When you’re a Manchester United supporter, one of the most annoying things people will ask you is when the club was founded. It is natural to want to reflect on your club’s past and all that it has to offer when you are passionate about and enjoy being a part of it.
Fortunately, we have compiled a list of pivotal occasions in Manchester United’s history and are here to help you get the correct answer. If you want to know more, read on!
When was Manchester United Football Club founded?
Manchester United, founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club, lost 6-0 to Bolton Wanderers’ reserve squad in their first official match, something that fans today would find difficult to believe.
The squad entered the Football League’s first-tier (the top tier at the time) in 1892 but was relegated after only two seasons.
Between 1922 and 1939, the club fluctuated between the First and Second Divisions, reaching as low as 20th place in the Second Division at one point.
Matt Busby takes over as manager at the club, once again turning things around. Manchester United finished second in the league three years in a row before winning the title in 1952.
Five years later, they became the first team to compete in the European Cup, winning an incredible 10-0 over Anderlecht during the campaign, which remains their largest win to date.
That one memorable event in the history of the football club could have been the most tragic. After beating Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup in 1958, the football team and its officials were returning to Munich when their aircraft crashed on takeoff, killing 23 people—eight of them players.
Busby recovered from his injuries and rebuilt the club in the 1960s, bringing in renowned players like Bobby Charlton and George Best, eventually leading his new team to FA Cup glory in 1963.
Five years later, following a streak of league victories, Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup. Will McGuinness, a former player, succeeded Busby as manager in 1969.
Following disappointing performances, Busby briefly returned as manager before Frank O’Farrell and, later, Tommy Docherty took over.
Following a brief period in the Second Division, Docherty got the team back on track, and they won the championship again in 1977, defeating Liverpool 2-1.
Despite having restored the club to its previous glory, Docherty was fired shortly after it was revealed that he had been having an affair with the club’s physiotherapist’s wife.
The Alex Ferguson Years
The following decade was a relatively unremarkable time in the club’s history, with middling results but a consistent spot in the First Division. Manchester United did not begin to reach its current level of success until Alex Ferguson took over as manager in 1987.
In Ferguson’s first two seasons, the club finished 11th in the league. However, Manchester United won the FA Cup in 1990, followed by their first Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
The squad eventually won the league for the first time since 1967 in 1993, and they repeated their success the following season.
Continuing their winning streak, the club became the first to win ‘The Treble’ (the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League) in 1999.
Alex Ferguson was subsequently knighted, and he is widely regarded as the finest football manager in the world.
Throughout the next decade, Manchester United won numerous titles, including the FA Cup, and the Premier League several times.
Ryan Giggs, one of their most iconic players at the time, broke the club record by making his 759th appearance in 2008.
In 2013, the squad won their 20th league title after defeating Aston Villa at home at the famous Old Trafford Stadium.
Recent Years
To the dismay of fans, Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and was replaced by David Moyes, who stayed with the club for barely ten months.
Ryan Giggs took over as player-manager until 2014, when Louis van Gaal replaced him.
Despite finishing fourth and fifth in the Premier League under Van Gaal’s management, Manchester United won the FA Cup for the 12th time. Jose Mourinho took control after Van Gaal was fired.
The club has won 20 League Titles, 12 FA Cup Titles, 5 League Cups, 21 Community Shields, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Along with these achievements, many of which are records, Manchester United is the world’s highest-earning football club. It is often considered to have the most supporters of any football team.
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