[90], The club's third kit is often all-blue; this was most recently the case during the 2014–15 season. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became a new Premier League record. [129], The rivalry with Arsenal arises from the numerous times the two teams, as well as managers Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, have battled for the Premier League title. The club's focus on commercial and sporting success brought significant profits in an industry often characterised by chronic losses. [128], The "Roses Rivalry" with Leeds stems from the Wars of the Roses, fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, with Manchester United representing Lancashire and Leeds representing Yorkshire. The club's most recent trophy was the UEFA Europa League, which they won in 2016–17. Docherty was dismissed shortly afterwards, following the revelation of his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife. Relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. [59][60] That summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million. [42] United then became the first English club to do the Double twice when they won both competitions again in 1995–96,[48] before retaining the league title once more in 1996–97 with a game to spare. [52] Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football. Manchester United was the highest-earning football club in the world for 2016–17, with an annual revenue of €676.3 million,[13] and the world's third most valuable football club in 2019, valued at £3.15 billion ($3.81 billion). [84] Since 1997–98, white socks have been the preferred choice for European games, which are typically played on weeknights, to aid with player visibility. © Copyright 2020 Fanatics (International) Ltd, Company No. $20.00. [93], Newton Heath initially played on a field on North Road, close to the railway yard; the original capacity was about 12,000, but club officials deemed the facilities inadequate for a club hoping to join The Football League. Mourinho also guided the club to their 19th FA Cup final, only to lose to Chelsea 1–0. While reconstruction took place, the team played its "home" games at Manchester City's Maine Road ground; Manchester United was charged £5,000 per year, plus a nominal percentage of gate receipts. [177][178] In January 2010, with debts of £716.5 million ($1.17 billion),[179] Manchester United further refinanced through a bond issue worth £504 million, enabling them to pay off most of the £509 million owed to international banks. [81], Newton Heath's uniform in 1879, four years before the club played its first competitive match, has been documented as 'white with blue cord'. Bask in the glory of your favorite squad as you take your play to the training ground with the adidas® Another Champions League title in 2008 meant they qualified for the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, which they also won; until 2019, they were also the only British team to win that competition. [117], Manchester United has rivalries with Arsenal, Leeds United, Liverpool, and Manchester City, against whom they contest the Manchester derby. [51] The club also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo. [26] Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947, 1948 and 1949, and to FA Cup victory in 1948. In 1985–86, after 13 wins and two draws in its first 15 matches, the club was favourite to win the league, but finished in fourth place. Featuring official club branding, the ball is perfect for your after school/work match. Score goals like your favourite striker. After the Glazer family's takeover in 2005, a group of fans formed a splinter club, F.C. Architect Archibald Leitch was given a budget of £30,000 for construction; original plans called for seating capacity of 100,000, though budget constraints forced a revision to 77,000. In winning that title, United became the fifth club to have won the "European Treble" of European Cup/UEFA Champions League, Cup Winners' Cup, and UEFA Cup/Europa League after Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. [98] It initially had no stands, by the start of the 1893–94 season, two had been built; one spanning the full length of the pitch on one side and the other behind the goal at the "Bradford end". [17] From 2012, some shares of the club were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, although the Glazer family retains overall ownership and control of the club. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a record 30 times in the FA Community Shield (formerly the FA Charity Shield), which is played at the start of each season between the winners of the league and FA Cup from the previous season; of those 30 appearances, Manchester United have won a record 21, including four times when the match was drawn and the trophy shared by the two clubs. [20] Captain Harry Stafford found four local businessmen, including John Henry Davies (who became club president), each willing to invest £500 in return for a direct interest in running the club and who subsequently changed the name;[21] on 24 April 1902, Manchester United was officially born. [146] Manchester United announced their first training kit sponsor in August 2011, agreeing a four-year deal with DHL reported to be worth £40 million; it is believed to be the first instance of training kit sponsorship in English football. [236] In 2018, Manchester United formed a new women's football team, which entered the second division of women's football in England for their debut season. [168] In 1989, chairman Martin Edwards attempted to sell the club to Michael Knighton for £20 million, but the sale fell through and Knighton joined the board of directors instead. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. [176] At the end of 2019, the club had a net debt of nearly £400 million.[193]. [142] Through Manchester United Finance and the club's membership scheme, One United, those with an affinity for the club can purchase a range of branded goods and services. From 1997, with the exception of 2018–19, this combination is primarily used in European and international competitions. [101] Within four years, the stadium had cover on all four sides, as well as the ability to hold approximately 50,000 spectators, some of whom could watch from the viewing gallery atop the Main Stand. This hard-wearing soccer ball has a TPU cover and machine-stitched construction. [78] Despite not finishing in the top four, United qualified for the Champions League through their Europa League win. [135] Forbes magazine valued the club at $3.3 billion – $1.2 billion higher than the next most valuable sports team. [133] The club is ranked third in the Deloitte Football Money League (behind Real Madrid and Barcelona). [123][124][125][126][127] Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said in 2002, "My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch". [46][47] The following season, Manchester United claimed its first Cup Winners' Cup title and competed in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup, beating European Cup holders Red Star Belgrade 1–0 in the final at Old Trafford. As a result, the club went from being debt-free to being saddled with debts of £540 million, at interest rates of between 7% to 20%. $14.00. [130][131], Manchester United has been described as a global brand; a 2011 report by Brand Finance, valued the club's trademarks and associated intellectual property at £412 million – an increase of £39 million on the previous year, valuing it at £11 million more than the second best brand, Real Madrid – and gave the brand a strength rating of AAA (Extremely Strong). [237][238][239][240][241], This article is about the men's football club. Score goals like your favourite striker. [83] The black socks were changed to white from 1959 to 1965, where they were replaced with red socks up until 1971 with white used on occasion, when the club reverted to black. [64], On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as manager at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. Manchester United Signature Ball - Size 1. [157][158] Nike announced that they would not renew their kit supply deal with Manchester United after the 2014–15 season, citing rising costs. [39] Docherty saved Manchester United from relegation that season, only to see them relegated in 1974; by that time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left the club. [95] Although attendances were not recorded for many of the earliest matches at North Road, the highest documented attendance was approximately 15,000 for a First Division match against Sunderland on 4 March 1893. In 1998–99, the club became the first in the history of English football to achieve the continental European treble. [159][160] Since the start of the 2015–16 season, Adidas has manufactured Manchester United's kit as part of a world-record 10-year deal worth a minimum of £750 million. [106] In 2009, reorganisation of the seating resulted in a reduction of capacity by 255 to 75,957. On 18 December 2018, with United in sixth place in the Premier League table, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool and 11 points outside the Champions League places, Mourinho was sacked by the club after 144 games in charge. The team finished third in 2001–02, before regaining the title in 2002–03. [229] The club's first trophy was the Manchester Cup, which they won as Newton Heath LYR in 1886. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. [185], In August 2011, the Glazers were believed to have approached Credit Suisse in preparation for a $1 billion (approx. [112] The club states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC), in at least 24 countries. [117] The "iconic" team included Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles (members of England's World Cup winning team), Denis Law and George Best. [36] They then represented Europe in the 1968 Intercontinental Cup against Estudiantes of Argentina, but lost the tie after losing the first leg in Buenos Aires, before a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford three weeks later. Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.Nicknamed "the Red Devils", the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United …