Little Book of Manchester United (9 page)

His fame was spreading and his image was used in merchandise from T-shirts to Quorn burgers. In 1994, aged just 20 he published his autobiography, while on the pitch he continued to shine, helping United to secure the League and FA Cup Double in 1993-94 season and win the double Double two years later.

*Giggs passes Peter Sweeney of Millwall during the 2004 FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium.

Giggs collected his fourth FA Cup winner’s medal in 2003-04 and his 11th Premiership medal in 2008-09. In amongst all the statistics and games for the club, his sensational winning goal against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay remains the fans’ favourite memory of this living legend.

In the Champions League Final against Chelsea, Giggs overtook Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record with his 759th appearance for United and he has now gone on to surpass 800 games for his only club. His longevity was recognised by his peers in 2009 when he won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

Glazer

Born in Rochester, New York in 1928, Malcolm Glazer’s self-made wealth was estimated to be $1 billion in 2004. This is a far cry from his life when in 1943 he took over the running of his late father’s shop. Ever the entrepreneur he began investing money in mobile home parks during the 1970s, but the 1980s brought failed bids for businesses such as Harley-Davidson, although he did successfully buy the virtually bankrupt oil company Zapata, founded by former President of the US, George Bush.

* Joel, Avram and Bryan Glazer, sons of owner Malcolm Glazer, are seen before the Champions League third qualifying round.

Three of his sons run the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which he bought for $192 million, but after winning the Super Bowl in 2003, the team’s worth soared and it took $8 million to hire coach Jon Gruden. Since 2003, Glazer has been building up a sizeable stake in United, but fans were hostile to his interests in the club.

Glazer now has control of the club and has installed his sons Joel, Avram and Bryan on the board. Oldest son, Avram is credited with formulating his father’s £790 million takeover of United.

Greatest XI

Manager

Sir Alex Ferguson

*Sir Alex

1 Peter Schmeichel

2 Duncan Edwards

3 Bill Foulkes

4 Steve Bruce

5 John Carey

6 Bobby Charlton

7 David Beckham

8 Eric Cantona

9 Ryan Giggs

10 George Best

11 Denis Law

*The greatest team in position.

Greenhoff

Brothers Brian (born 28 April 1953) and Jimmy (born 19 June 1946) Greenhoff joined United in 1973 and 1976 respectively. Brian established himself as a midfielder while older brother Jimmy played in a forward position. Brian switched to centre-half after the 1974-75 season, playing alongside Martin Buchan in the FA Cup Finals of 1976 and 1977. He was rewarded for his efforts with England caps at full, ‘B’ and Under-23 levels.

* Brian Greenhoff (centre) lifting the FA Cup with his brother Jimmy who scored Manchester United’s second and winning goal in the final against Liverpool at Wembley.

Jimmy joined his younger brother at United from Stoke City when the club’s flagging fortunes needed his inspiration. Despite being 30 when he signed in November 1976, he had impeccable ball control and the ability to score spectacular goals. He struck up a formidable partnership with fellow striker Stuart Pearson. During the 1977 FA Cup Final, Jimmy scored the winning goal against Liverpool, but found himself on the losing side in the Final two years later.

He left United in December 1980 and went on to join Crewe and Toronto Blizzard, making the last of his more than 650 League appearances in December 1983 with Rochdale.

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Hargreaves

In his own words, it was “possibly the longest-running transfer saga” in the history of football. But after several months of prolonged pursuit, United finally signed Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in May 2007 for a fee of around £17 million.

The Canadian-born, England international midfielder’s stock had risen dramatically in the previous year, and by the time he arrived at Old Trafford, he had become one of European football’s most highly thought of defensive midfielders, having won four Bundesliga titles with Bayern.

After an injury-disrupted start to his United career, Hargreaves came to the fore in the second half of the successful 2007-08 campaign with a string of tireless and confident performances in midfield and also, on occasion, at right-back. He capped a satisfying debut season with a superb penalty in the Champions League Final shoot-out victory over Chelsea. But a recurrence of his knee problem – and a subsequent operation in the USA – forced Owen to miss almost all of the following season.

Born and raised in Calgary, Canada, Owen left for Germany aged 16 to join Bayern Munich. Success was quick as Bayern claimed both the 2000-01 Bundesliga title and the Champions League crown. Hargreaves remains one of only two English players to win the European Cup with a non-English club – the other being Steve McManaman.

*Owen Hargreaves in action for United.

The following season witnessed Hargreaves’ breakthrough at international level. He would have been eligible to play for Germany or Canada, but opted for England and played his first full international in 2001. Initially a squad player, it took until the 2006 World Cup in Germany for Hargreaves to truly be seen as a key man, and he was voted England Player of the Year in January 2007.

When free of injury, Hargreaves brings vast experience to United’s midfield, as well as an energetic and enthusiastic style which gives a well-balanced feel to United’s engine room.

Hughes

Mark Hughes, born 1 November 1963, enjoyed two spells at United from 1983-86 and 1988-95. His flamboyant playing style delighted fans while his ability to win matches made him valued by his managers. He signed as a professional with United in November 1980 after five months as an apprentice. As a schoolboy player, United’s youth coach Syd Owen changed his position from midfielder to centre-forward. He made his League Cup debut in November 1983 when Ron Atkinson gave the Welshman his first-team opportunity. During the 1984-85 season, Hughes was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

In 1986, given the opportunity by Atkinson, he decided to sign for Barcelona, but his form suffered and he only managed one goal in 17 games. Hughes didn’t settle in Spain and only scored four goals in 28 games. He was then loaned to Bayern Munich where he rekindled his love of football. Atkinson, who had not been forgiven for selling Hughes, was replaced by Alex Ferguson in 1986. Hughes was what Ferguson needed and he resigned him for £1.5 million in 1988.

In 1989, ‘Sparky’ was voted Player of the Year, then in 1991 he became the first player to win the PFA Player of the Year award twice. He went on to win a second FA Cup winner’s medal, the European Cup Winners’ Cup against former team Barcelona and the League Cup. He formed a great alliance with Eric Cantona on his arrival in 1992 which helped United to their first League title for 26 years.