All time greatest team of Manchester United

Manchester United, founded in 1878, is one of the most successful and glamorous clubs in world football. They have an enviable trophy haul and a very big and loyal fanbase all over the world. They have won 20 League titles, the most by any English club. They have also won 3 European Cups and 12 FA cups. United’s home ground at Old Trafford is rightly called “The theatre of dreams” as it has witnessed the realization of many footballing ones.

United’s success and glamour have attracted many great footballers to the club over the decades and a number of exceptional players have plied their trade at the club throughout the years. On the other hand, some players have come through the junior ranks of United and become club legends. We have somehow completed the daunting task of creating the greatest Manchester United team of all time which very understandably features some of the legends of the game. The team would play in a 4-3-3 formation.

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Goakeeper: Peter Schmeichel:

“The Great Dane”, as Schmeichel was named by the supporters because of his large frame, was a pivotal figure in United’s success throughout the 1990s. The Danish goalkeeper was 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighed 100 kgs and had an imposing presence inside the penalty box. He was the impregnable wall that United’s oppositions found very difficult to breach.

Schmeichel was signed from Brondby FC in 1991 in a deal that was termed by Sir Alex as the " bargain of the century." Before leaving United in 1999, he had already won 5 Premier Leauge titles, 3 FA cups and 1 Champions League trophy. United could not have won the Champions League final against Bayern Munich if not for Schmeichel, who had guarded his goal like a man possessed.

His brilliant save against Newcastle United was named as the “save of the century.” He is one of the greatest goalkeepers the game has ever seen, without any doubt.

Right Back: Gary Neville

Gary Neville graduated from the United junior ranks and broke into the senior team in 1992. Subsequently, he spent 18 seasons at the club before retiring in 2012, having won every possible title with them. Neville won 8 Premier Leagues and 2 UEFA Champions’ Leagues with United. He also played a massive 602 matches for United.

Neville was a capable defender and a perennial threat through the right wing with his overlaps. He consistently delivered some nice crosses to the penalty box and occasionally cut in from the wings as well. His brother Phil was also a professional footballer and played for United too. He formed the famous “class of 92” quartet with fellow United Academy graduates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. Neville was selected in Premier League’s team of the century in 2007.

Centre Back: Nemanja Vidic

Nemanja Vidic spent eight years at Old Trafford and during the majority of that period, he was among the best centre-backs in the world. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand was world-class and contributed immensely to United’s dominance in English football.

Ferguson signed Vidic from Spartak Moscow in 2006 and by the time he left United for Inter Milan in 2014, he had won five Premier Leagues and a Champions League with them.

Vidic was a great tackler and superb in the air. The Serbian had an intimidating presence in the penalty box and was a great man-marker. His anticipation and tackling made him win the Player of the Season award twice - which is no mean feat for a defender. He scored some vital goals with headers as well.

Centre Back: Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Leeds United in 2002 and subsequently, he became a club legend after spending 12 seasons at Old Trafford. Ferdinand made 455 appearances for United and won 6 Premier Leagues and 1 UEFA Champions’ League with them. He formed a brilliant central defence partnership with Nemanja Vidic .

Ferdinand was easy on the ball and his ability to distribute and start an attack and distribute complemented Vidic’s marking and tackling abilities very well. With his height and athleticism, Ferdinand was strong in the air as well.

Ferdinand was named in the Premier League’s fantasy team of 20 years from 1992-93 to 2012-13. He quite surely remains one of the most distinguished centre-backs in the history of English football.

Left Back: Denis Irwin

Denis Irwin joined United from Oldham Athletic in 1990 and became one of the finest players of the club. This Irish left-back was one of the reasons behind United’s rise to becoming one of the leading football clubs in the world.

He spent 12 years at United and collected 7 Premier League trophies and a Champions League title. Irwin played in 529 matches for United and contributed immensely toward United’s rise throughout the 90s.

Irwin made very few mistakes defensively, made overlapping runs quite often and performed well in big matches. All those qualities made him an indispensable member of the side and nobody has been able to properly replace him at United since he left in 2002, though Patrice Evra, another great player recruited by Sir Alex, came close.

Defensive Midfielder: Roy Keane

The mercurial Roy Keane joined United in 1993 and went on to become the most important member of the side. He played 480 games for the club and wore the Captain’s armband for a majority of his United career.

A leader on and off the pitch, Keane could play both as a box-to-box midfielder and a deep-lying defensive midfielder. He made vital interceptions in the midfield and nullified the attacking threats posed by the opposition, created moves high up in the pitch and had a good passing range.

His performance against Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semifinal is rated as one of the best individual performances by any footballer. He won the PFA Player of the Year in 2000, and after falling out with Ferguson and some of his other teammates and subsequently leaving the club in 2005, but he had firmly ensured his place in football’s Hall of Fame.

Central Midfielder: Ryan Giggs:

Ryan Giggs is the benchmark of longevity in English as well as world football. He spent 19 supremely successful seasons with the United senior team after graduating from the Academy in 1992. When he retired from football at the age of 39, Giggs had already won 13 Premier League titles and 2 UEFA Champions’ Leagues. No other footballer has won the Premier League title as many times as Giggs. He also holds the record for most appearance in the League. In all, he played 963 matches for United and scored 168 goals.

Giggs was very versatile as a footballer and could play with equal élan in the central midfield and in the wings. He was a two-footed player as well and could play in either of the wings.

Giggs’s vision and ball skills set him apart from most of the other players and United supporters still cherish the memories of his outstanding solo goal against Arsenal in the FA cup final in 1999.

Attacking Midfielder cum playmaker: Sir Bobby Charlton

Sir Bobby Charlton remains the most influential player in the history of Manchester United. He joined the club in 1956 and spent 16 seasons with them. He won 3 First Division League titles and 1 European Cup with the club. Charlton amassed 758 caps for United and scored 249 goals in various competition and remained the highest goal-scorer in United's history until Wayne Rooney broke his record in 2017.

Charlton was a great passer and was quite adept at scoring goals apart from creating them. He formed the "United Trinity" with George Best and Denis Law, 2 other fellow greats of the club. He won the prestigious Ballon D'Or in 1966 and was also selected in the Premier League's team of the century in 2007.

Chartlon was Knighted in 1994 for his immense contribution to English football. He still continues to be a patron of the club and is often seen in the stands during crucial matches at Old Trafford.

Left Winger: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was discovered by Sir Alex in a pre-season friendly against Sporting Lisbon. Ronaldo performed brilliantly for Sporting in that match and the United management took notice quickly.

The 19-year-old was subsequently signed by United and Ferguson took him under his wings. The uncut diamond was polished and honed at Old Trafford before it dazzled the world with its lustre.

Ronaldo spent 6 seasons at United from 2003 to 2009 and scored 118 goals in 292 matches. During the first few seasons, he played mainly on the wing and scored less. However, in the 2007-08 season, he notched up 42 goals and subsequently was given more attacking freedom. United won the Champions League in 2008 and Ronaldo was the lone goal scorer for them in the final against Chelsea.

He won 3 Premier League titles for United and was the recipient of the coveted Ballon d'Or in 2008. United made it to the Champions’ League final in 2009 too but lost to the great Barcelona side of Pep Guardiola.

Before he left United for Real Madrid in 2009 and went on to achieve even greater heights for the Spanish club, Ronaldo had cemented his place in English club football’s Hall of Fame and even the great George Best felt flattered when he was compared with the Portuguese superstar.

Right Winger: George Best

George Best is widely regarded as the greatest British footballer of all time. He also brought a never-seen-before element of glamour to football and was rightly touted as the first superstar of the game. Best primarily played in the wings and was an excellent dribbler. Moreover, he could play anywhere in the midfield as well and was capable of creating moves with brilliant passing range and vision.

Best joined United as a raw 18 year old in 1963 and spent 10 glorious seasons at the club. He won 2 First division League titles and 1 European cup during his stint. Best was the primary reason behind United’s European Cup win in 1968 and scored a goal against Benfica in the final was well. He also won the Ballon D’or that year.

Best played in 474 games for United and scored 181 goals. Even his colorful activities off the field could not outshine the lustre of his genius on it. He was duly selected in the Premier League team of the Century and also featured in the list of 20 greatest footballers of all time made by FIFA through an Online Poll.

Centre Forward: Wayne Rooney

The greatest British striker of all time, Wayne Rooney was signed by Ferguson as a raw 19-year-old in 2004. He had already made his mark at Everton by that time, however, in United, he developed into a brilliant all-round player.

He scored 253 goals for United in 13 years and became the club’s highest goal scorer of all time. Thus he broke Bobby Charlton's long-standing record and ensured immortality in the United ranks.

Rooney was very strong physically and had superb ball-skills too. His goal tally for United would have increased if he had not sacrificed his original playing position to play in the midfield quite often. He performed very well in the midfield too, contributing consistently to the defence and playmaking.

Rooney won the PFA player of the year once, apart from winning 5 Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League title for United.