Sir Matt Busby Era

Lore & Background

Before going into management, Busby was a player for two of Manchester United's greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool. During his time at City, Busby played in two FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. After his playing career was interrupted by the Second World War, Busby was offered the job of assistant coach at Liverpool, but they were unwilling to give him the control that he wanted over the first team. As a result, he took the vacant manager's job at Manchester United instead, where he built the famous Busby Babes team that won successive Football League First Division titles and challenged for the European Cup.

Eight of these players died in the Munich air disaster, but Busby rebuilt the team and won two more First Division titles as well as other domestic cups before he took United to European Cup glory a decade later. In his 25 years with Manchester United, Busby won five league championships, two FA Cups and the European Cup.

Reader's Guide

Busby was born to Alexander and Helen 'Nellie' (née Greer) Busby in a two-roomed pitman's cottage in the mining village of Orbiston, Bellshill, Lanarkshire. He was raised Catholic. He signed for Manchester City on 11 February 1928, made his debut on 2 November 1929, and was sold to Liverpool for £8,000 on 12 March 1936. He made one official international appearance for Scotland, on 4 October 1933. During the war, he served as a football coach in the Army Physical Training Corps. He took the manager's job at Manchester United after Liverpool would not give him the control he wanted over the first team.

Did You Know?

• He was among the inaugural inductees into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
• He was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1968 and made a Knight of Order of Saint Gregory the Great by Pope Paul VI in 1972.
• Busby's father was killed by a sniper's bullet on 23 April 1917 at the Battle of Arras.