Sir Matt Busby Statue

The first manager of an English team to conquer Europe.

Sir Matt Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an English team to win the European Cup, achieving that feat in 1968.

Quick Facts

Subject: Sir Matt Busby
Role: Manager (1945–1969, 1970–1971)
Location: Outside Old Trafford Stadium, Sir Matt Busby Way
Sculptor: Tom Murphy
Material: Bronze on granite plinth
Significance: Commemoration of the rebuilding after Munich and 1968 European Cup victory

Lore & Background

Busby was born in a two-roomed pitman's cottage in Orbiston, Bellshill, Lanarkshire. His father was killed in the First World War. Busby was raised Catholic and was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1968, later becoming a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1972, and was awarded the Order of Saint Gregory the Great (a papal knighthood) in 1982. He played for Manchester City and Liverpool before managing Manchester United, where he built the Busby Babes and rebuilt the team after the Munich air disaster.

Reader's Guide

Busby won five league championships, two FA Cups, and the European Cup in his 25 years with Manchester United. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2004.