Treble-winning team (Denis Irwin, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes as well as Giggs); the two other players to reach 500 appearances are Joe Spence, who played for the club during the interwar period, and David de Gea, who played for the club from 2011 to 2023. De Gea, who is Spanish, is the first 500 Club member from outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Other than Charlton and Rooney, only two players (Denis Law and Jack Rowley) have scored more than 200 goals for the club.
The most recent player to reach 100 appearances for the club is Diogo Dalot, who reached the milestone on 16 April 2023.
Statistics correct as of match played 25 May 2024
Pre-1960s | Post-1960s | ||
---|---|---|---|
GK | Goalkeeper | ||
FB | Full back | DF | Defender |
HB | Half back | MF | Midfielder |
FW | Forward | ||
U | Utility player [upper-alpha 1] |
Brian John McClair is a Scottish football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a forward from 1980 to 1998, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United where he won 14 trophies including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
George Wall was an English footballer.
Shaun Nicholas Harrad is an English footballer who plays as a forward.
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition and is contested by 20 clubs. The competition was formed in February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from The Football League, in order to take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal.
André Onana Onana is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester United and the Cameroon national team.
Kelechi Promise Iheanacho is a Nigerian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. He will leave the club as a free agent in July 2024. A prolific goalscorer with creative abilities, he was a highly promising talent during his youth. He is nicknamed Senior Man and is renowned for his vision, dribbling, speed and finishing.
Alessia Mia Teresa Russo is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the England national team. She previously played club football for Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, as well as college soccer for North Carolina Tar Heels. At United, Russo won awards from the club including Player of the Year and Goal of the Season, and was twice top scorer. She has also been awarded Player of the Month and Goal of the Month in the WSL.
Erling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his speed, strength, positioning, and finishing inside the box. In his debut Premier League season, Haaland broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single season, with 36.
Ella Ann Toone is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester United and the England national team. She represented England from under-17 to under-21, scoring her first Euro goal against Spain in 2022, with another against Germany in the Euro 2022 final, helping the team to win the European Championship.
Charles William Corrigan Oliver is an English semi-professional footballer who plays for Northern Premier League Premier Division club F.C. United of Manchester as a defender.
Ikoma-Loïs Openda is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Belgium national team.
Kirsty Hanson is a footballer who plays as a forward for English Women's Super League club Aston Villa and the Scotland national team.
Mason Will John Greenwood is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United.
Joshua Raymond Bohui is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Rasmus Winther Højlund is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team.
General
Specific