There is no way of talking about English football without a mention of Manchester United. This is the most decorated and successful professional football club based in Greater Manchester to the North-West of England. The club was formed way back in 1878 under the name Newton Heath LYR Football Club and acquired its current name in 1902. Nicknamed the Red Devils, the club moved to their current Old Trafford home in 1910.

The club’s first real taste of glory was when they won the Division One title in 1908, then won the FA Cup the following year before reclaiming the Division One title in 1911. But the successful history for which the club is mostly famously known for did not start until 1945 when Matt Busby was appointed manager. The success was not immediate but by 1957, the club had championship triumphs thrice. The ‘Busby Babes’ as they were called due to the youthfulness of the side were fast evolving into a force to be reckoned with in English professional football. It was also in 1957 that the Red Devils became the very first English club to compete in the European Cup, the predecessor of the now lucrative UEFA Champions League.

In 1958, however, disaster struck when eight players died in a plane crash as the team was flying home from a European club tie. Coming from a quarter-final triumph over Red Star Belgrade, the plane carrying the team and journalists crashed on take-off after refueling in Munich, Germany. Busby, who survived the crash, had to rebuild the team which he did and in 1963 they won the FA Cup against many odds. They followed that with league triumphs in 1965 and 1967. Glory on the European front came in 1968 when the Red Devils won the European Cup. The victory came over none other than the then Portuguese giants Benfica.

When Matt Busby resigned in 1969, the club underwent a very difficult period. A flurry of successive managers could not save the Mancunians from being relegated in 1974 though they went back to the top flight the following season. 1977 saw them beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup under Tommy Docherty but the success of Sir Matt Busby was not anywhere in sight. Success in the league continued to elude them though they won the FA cup twice in the mid-80s under Ron Atkinson.

The current United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was appointed in 1986 and his successes are only comparable Sir Busby’s. Despite a slow start, he won the FA cup in 1990 and followed that up with European triumphs in the Cup Winners Cup and the European Super Cup. His real success, however, was from 1993 when United won the now renamed English Premier League and as of 2010, they had won the league a record 11 times and UEFA Champions League twice in 1999 and 2008.

Among the notable players to have played for United include George Best, Bobby Charlton, Dennis Law, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, who is the most decorated player in English football.

Author Bio: Adrian Bryan writes for The Football Merchandise Store the web’s finest collection of Football Souvenirs and Football Merchandise

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