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Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. The club was founded as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878 and turned professional in 1885, before joining the Football League in 1892. After a brush with bankruptcy in 1901, the club reformed as Manchester United in 1902. Manchester United currently play in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. They have not been out of the top tier since 1975, and they have never been lower than the second tier. [1] They have also been involved in European football ever since they became the first English club to enter the European Cup in 1956. [2]
This list encompasses the major honours won by Manchester United and records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Manchester United players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. The club's attendance records, both at Old Trafford, their home since 1910, and Maine Road, their temporary home from 1946 to 1949, are also included in the list.
The club currently holds the record for the most Premier League titles with 13, and the highest number of English top-flight titles with 20. The club's record appearance maker is Ryan Giggs, who made 963 appearances between 1991 and 2014, and the club's record goalscorer is Wayne Rooney, who scored 253 goals in 559 appearances between 2004 and 2017.
Manchester United's first trophy was the Manchester Cup, which they won as Newton Heath LYR in 1886. [3] Their first national senior honour came in 1908, when they won the 1907–08 Football League First Division title. The club won the FA Cup for the first time the following year. In terms of trophies won, the 1990s were Manchester United's most successful decade, during which time they won five league titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup, five Charity Shields (one shared) [A] , one Champions League, one Cup Winners' Cup, one Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.
The club currently holds the record for most top-division titles, with 20. They were also the first team to win the Premier League, and hold the record for the most Premier League titles with 13. Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup when they won it in 1968. The club's most recent trophy came in May 2024, when they won the FA Cup.
All current players are in bold
All stats accurate as of match played 3 June 2023
Competitive, professional matches only. Appearances as substitute (in parentheses) included in total.
Rank | Player | Years | League [11] | FA Cup [12] | League Cup [13] | Europe [14] | Other [C] [15] | Total [16] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Giggs | 1991–2014 | 672 (117) | 74 (12) | 41 (6) | 157 (23) | 19 (3) | 963 (161) |
2 | Bobby Charlton | 1956–1973 | 606 (2) | 78 (0) | 24 (0) | 45 (0) | 5 (0) | 758 (2) |
3 | Paul Scholes | 1994–2011 2012–2013 | 499 (95) | 49 (17) | 21 (7) | 134 (21) | 15 (1) | 718 (141) |
4 | Bill Foulkes | 1952–1970 | 566 (3) | 61 (0) | 3 (0) | 52 (0) | 6 (0) | 688 (3) |
5 | Gary Neville | 1992–2011 | 400 (21) | 47 (3) | 25 (2) | 117 (8) | 13 (2) | 602 (36) |
6 | Wayne Rooney | 2004–2017 | 393 (39) | 40 (7) | 20 (7) | 98 (8) | 8 (1) | 559 (62) |
7 | David de Gea | 2011–2023 | 415 (0) | 28 (0) | 16 (0) | 82 (0) | 4 (0) | 545 (0) |
8 | Alex Stepney | 1966–1978 | 433 (0) | 44 (0) | 35 (0) | 23 (0) | 4 (0) | 539 (0) |
9 | Tony Dunne | 1960–1973 | 414 (0) | 55 (1) | 21 (0) | 40 (0) | 5 (0) | 535 (1) |
10 | Denis Irwin | 1990–2002 | 368 (12) | 43 (1) | 31 (3) | 75 (2) | 12 (0) | 529 (18) |
11 | Joe Spence | 1919–1933 | 481 (0) | 29 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 510 (0) |
12 | Arthur Albiston | 1974–1988 | 379 (16) | 36 (0) | 40 (1) | 27 (1) | 0 (0) | 485 (18) |
13 | Roy Keane | 1993–2005 | 326 (17) | 46 (2) | 14 (2) | 83 (1) | 11 (0) | 480 (22) |
14 | Brian McClair | 1987–1998 | 355 (59) | 45 (7) | 45 (1) | 24 (6) | 2 (0) | 471 (73) |
15 | George Best | 1963–1974 | 361 (0) | 46 (0) | 25 (0) | 34 (0) | 4 (0) | 470 (0) |
Rank | Player | Years | League [26] | FA Cup [27] | League Cup [28] | Europe [29] | Other [C] [30] | Total [31] | Goals per game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wayne Rooney | 2004–2017 | 183 (393) | 22 (40) | 5 (20) | 39 (98) | 4 (8) | 253 (559) | 0.452 |
2 | Bobby Charlton | 1956–1973 | 199 (606) | 19 (78) | 7 (24) | 22 (45) | 2 (5) | 249 (758) | 0.328 |
3 | Denis Law | 1962–1973 | 171 (309) | 34 (46) | 3 (11) | 28 (33) | 1 (5) | 237 (404) | 0.587 |
4 | Jack Rowley | 1937–1955 | 182 (380) | 26 (42) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (2) | 211 (424) | 0.498 |
5 | Dennis Viollet | 1952–1962 | 159 (259) | 5 (18) | 1 (2) | 13 (12) | 1 (2) | 179 (293) | 0.611 |
George Best | 1963–1974 | 137 (361) | 21 (46) | 9 (25) | 11 (34) | 1 (4) | 179 (470) | 0.381 | |
7 | Joe Spence | 1919–1933 | 158 (481) | 10 (29) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 168 (510) | 0.329 |
Ryan Giggs | 1991–2014 | 114 (672) | 12 (74) | 12 (41) | 29 (157) | 1 (19) | 168 (963) | 0.174 | |
9 | Mark Hughes | 1983–1986 1988–1995 | 120 (345) | 17 (46) | 16 (38) | 9 (33) | 1 (5) | 163 (467) | 0.349 |
10 | Paul Scholes | 1994–2011 2012–2013 | 107 (499) | 13 (49) | 9 (21) | 26 (134) | 0 (15) | 155 (718) | 0.216 |
11 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | 2001–2006 | 95 (150) | 14 (14) | 2 (6) | 38 (47) | 1 (2) | 150 (219) | 0.685 |
12 | Stan Pearson | 1937–1954 | 127 (312) | 21 (30) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (1) | 148 (343) | 0.431 |
13 | David Herd | 1961–1968 | 114 (202) | 15 (35) | 1 (1) | 14 (25) | 1 (2) | 145 (265) | 0.547 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 2003–2009 2021–2022 | 103 (236) | 13 (27) | 4 (12) | 24 (68) | 1 (3) | 145 (346) | 0.419 | |
15 | Marcus Rashford | 2016– | 87 (287) | 9 (36) | 16 (25) | 26 (75) | 0 (3) | 138 (426) | 0.324 |
16 | Tommy Taylor | 1952–1958 | 112 (166) | 5 (9) | 0 (0) | 11 (14) | 3 (2) | 131 (191) | 0.689 |
Rank | Player | Years | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other [C] | Total [33] | Ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David de Gea | 2011–2023 | 147 (415) | 6 (28) | 8 (16) | 28 (82) | 1 (4) | 190 (545) | 0.349 |
2 | Peter Schmeichel | 1991–1999 | 129 (292) | 19 (41) | 8 (17) | 21 (42) | 3 (6) | 180 (398) | 0.452 |
3 | Alex Stepney | 1966–1978 | 137 (433) | 15 (44) | 13 (35) | 9 (19) | 1 (4) | 175 (539) | 0.325 |
4 | Gary Bailey | 1978–1987 | 124 (294) | 16 (31) | 12 (28) | 8 (20) | 1 (2) | 161 (375) | 0.429 |
5 | Edwin van der Sar | 2005–2011 | 92 (186) | 6 (13) | 1 (5) | 34 (56) | 2 (6) | 135 (266) | 0.508 |
6 | Alfred Steward | 1920–1932 | 92 (309) | 4 (17) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 96 (326) | 0.294 |
7 | Harry Moger | 1903–1912 | 83 (242) | 8 (22) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | 92 (266) | 0.346 |
8 | Jack Crompton | 1946–1955 | 59 (191) | 8 (20) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (1) | 67 (212) | 0.316 |
9 | Ray Wood | 1949–1958 | 43 (178) | 4 (15) | 0 (0) | 6 (12) | 2 (3) | 55 (208) | 0.264 |
10 | Frank Barrett | 1896–1900 | 50 (122) | 4 (14) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 54 (136) | 0.397 |
11 | Jack Mew | 1912–1927 | 46 (186) | 3 (13) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 49 (199) | 0.246 |
Fabien Barthez | 2000–2004 | 33 (92) | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 14 (37) | 0 (2) | 49 (139) | 0.353 | |
13 | Harry Gregg | 1957–1967 | 34 (210) | 8 (24) | 0 (2) | 2 (11) | 0 (0) | 44 (247) | 0.178 |
14 | Sergio Romero | 2015–2021 | 6 (7) | 13 (17) | 4 (9) | 16 (28) | 0 (0) | 39 (61) | 0.639 |
15 | Bobby Beale | 1912–1915 | 33 (105) | 2 (7) | 0 (0) | (0) | 0 (0) | 35 (112) | 0.313 |
Roy Carroll | 2001–2005 | 25 (49) | 5 (8) | 2 (5) | 3 (10) | 0 (0) | 35 (72) | 0.486 |
Manchester United's record signing is Paul Pogba, who signed for the club from Juventus for a world record fee of £89.3 million in August 2016. [36] [37] The signing of Anthony Martial for £36 million in 2015 set a world record for the transfer of a teenager, [38] and the £80 million paid for Harry Maguire in 2019 was a world record for a defender. [39]
Player | From | Fee | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paul Pogba | Juventus | £89.3 million [36] [37] | August 2016 |
2 | Antony | Ajax | £82 million [40] | September 2022 |
3 | Harry Maguire | Leicester City | £80 million [39] | August 2019 |
4 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton | £75 million [41] | July 2017 |
5 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | £73 million [42] | July 2021 |
6 | Rasmus Højlund | Atalanta | £72 million [43] | August 2023 |
7 | Casemiro | Real Madrid | £60 million [44] | August 2022 |
8 | Ángel Di María | Real Madrid | £59.7 million [45] | August 2014 |
9 | Lisandro Martínez | Ajax | £57 million [46] | July 2022 |
10 | Mason Mount | Chelsea | £55 million [47] | July 2023 |
The first transfer for which Manchester United (then Newton Heath) had to pay a fee was the transfer of Gilbert Godsmark from Ashford in January 1900, paying £40 for the forward.[ citation needed ] The club's first £1,000 transfer came in 1910, when they signed Leslie Hofton from Glossop.[ citation needed ] When the club signed Tommy Taylor from Barnsley in 1953, the fee was intended to be £30,000. However, Matt Busby did not want to burden the young player with the "£30,000-man" tag, and Barnsley agreed for the fee to be reduced by £1 to £29,999. Busby then took the extra pound from his wallet and gave it to the lady who had been serving the teas. [48]
Manchester United made their first six-figure signing in August 1962 with the transfer of Denis Law from Torino for £110,000,[ citation needed ] a new British record. [49] The club broke the British transfer record again in 1981 with the £1.5 million signing of Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion. [50] When Andy Cole signed for United in January 1995, the club paid £7 million, almost double their previous record of £3.75 million, which they paid for Roy Keane 18 months earlier.[ citation needed ] In the summer of 2001, the club broke their transfer record twice in the space of a month, first paying PSV Eindhoven £19 million for Ruud van Nistelrooy, and then £28.1 million to Lazio for Juan Sebastián Verón. Manchester United have broken the British transfer record three times since buying Verón, with the signings of Rio Ferdinand in July 2002, [51] Ángel Di María [ citation needed ] in August 2014 and Paul Pogba in August 2016.[ citation needed ]
Transfers in bold are also records for fees paid by British clubs [52] [53]
The club's record sale came in July 2009, when they sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80 million. [56]
Player | To | Fee | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | £80 million | July 2009 [56] |
2 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan | £74 million | August 2019 [57] |
3 | Ángel Di María | Paris Saint-Germain | £44.3 million | August 2015 [58] |
4 | Mason Greenwood | Marseille | £26.6 million | July 2024 [59] |
5 | Scott McTominay | Napoli | £25.7 million | August 2024 [60] |
6 | Daniel James | Leeds United | £25 million | August 2021 [61] |
7 | David Beckham | Real Madrid | £24.5 million | June 2003 [62] |
8 | Morgan Schneiderlin | Everton | £24 million | January 2017 [63] |
9 | Memphis Depay | Lyon | £16 million | January 2017 [64] |
10 | Danny Welbeck | Arsenal | £16 million | September 2014 [65] |
The first player for whom Manchester United, then Newton Heath, received a fee was William Bryant, who moved to Blackburn Rovers for just £50 in April 1900. That same month, Manchester City paid five times more for Scottish forward Joe Cassidy. The club's first £1,000 sale came 12 years later with the sale of Harold Halse to Aston Villa.[ citation needed ]
The club's first British record sale came in March 1949, when Derby County paid £24,500 for Johnny Morris. However, 35 years passed before Manchester United next broke the record for the biggest sale by a British club; the sale of Ray Wilkins to Milan for £1.5 million in June 1984 was also the club's first million-pound sale. Another British record followed two years later with the sale of Mark Hughes to Barcelona for £2.5 million. The club's record sale increased fivefold in the space of two transfers over the next 15 years; first with the £7 million sale of Paul Ince to Internazionale in 1995, and then the 2001 transfer of Jaap Stam to Lazio for £15.25 million.[ citation needed ] Manchester United broke the world transfer record for the first time in July 2009 with the £80 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. [56]
Rank | Player | Years | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FA Community Shield | Europe | Worldwide | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Giggs | 1991–2014 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 35 |
2 | Paul Scholes | 1994–2011 2012–2013 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
3 | Gary Neville | 1992–2011 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
4 | Denis Irwin | 1990–2002 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
5 | Roy Keane | 1993–2005 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
Michael Carrick | 2006–2018 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | ||
7 | Wayne Rooney | 2004–2017 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
8 | Gary Pallister | 1989–1998 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
Peter Schmeichel | 1991–1999 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
Nicky Butt | 1992–2004 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
Nemanja Vidić | 2006–2014 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Source: [67]
The following players have won Laureus World Sports Awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won the Ballon d'Or while playing for Manchester United: [68]
The following players have won the Golden Boy while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won the European Golden Shoe while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won FIFA awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won the UEFA awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won the AFC awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won the CAF awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won FIFPRO awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won International Federation of Football History & Statistics awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won PFA awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won FWA awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players have won Premier League awards while playing for Manchester United:
The following players were awarded British honours while playing for Manchester United:
The following players were awarded BBC Sports Awards while playing for Manchester United:
Current Manchester United players in bold. Last updated 14 July 2024.
FIFA World Cup
The following players have won the FIFA World Cup while playing for Manchester United:
FIFA Confederations Cup
The following players have won the FIFA Confederations Cup while playing for Manchester United:
UEFA European Championship
The following players have won the UEFA European Championship while playing for Manchester United:
UEFA Nations League
The following players have won the UEFA Nations League while playing for Manchester United:
Copa América
The following players have won the Copa América while playing for Manchester United:
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The following players have won the CONCACAF Gold Cup while playing for Manchester United:
Olympic Games
The following players have won a gold medal in football at the Olympic Games while playing for Manchester United:
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The following players have won CONCACAF Gold Cup awards while playing for Manchester United:
FIFA awards
The following managers have won FIFA awards while managing Manchester United:
UEFA awards
The following managers have won UEFA awards while managing Manchester United:
International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) awards
The following managers have won IFFHS awards while managing Manchester United:
League Managers Association (LMA) awards
The following managers have won LMA awards while managing Manchester United:
Football Writers' Association (FWA) awards
The following managers have won the FWA awards while managing Manchester United:
Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards
The following managers have won PFA awards while managing Manchester United:
Premier League awards
The following managers have won Premier League awards while managing Manchester United:
British honours
The following managers were awarded British honours while managing Manchester United:
BBC Sports Awards
The following managers were awarded BBC Sports Awards while playing for Manchester United:
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle. Widely considered one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest British players of all time, Rooney is the record goalscorer for Manchester United, and was the record goalscorer for the England national team from 2015 to 2023. He has also made more appearances for England than any other outfield player. Rooney spent most of his playing career as a forward, but was also used in various midfield roles.
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij, commonly known as Ruudvan Nistelrooy, is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, van Nistelrooy has been the top scorer in three UEFA Champions League seasons, and is the sixth-highest goalscorer in the competition's history with 56 goals. He has also been the top scorer in three European domestic leagues. In 2004, he was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world's greatest living players.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both the Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won numerous individual accolades throughout his career, such as five Ballon d'Or awards, a record three UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards, four European Golden Shoes, and was named five times the world's best player by FIFA, the most by a European player. He has won 33 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, the UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140) and assists (42) in the Champions League, most appearances (30), assists (8), goals in the European Championship (14), international appearances (217) and international goals (135). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,200 professional career appearances, the most by an outfield player, and has scored over 900 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.
Park Ji-sung is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is one of the greatest and most successful Asian players in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career. He is the first Asian footballer to win the UEFA Champions League, play in a UEFA Champions League final, and win the FIFA Club World Cup. Park was able to play anywhere across the midfield and was noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement. His remarkable endurance levels earned him the nickname "Three-Lung" Park.
Darren Barr Fletcher is a Scottish football coach and former professional player who is currently serving as a first-team coach at Manchester United, where he spent the majority of his playing career and won 13 trophies including five Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. He mostly played as a central midfielder, but began his career as a right winger and also featured occasionally in defence.
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders in history, Vidić is best known for his time at Manchester United, where he won 15 trophies and served as club captain. He is one of only four players to win the Premier League Player of the Season award twice, alongside Thierry Henry, Kevin De Bruyne and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the 15th season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007. Chelsea were the two-time defending champions.
Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha, commonly known as Nani, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger. Nani was regarded as one of the best players in the world during his time at Manchester United. He was known for his pace, flair and work ethic.
Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia, is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing into a right-back. He is regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time.
The 2007–08 Premier League season was the 16th since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 11 August 2007, and the season ended on 11 May 2008. Manchester United went into the 2007–08 season as the Premier League's defending champions, having won their ninth Premier League title and sixteenth league championship overall the previous season. This season was also the third consecutive season to see the "Big Four" continue their stranglehold on the top four spots.
The 2008–09 season was Manchester United's 17th season in the Premier League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of English football. The club won a third consecutive Premier League title for the second time to equal Liverpool's record of 18 league titles. United also reached the Champions League final, aiming to become the first team since Milan to defend the European Cup, but lost 2–0 to Barcelona.
André Onana Onana is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester United and the Cameroon national team.
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.
The 2021–22 season was Manchester United's 30th season in the Premier League and their 47th consecutive season in the top flight of English football.
Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Argentina national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. His individual achievements include five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player. His exceptional goal-scoring ability, explosive speed, powerful knuckleball shots, and dribbling skills cemented his legacy as one of the greatest and most iconic footballers in history. In recognition of his record-breaking goalscoring success, Ronaldo received special awards for Outstanding Career Achievement by FIFA in 2021 and Champions League All-Time Top Scorer by UEFA in 2024.
Bibliography
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