Manchester United

Lore & Background

Nicknamed the Red Devils, they were founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, but changed their name to Manchester United in 1902. After a spell playing in Clayton, Manchester, the club moved to their current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910. Appointed as manager in 1945, Matt Busby built a team with an average age of just 22 – nicknamed the Busby Babes – that won successive league titles in the 1950s, and became the first English club to compete in the European Cup. Eight players were killed in the Munich air disaster, but Busby rebuilt the team around star players George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton (known as the United Trinity). They won two more league titles before becoming the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968. After Busby's retirement, Manchester United were unable to produce sustained success until the arrival of Alex Ferguson, who became the club's longest-serving and most successful manager, winning 38 trophies including 13 league titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League titles between 1986 and 2013. In the 1998–99 season, under Ferguson, the club became the first in the history of English football to achieve the continental treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. In winning the UEFA Europa League under José Mourinho in 2016–17, they became one of five clubs to have won the original three main UEFA club competitions (the Champions League, Europa League and Cup Winners' Cup).

In Their Own Story

Dwight Yorke opened the scoring in the second minute, turning home Paul Scholes' cross from a Beckham corner. Alan Rogers equalised for Forest five minutes later after interplay with Jean-Claude Darcheville, but Andy Cole restored United's lead less than a minute later, rounding Dave Beasant after a long ball from Jaap Stam. Poor defending in the second half allowed Cole and Yorke to add one more each. In the 72nd minute, Solskjær replaced Yorke. United first-team coach Jimmy Ryan told him, "You're going to come on, Ole. We're winning 4–1 so there's no need to do anything stupid – just keep the ball." With under 11 minutes left, Solskjær side-footed home from two yards after a cross from Gary Neville. He got his second in the 88th minute, beating the offside trap to be played in by Beckham; his chip was stopped by Beasant but he took the ball around the keeper and shot into the top-right corner. In injury time, Scholes played a one-two with John Curtis and hit a no-look pass to Solskjær, who controlled with his left foot and volleyed with his right for the hat-trick. His fourth came when Nicky Butt broke into the box and played back to Scholes, whose miscued shot fell to Solskjær to side-foot past Beasant.

Reader's Guide

Manchester United is one of the most widely supported football clubs in the world and have rivalries with Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United and Arsenal. Manchester United was the highest-earning football club in the world for 2016–17, with an annual revenue of €676.3 million, and the world's second-most-valuable football club in 2024, valued at £6.55 billion ($5.22 billion). After being floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club was taken private in 2005 after a purchase by American businessman Malcolm Glazer valued at almost £800 million, of which over £500 million of borrowed money became the club's debt. From 2012, some shares of the club were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, although the Glazer family retains overall ownership and control of the club.

Did You Know?

• Manchester United were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath.
• The club changed its name to Manchester United on 24 April 1902.
• Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.
• Under Alex Ferguson, the club became the first in English football to achieve the continental treble in 1998–99.