Arguably world football’s biggest name, David Beckham is a global phenomenon but a part of him will be forever Red.
A decade spent marauding up United’s right wing contributed to the most successful period in the club’s history, and his 57-yard strike against Wimbledon has become one of the most replayed goals of all time. He followed in the footsteps of his boyhood idol Bryan Robson by becoming captain of England, and has also become the only England player to score in three different World Cup finals.
The story began in July 1991 when a lifelong United fan moved north from Leytonstone to sign

apprentice forms for the Reds. He formed part of the Class of ‘92 that won the FA Youth Cup along with Butt, Scholes and the Nevilles but had to wait for his league debut - at home to Leeds United on 2 April 1995. The departure of Andrei Kanchelskis freed up a place of the right of midfield, and Beckham made it his own. Bagging the winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea proved he was a man for the big occasion, and the season ended with United winning a second Double.

Lou Macari enjoyed 12 memorable years at Old Trafford – but so nearly ended up a Liverpool player.

In 1973 the Scottish striker was courted by Anfield boss Bill Shankly, and was a guest as Liverpool took on Burnley in an FA Cup tie. Coincidentally, United assistant manager Pat Crerand was sat close by, learned of Liverpool’s intentions and persuaded Macari to have talks with United instead.

Five days later Macari moved to Old Trafford for £200,000, leaving Shankly to claim that the striker would only have been a substitute at Anfield!

Macari had attracted attention as a young striker with Celtic. In six

years with the Glasgow giants, he won two league championships and two Scottish Cups, and played in three League Cup finals.

His fee raised a few eyebrows, but he quickly endeared himself to the United faithful by scoring on his debut, in a 2-2 draw with West Ham at Old Trafford.

Macari helped United to the Second Division championship, (finishing second in the scoring charts with 11) an FA Cup winner’s medal in 1977 and runners-up medals in 1976 and 1979. He was never an overly prolific striker, and in the late 1970s Tommy Docherty moved him into a midfield role.

A prolific goal-getter, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s scoring exploits at Old Trafford have safeguarded his place in United folklore.
The Dutchman struck 100 goals in his first three seasons in Manchester. He overtook United legend Denis Law’s title as the club's all-time top scorer in European competition in his fourth term, and by the end of his fifth year at Old Trafford he’d reached 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts.

United initially had to be patient to get their man, however. Ruud marked his 22nd birthday by signing for PSV Eindhoven from Heerenveen for £4.2million, a then record fee between Dutch clubs.

His first league goal for PSV came against his former club in August 1998, and his international debut for Holland followed in November that year in a 1-1 draw with Germany. In two seasons Ruud notched 60 goals for PSV, alerting Europe’s top clubs, including United and Real Madrid.

Sir Alex was determined to sign van Nistelrooy. So much so, he kept in contact with the player for a year as he recovered from the cruciate knee ligament injury Ruud suffered whilst training with PSV. The setback came days after failing a medical with United in April 2000. After a remarkable recovery, he finally signed for the Reds on 23 April 2001 for £19m.

Ryan Giggs has made more appearances and won more honours than any other United player in the club's illustrious history.
He surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's previous record (of 758 matches) on the night he helped the Reds secure a third European Cup triumph - the second of his career - in Moscow on 21 May 2008.

United's most decorated player might never have graced Old Trafford, however, had it not been for Sir Alex Ferguson’s intervention. Cardiff-born Giggs was attending Manchester City's School of Excellence in his early teens, but Sir Alex made a personal visit to his house on his 14th birthday and Ryan

jumped at the chance to sign for his boyhood favourites.

Ryan turned professional at United in November 1990 and made his league debut in the old Division One against Everton at Old Trafford on 2 March 1991 as a substitute for Denis Irwin. His first league start in 1991/92 also proved a memorable occasion, as he also scored his first ever United goal that day (albeit via a huge deflection off Colin Hendry) in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Giggs' first senior trophy arrived in November 1991 as United beat Red Star Belgrade in the European Super Cup final - Giggs was a 71st minute substitute for Lee Martin

Wayne Rooney is one of only 25 players to have made 400 appearances for Manchester United – and he became the fourth youngest Red to reach that milestone in April 2013.
The striker burst onto the Old Trafford stage in September 2004, netting an unforgettable hat-trick against Fenerbahce on his debut.
Perhaps his performance wasn't that surprising, given the enormous pedigree he had amassed since making a lasting impression on now-Academy manager Paul McGuiness some years previous. In an Under-9 match between United and Everton, McGuiness remembers. “Rooney scored the perfect bicycle kick,

which for a kid of eight or nine years old was really something special." It merely hinted at what was to follow and, of course, it was a trick he would repeat on the biggest of stages in the Manchester derby, netting a goal that will be repeated forever more.

Armed with elegance, pace and an astute ability to read the game, Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest defenders in world football.

The Peckham-born star burst onto the Premiership scene with West Ham United under the guidance of Harry Redknapp before being snapped up by Leeds United for £18million in November 2000. The 2002 World Cup provided Rio the stage to make the transformation from budding talent to accomplished defender, and his performances in Japan convinced Sir Alex to part with £30million.

Although initially hampered by injury, Rio found his feet towards the end of his first season, as United overtook Arsenal to win a 15th league title. But in

September 2003, disaster struck. The defender missed a routine drugs test and, despite appealing and the test results coming back negative, was banned from football for eight months in January 2004.

Since returning from suspension, Rio has consistently justified his tag as a world-class defender. He's also chipped in with valuable goals, perhaps most dramatically with an injury-time winner against Liverpool in January 2006.

For a decade Martin Buchan was United’s arguably most influential player. A cultured centre-half on and off the pitch, he was captain for six years during the 1970s, leading the Reds to the Second Division title in 1974/75 and the FA Cup in 1977.

Buchan began his career at Aberdeen as a schoolboy, turning professional in August 1966. His progress was swift and by the age of 20 he was handed the captain’s armband at Pittodrie and enjoyed early success, leading the Dons to victory in the Scottish Cup Final of 1970 – the youngest player ever to do so.

Soon he was attracting attention south of the border and towards the end of

the 1971/72 season Liverpool, Leeds United and Manchester United were all chasing the classy young defender. On 29 February 1972 Frank O’Farrell signed Buchan for £125,000 – then the club’s record signing. His early days at United weren't the happiest of times. The standard of the team was not quite as high as first expected and at the end of the 1973/74 season Buchan found himself experiencing the seemingly unthinkable: demotion to the Second Division.

“If I’d been born ugly, you’d never have heard of Pelé.” Many a true word is spoken in jest, and few would argue that George Best was the most naturally gifted footballer Britain has produced.
Speed, balance, vision, superb close control, the ability to create chances and score from seemingly impossible situations tells half the story. The other half was an uncontainable zest for the game as it should be played, a ceaseless trickery and joy. Pelé, for his part, dubbed United’s no.7 "the greatest player in the world."

A skinny teenager from Belfast's Cregagh estate, Best was spotted by United scout Bob Bishop, who famously

told Matt Busby: “Boss, I think I’ve found you a genius”.

Having fought off initial homesickness, Best turned professional on his 17th birthday in May 1963, made his debut in September – and scored on his second appearance. A first cap for Northern Ireland swiftly followed.

In 1964/65, alongside Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and David Herd, Best was a key figure in the Reds’ first title triumph since the pre-Munich era.

Brian McClair booked his place in the annals of Old Trafford history when he became the first player since George Best to score 20 league goals for the Reds.

Numerous strikers had strived but failed to achieve the feat in the intervening 20 years - a plausible explanation, no doubt, for United's failure to win the title in that period. If only the formula were so straightforward - McClair might have scored 24 goals in his debut season but still the league was out of reach. For 1987/88 was also the season when Liverpool went on the rampage, finishing nine points ahead of United.

Like his '70s and '80s predecessors, McClair had to settle for

success in the cup competitions as the quest for the Holy Grail, the elusive league title, continued. As the spearhead in a thriving partnership with Mark Hughes, he more than played his part as the Reds won four trophies between 1990 and 1992.

Only a handful of players have represented Manchester United more times than this reliable, consistent Scottish left-back.
For the best part of a decade Arthur Albiston was a permanent fixture in the Reds' starting line-up, during which he collected three FA Cup winners' medals, 14 Scotland caps, and won many admirers for his unflashy, yet solid displays.

Albiston joined the club as a trainee in July 1972. Two years later he turned professional, making his first-team debut on 9 October 1974 in a League Cup tie victory against Manchester City at Old Trafford in front of 55,000.

Six days after, he made his

league debut at Portsmouth – he had to wait until 1976/77 for his breakthrough as a first-team regular.

His opportunity arrived in dramatic circumstances. Following injury to Stewart Houston, Albiston was called in as a replacement for the 1977 FA Cup final against Liverpool.

With an impressive performance he helped United to a 2-1 victory, collected his first winners’ medal, then made the noble gesture of offering it to the man he’d replaced – a gesture Houston turned down.

One of United’s few true stars between the wars, Joe Spence's scintillating wing play made "Give it to Joe" the most regularly aired terrace chant during his 14 years at Old Trafford.
Indeed, such was his importance to United, and Manchester, he was known locally as ‘Mr Soccer’.

Born in Throckley, Northumberland, the young Spence played for Blucher Juniors and Throckley Celtic. While with the former, he scored an astonishing 42 of the team’s 49 goals in his first season. At 13 he began work as a miner and was conscripted into the army at 17, where he served as a machine-gunner.

He guested for Liverpool,

Newburn and Scotswood during his years in service and won the Army Cup with his battalion. But in March 1919, the year after the First World War ended, Spence signed for United from north-east amateur side, Scotswood.

He wasted no time making an impact: scoring four in a 5-1 Lancashire Section drubbing of Bury at Old Trafford on his debut. His official debut came in August when the league programme resumed and he was a model of consistency after that, making 510 appearances and scoring 168 goals.

Alex Stepney earned Old Trafford immortality the night Manchester United became European champions in 1968.
On that balmy May evening at Wembley, with United and Benfica drawing 1-1, Stepney held on to a ferocious shot from Eusebio to ensure the game would go into extra-time. The additional half-hour was illuminated by goals from George Best, Bobby Charlton and Brian Kidd, as the Reds run out 4-1 winners, but the importance of Stepney’s save was lost on no-one.

Stepney began his career as a trainee at Millwall, before moving to Chelsea for £52,000 in June 1966. After only three months at Stamford Bridge he made the switch

to Old Trafford, Sir Matt paying a then world-record fee for a goalkeeper of £55,000.

On his debut against Manchester City, he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory and by the end of the season had won a League Championship medal to cap a wonderful first season. In fact, such was his contribution that Sir Matt Busby described signing him as “the single most important factor behind our championship in 1967.”

You must have a rare and special football talent to impress the great Sir Bobby Charlton. The United legend summed up Paul Scholes perfectly: "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."
Part of the new wave of talent that ushered in Beckham, Giggs, Butt and the Neville brothers in the mid-1990s, Salford-born Scholes scored twice on his debut in the League Cup at Port Vale in 1994/95 – and on his first league outing against Ipswich – and never looked back.
A host of golden seasons at Old Trafford include 1995/96’s Double-winning campaign, in which he

covered admirably during Eric Cantona’s suspension, finishing second behind the Frenchman in the scoring charts with 14 goals; he was a cornerstone of 1999’s Treble-winners, although suspension ruled him out of the UEFA Champions League final, and in United’s Premier League success in 2003, his 20-goal haul was vital.
Neat and compact, a misplaced Scholes pass was one of the rarest sights in football. His superb eye for goal and late runs from midfield also served his country superbly on 66 occasions.

Nobody embodies the values of Manchester United better than Sir Bobby Charlton. Having survived the trauma of Munich aged just 20, he played as if every game was for his fallen colleagues, recovering from his injuries to reach the pinnacle for both club and country.
In a 17-year playing career with United, he played a record 754 games, scoring 247 goals. It is unlikely his deeds will ever be matched. Although highly coveted by clubs across the country, the young Charlton, nephew of the great Newcastle striker Jackie Milburn, turned professional with United in October 1954, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1954, 1955 and 1956.

His league debut came on 6 October 1956 against Charlton at Old Trafford and the youngster made an immediate impact, scoring twice despite carrying an injury. “Mr Busby asked me if I was ok,” recalled Sir Bobby. “I actually had a sprained ankle, but I wasn’t going to admit to it and I crossed my fingers and said ‘yes’.”

Despite his dramatic bow, Charlton didn’t command a relatively regular place until the latter stages of the 1956/57 season, notching 10 goals as the Busby Babes won a first title. Competition for a first-team spot was intense, but a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers in January 1958 certainly helped his cause, and Busby
as United won the league championships in 1965 and 1967.

Those successes flanked international glory with England. Shortly before the 1966 World Cup, Charlton was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year in quick succession. He went on to play a starring role as Alf Ramsey’s side won the tournament, scoring twice in the semi-final win over Portugal. Charlton went on to win 106 caps – three as captain - and is still England’s record goalscorer with 49 goals