M.U Profile

• Manchester United Team Profile - Manchester United Profile The Red Devils, a name to be feared in the football world. The nick name of the most famous football clubin the world, Manchester United. Although this maybe challenged by only one other club in the world, Real Madrid. While they cant match the Spanish sides record haul of European Cup and Champions League titles they can surely surpass Real Madrid in the popularity and name recognition department. It is undoubtedly true that you can get off a plane anywhere in the world and you will see a Man Utd team shirt within 10 minutes. Manchester United is reputed to be the most popular football club in the world, with the highest average home attendance in Europe.The clubs worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC), in at least 24 countries. It is estimated that Manchester United has about 200 million fans worldwide. Man U, as they are commonly known are unique in having won a Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League Treble in the 1998-99 season. The Red Devils have also won a joint-record 18 league titles, four League Cups and a record 11 FA Cups. An amazing achievement and one that makes Manchester United the joint most successful club in English football. The home ground of Old Trafford based in Greater Manchester holds 75, 951 Manchester United fans and is a daunting and intimidating place for any away fans and their team to visit. Rarely does any away team get a positive result at Old Trafford and it is often argued that the referees are so in awe of the place that a surprisingly high number of penalties are awarded at Old Trafford than anywhere else in the Premier League. A little known fact is that Manchester United played for eight seasons in the 1940s at the home ground of their arch rivals, Manchester City, then Main Road , because of war damage to Old Trafford. Manchester United is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world.The club is said to be worth £1.19 billion, making it the most valuable football club in the world. After being floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club was purchased by Malcom Glazier in May 2005 in a deal valuing the club at almost £800 million. In 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United was the first English football club to win the European Cup, ten years after the Munich air disaster that claimed the lives of eight players. Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the clubs history. Rivalries Manchester City, Liverpool, Leeds United. Manager Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, popularly known as Sir Alex or Fergie , born 31 December 1941 in Govan, Glasgow, one of the poorest run down areas of Glasgow is a former Scottish football manager and former player, and has managed Manchester United since 1986. Known for his hot temper it is often said that he will get so angry and incensed at his players during his half time talks that he will give them the hair-dryer treatment where he shouts in their faces from a few inches away. With 24 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the second-longest serving manager in their history after Sir Matt Busby, while his tenure is the longest of all the current League managers. During this time, Ferguson has won many awards for himself and Manchester United and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion. English Football Hall of Fame for his services to the English game and was even knighted in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II. A rare honour for a Scot. Star Players Wayne Rooney Striker. Number 10. (age 24) Stocky and fierce Rooney is England’s number 1 striker. Rooney was signed in 2004 from his boyhood idols Everton for 25.6 million pounds. It was the highest fee paid for a player aged under 20; Rooney was still only 18 years old when he leftEverton. He was named BBC Sports’ Young Personality of the Year in 2002. Rooney made his United debut on 28 September 2004 in a 6–2 Champions League group stage win over Fenerbahçe, incredibly scoring a hat-trick and laying on an assist. Rio Ferdinand Central Defender. Number 5. (age 31) Tall 6ft 2.5 inches, one of the first names on United’s and England’s team sheet. He joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more. He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. In 2004 he famously missed a drugs test and was banned from competition for eight months, causing him to miss half a Premier League season and the Euro 2004 international competition. Dimitar Berbatov Striker. Number 9. ( age 29 ) Bulgarian International and is the all-time leading goalscorer for the Bulgarian national team. After much speculation, Berbatov completed a move to Manchester United on 1 September 2008 for an initial fee of £23.4 million. This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City. A smart thing to say.