| Manchester United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Manchester United Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Red Devils, United | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1878, as Newton Heath LYR FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Old Trafford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 76,312 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Joel & Avram Glazer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager |  Sir Alex Ferguson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Premier League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | 2nd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manchester United Football Club are an English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and are one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide.[1][2] Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in English football and are second only to Liverpool F.C. in terms of trophies won by an English club. They have won the Premier League/Football League 15 times, the FA Cup a record 11 times, the League Cup twice, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League twice, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, the Intercontinental Cup once, and the European Super Cup once. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the past 34 seasons, with the exception of 1987-89.[3] Among European clubs, they have been perennial revenue leaders for the late 1990s and early 2000s, they are still the fourth richest (in terms of revenue) in the world.[4]
Since 1991, the club had been run as a public limited company, with an attempted takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1998 blocked by the British Government.[5] During the late 1990s, the club's value floated to a peak of £1 billion, making a takeover unlikely. However, in May 2005 Malcolm Glazer completed a hostile takeover of the club and delisted it from the stock exchange.[6]
The current club captain of Manchester United is Gary Neville, who took over from Roy Keane on 16 November 2005.
History
Early years (1878-1945)
The club was formed as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, then started to sever it's links with the rail depot in 1890, becoming Newton Heath F.C.. After nearing bankruptcy in 1902, the club was taken over by J H Davies who changed its name to Manchester United, chosen over Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic. The Old Trafford Football Ground was bombed during the Second World War, 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.
The Busby years (1945-1969)
Matt Busby was appointed manager in 1945 and took a then-unheard of approach to his job, joining the players for training as well as performing administrative tasks. He was immediately successful, with the club finishing second in the league in 1947 and winning the FA Cup in 1948.
He adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible, and the team won the league in 1956 with an average age of only 22. This youth policy has now become instrumental in the club's success. The following season, they won the league again and reached the FA Cup final, losing to Aston Villa. They also became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, and reached the semi-final.
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 and another fifteen passengers. There were rumors 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. At the end of the season, UEFA offered the FA the opportunity to submit both United and the eventual champions, Wolverhampton, for the 1958-59 European Cup as a tribute to the victims, but the FA declined.
Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand. The team won the FA Cup in 1963, then won the league in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968, being the first English club to do so. This team was notable for containing three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve-team coach and former United player, Wilf McGuinness.
1969-1986
United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under Wilf McGuinness and Frank O'Farrell before 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. The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool. 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, and after failing to win a trophy Sexton was sacked in 1981, despite winning his last seven games in charge.
He was replaced by the flamboyant Ron Atkinson who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West Brom. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as Jesper Olsen and Gordon Strachan playing alongside the former youth-team players Norman Whiteside and Mark Hughes. United won the FA Cup 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, Atkinson was sacked.
Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986-1998)
Alex Ferguson arrived from Aberdeen to replace Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. The following season (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 kept the season alive and the team went on to win the competition, beating Crystal Palace in a replay in the final.
United won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990-91, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona in the final, but the following season was a disappointment for United as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals Leeds United. Meanwhile in 1991, the club floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £47 million[7], 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 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, 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, Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assaulting Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons for racial abuse, in United's game at Selhurst Park. Drawing their last league match and losing to 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 team, including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals for England, did surprisingly well and United won the double again in 1995-96. This was the first time any English club had won the double twice, and the feat was nicknamed the "Double Double".[8]
They won the league in 1997, and Eric Cantona announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. They started the following season (1997-98) well, but they finished the season in second place, behind the double-winning champions Arsenal.
The Treble (1998-99)
1998-99 was when Manchester United had the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble - winning the 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 2-1, whilst Arsenal won 1-0 against 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 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 after beating Palmeiras 1-0 in Tokyo.
After the Treble (1999-present)
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 European football clubs. [9] Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the 2001-02 Premiership season in third place. They regained the league the following season (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 drugs test. They did win the 2004 FA Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final in which they beat Millwall.
The 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 businessman Malcolm Glazer, (who also owns the American football team Tampa Bay Buccaneers), acquired a controlling interest in the club. United made a poor start to the 2005-06 season, with midfielder Roy Keane leaving the club to join Celtic after publicly criticising several of his teammates, 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 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 League Cup beating newly-promoted neighbours Wigan Athletic in the final 4-0. United also ensured a second-place finish and automatic Champions League qualification on the final day of the season by defeating 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.[10]
The 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. In January 2007, United signed Henrik Larsson on a two-month loan from Swedish side Helsingborgs, and the striker played an important role in positioning United on course for a second Treble. United advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions' League on 11 April 2007.[11]
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 European XI at Old Trafford on 13 March 2007. United won the game 4-3, including two goals from Wayne Rooney[12].
United are set to meet Chelsea twice in two weeks at the end of the season, first in the league at Stamford Bridge, and then at the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 May 2007, having defeated Watford 4-1 in the semi-final. United were on course to complete a second Treble in a decade until they were defeated 5-3 on aggregate by AC Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League..
The Malcolm Glazer takeover
On 13 May 2005, 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 £800 million (approx. $1.5 billion). On 16 May, he increased his share to the 75% necessary to delist the club from the 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 board of Manchester United 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
During its Newton Heath days, the club's home jerseys were yellow and green; this strip was revived as an away kit in the early 1990s to commemorate the club's 100 year anniversary. Manchester United's most recognised home strip is red jerseys, white shorts and black socks. Away strips are usually white jerseys with black shorts and white socks.
Third kits are usually all blue but the club has also used all black and on one occasion in the 1995-96 season they used all grey. This kit was dropped after Manchester United failed to win a single game while wearing it. At half-time during a game against Southampton, when Manchester United were already 3-0 down, they switched to another blue and white kit, eventually lost 3-1. According to the players, the grey kit wasn't visible enough which led to the poor results. [13][14]
Their jerseys now sport their main sponsor AIG. Currently, Manchester United's jerseys are red with gold stripes going down the side. The sleeves are capped with white and the AIG and Nike logos are also white. The MUFC embroidery at the bottom of the shirt is in gold. The club crest sits on a white shield. The away jerseys are white with black panels down the side. The crest sits on a black shield. The sleeves and collar are capped in gold and the AIG, Nike, and MUFC symbols are black.
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 60s after Sir Matt Busby heard it in reference to the red-shirted 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".[15]
Recent 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 announced AIG as the new shirt[16] 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). Manchester United now have the most valuable sponsorship deal in the world, due to the £15 million-a-year deal Juventus had with oil firm Tamoil being renegotiated. [17][18] The four-year agreement has been heralded as largest sponsorship deal in British history, eclipsing Chelsea's deal with Samsung. Other companies that Manchester United currently have sponsorship deals with include:
- AIG - Principal Sponsor
- Nike - Official Sportswear Partner
- Audi - Official Car Supplier and Dugout Seat Provider
- Budweiser - Official Beer
- AirAsia - Official Low Fare Airline
- Betfred - Official Betting Partner
- Tourism Malaysia - Official Destination Partner
- Century Radio - Official Radio Station
- viagogo - Secondary Ticketing Partner
- Royal Resorts - Official Leisure Property Development Partner
Support
Before World War II, few English football supporters travelled to away games because of the time, cost, and the fact that few had cars at the time. As City and United played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose one team to follow 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 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 second division side in 1974-75.
A 2002 report, Do You Come From Manchester? showed that a higher proportion of 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.[19]
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 new 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. Academic studies have confirmed that United's fans are likely to use a bigger repertoire of songs and chants at each game than any of their rivals.[20]
Players
First-team squad
As of 11 March 2007, according to combined sources on the official website: [1] [2] [3]. All loans until 30 June 2007 unless otherwise stated.
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On loan
All loans until 30 June 2007 unless otherwise stated.
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Reserves and academy squad
See Manchester United F.C. Reserves & Academy Squad.
Ladies team
Manchester United Ladies were 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. [4]
Former players
See List of Manchester United F.C. players and Category:Manchester United F.C. players
Player records
European Footballer of the Year winners (Ballon d'Or)
- Denis Law - 1964
- Bobby Charlton - 1966
- George Best - 1968
Most appearances for Manchester United
As of match played 24 April 2007 and according to official site. Players in bold are still currently playing for Manchester United.
| # | Name | Career | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sir Bobby Charlton | 1954 - 1973 | 759 | 249 |
| 2 |  Ryan Giggs | 1990 - present | 712 | 140 |
| 3 | Bill Foulkes | 1952 - 1970 | 688 | 9 |
| 4 | Gary Neville | 1992 - present | 540 | 7 |
| 5 | Alex Stepney | 1966 - 1978 | 539 | 2 |
| 6 |  Tony Dunne | 1960 - 1973 | 536 | 2 |
| 7 | Paul Scholes | 1993 - present | 532 | 137 |
| 8 | Denis Irwin | 1990 - 2002 | 529 | 33 |
| 9 | Joe Spence | 1919 - 1933 | 510 | 168 |
| 10 | Arthur Albiston | 1974 - 1988 | 485 | 7 |
Most goals scored for Manchester United
| # | Name | Career | Appearances | Goals | Goals/Game Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Bobby Charlton | 1954 - 1973 | 759 | 249 | 0.328 |
| 2 | Denis Law | 1962 - 1973 | 404 | 237 | 0.587 |
| 3 | Jack Rowley | 1937 - 1955 | 424 | 212 | 0.500 |
| 4= |  George Best | 1963 - 1974 | 470 | 179 | 0.381 |
| 4= | Dennis Viollet | 1949 - 1962 | 293 | 179 | 0.611 |
| 6 | Joe Spence | 1919 - 1933 | 510 | 168 | 0.329 |
| 7 | Mark Hughes | 1980 - 1986, 1988 - 1995 | 466 | 164 | 0.352 |
| 8 |  Ruud van Nistelrooy | 2001 - 2006 | 220 | 150 | 0.682 |
| 9 | Stan Pearson | 1935 - 1954 | 347 | 148 | 0.427 |
| 10 | David Herd | 1961 - 1968 | 265 | 145 | 0.547 |
Club officials
Board of Directors
- Owner: Malcolm Glazer
- Honorary Life President: Martin Edwards
- Joint Chairmen: Joel Glazer & Avram Glazer
- Chief Executive: David Gill
- Chief Operating Officer: Michael Bolingbroke (will take up post at the end of May 2007)
- 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
Management
- Manager: 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
Academy coaching staff
- Director of Youth Academy: Brian McClair
- Director of Youth Football: Jimmy Ryan
- Assistant Director for 17-21 Year olds: Paul McGuinness
- Assistant Director for 9-16 Year olds: Tony Whelan
- Under 18's Coach: 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
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| A. H. Albut | 1892-1900 |
| James West | 1900-1903 |
| J. Ernest Mangnall | 1903-1912 |
| John Bentley | 1912-1914 |
| Jack Robson | 1914-1922 |
| John Chapman | 1921-1927 |
| Lal Hilditch | 1926-1927 |
| Herbert Bamlett | 1927-1931 |
| Walter Crickmer | 1931-1932 & 1937-1945 |
| Scott Duncan | 1932-1937 |
| Sir Matt Busby | 1945-1969 & 1970-1971 |
| Wilf McGuinness | 1969-1970 |
| Frank O'Farrell | 1971-1972 |
| Tommy Docherty | 1972-1977 |
| Dave Sexton | 1977-1981 |
| Ron Atkinson | 1981-1986 |
| Sir Alex Ferguson | 1986— |
Honours
Domestic
League
- Premier League (including (Old) First Division)[22] titles: 15
- 1907-08, 1910-11, 1951-52, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1964-65, 1966-67, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03
- (Old) Second Division[23] 2
- 1935-36, 1974-75
Cups
- FA Cup 11¹
- 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
- League Cup 2
- 1992, 2006
- FA Charity/Community Shield 15¹
- 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (* joint holders)
European
- European Cup / UEFA Champions League 2
- 1968, 1999
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1
- 1991
- European Super Cup 1
- 1991
International
Club records
- Record League victory: 10-1 v Wolves, Division 1, 15 October 1892
- Record Premiership victory: 9-0 Ipswich Town 4 March 1995
- Record European Cup victory: 10-0 v 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 Anderlecht 26 September 1956
- Record away win: 8-1 v Nottingham Forest 6 February 1999
- Record League defeat: 0-7 v Blackburn Rovers, Division 1, 10 April 1926 / v Aston Villa, Division 1, 27 December 1930 / v Wolves, Division 2, 26 December 1931
- Record Cup defeat: 1-7 v Burnley, FA Cup, 1st Round, 13 February 1901
- Record 'Home' attendance: 83,250 v Arsenal, Division 1, Maine Road, 7 January 1948
- Record League attendance (at 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, 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[24] (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
- Fastest goal: 15 seconds Ryan Giggs v Southampton, Premiership, 18 November 1995
- Fastest four goals: 13 minutes Ole Gunnar Solskjær v Nottingham Forest, Premiership, 6 February 1999[25]
Stadium information
- Name - Old Trafford
- Location - Greater Manchester
- Capacity - 76,312 (all-seater stadium)
- Inauguration - 19 February 1910
- Pitch Size - 106 x 69.5 metres
- Record Attendance - 76,962; Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Grimsby, 25 March 1939.[26]
- Record Attendance (all-seater stadium) - 76,098; Manchester United vs. Blackburn Rovers, 31 March 2007.[27]
- Address - Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA
- Nickname(s) - The Theatre of Dreams
Following the near-bankruptcy of the team as Newton Heath, the club renamed as Manchester United in 1902, though still with a desire for a proper ground. Old Trafford was named as the home of Manchester United in 1910, following the purchase of the necessary land for around £60,000. Original plans indicated that the stadium would hold around 100,000, though this was scaled back to 60,000. Despite this, a record attendance of 76,962 was recorded, which is more than even the current stadium officially supports. The inaugural game was played against Liverpool F.C., resulting in a 4-3 win for the visitors.
Bombing during the Second World War - 11 March 1941 - destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand. Though this 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's ground Maine Road.
Subsequent improvements occurred, including all the stands being covered (as opposed to just the main stand originally), and proper floodlight installation. In 1990, though, following the Hillsborough disaster, a report was issued which demanded all stadia must be all-seater stadia. Subsequent renovation 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 the East and West Stands to reach a total capacity of 68,000. The most recent, and possibly the last expansion without buying out local residents land and relocating the adjacent railway line, was completed in 2006, when the North-East and North-West Quadrants were opened, allowing the current record of 76,098.
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