The best Man Utd players of all time

“This is Manchester United Football Club we’re talking about here.”

Pundits and commentators are yet to grasp the staggering decline of one of football’s grandest institutions in contemporary times. Manchester United were once a club feared by all, but constant flirtations with mediocrity in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has left former stars in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance.

No matter how poor the product is on the field, Man Utd will forever be relevant. Only Liverpool boast a more impressive trophy cabinet among English clubs and the sheer brutishness of the dominant reign which ignited following the introduction of the Premier League left many envious, resentful and scarred.

Some of the sport’s greatest have labelled the Theatre of Dreams their home and condensing an all-time great Manchester United players list into a top 25 was incredibly tough. Nevertheless, 90min have debated fiercely while burning the midnight oil to conjure a definitive list.

He wasn’t all that great towards the end of his United career, eventually departing as a free agent, but David de Gea was the world’s best goalkeeper for a period while donning United colours.

His 2017/18 apex was nothing short of freakish and anyone who scoffs at his place in this ranking should sit back and enjoy the highlights of Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat to the Red Devils on 2 December 2017.

The one-time Premier League winner racked up over 400 league appearances for United, was named the club’s Players’ Player of the Year four times and included in the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions.

Any noughties baby would have initially regarded Mark Hughes as a fairly middling Premier League manager. They had no idea what he got up to during his playing days.

The forward donned the iconic shirts of Barcelona and Bayern Munich either side of his two spells in Manchester. He graduated through the club’s academy and blossomed into a star following his underwhelming continental ventures.

Hughes was a dynamic operator who often scored on the big occasion. He lifted multiple major honours with the club, including two Premier League titles, and was instrumental in their 1990/91 Cup Winners’ Cup win as he scored twice in the final against Barca. The two-time PFA Player of the Year departed United for a second time in 1995 having scored 163 times for the club.

Steve Bruce has embarked on a similar managerial path to Hughes, with the pair taking jobs in the EFL having been left battered and bruised by the rigours of the Premier League.

Bruce was never the most gifted of defenders, but he was lauded for his courage, bravery and impressive ability to score goals. The centre-half ably filled in on the leadership front when Bryan Robson was absent, with Bruce leading Man Utd to Premier League glory in 1992/93 before taking Robson’s armband permanently in 1994.

The defender memorably scored twice late on against Sheffield Wednesday during the 1992/93 title run-in that brought life to ‘Fergie time’.

One of Man Utd’s greatest ever defenders scored just nine goals during his 17-year career in Manchester, but one of them helped his team into the 1968 European Cup final as he scored late on at the Bernabeu.

Bill Foulkes, United’s rock and a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, represented the Red Devils 688 times, operating as both a full-back and centre-back despite his relatively slight frame.

Foulkes functioned as a stoic figure during the most tragic period in United’s history. Only three players have racked up more appearances.

The towering Dutch goalkeeper required rejuvenation when he departed Juventus in 2001 following a tough spell in Italy. Fulham initially benefitted from the talent Edwin van der Sar manifested in his youth at Ajax, although the Cottagers made a loss on their goalkeeper when United came calling in 2005.

United had not yet stumbled upon their long-term Peter Schmeichel successor, but Van der Sar proved to be the stable presence between the sticks that Ferguson craved.

Throughout his peak and twilight, Van der Sar remained a remarkably intelligent keeper with notable ‘modern’ attributes. He ended his United career with eight major honours including four league titles and a Champions League crown in 2008.

The very best centre-back partnerships comprise a cat and a dog, with the more aggressive and industrious dog being complemented by the cat’s sly guile.

Nemanja Vidic joined Man Utd in 2005 and quickly blossomed as the no-nonsense terrier alongside the slicker Rio Ferdinand. The pair developed a great rapport and many regard them as the greatest centre-back partnership in Premier League history.

The Serbian was as tough as they come and an opponent no striker enjoyed facing. He was remarkably consistent and a force in the air, rarely losing out when challenging for the high ball. Any speed deficiencies were compensated by an elite positional sense.

Ferdinand was a defender who emerged a couple of decades ahead of his time. England simply didn’t produce centre-backs of his ilk.

He combined grace and elegance in possession with standout physical attributes. Ferdinand racked up a couple of mammoth transfer fees at the start of his career, with Man Utd spending a then-British record £30m to prise him away from Leeds United in 2002. He remained in Manchester for the next decade.

There was a physical decline towards the end of his United career, but Ferdinand operated at a world-class level for the bulk of his time at Old Trafford. The six-time Premier League champion was included in the FIFPro XI on one occasion (2007/08) and inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023.

The memories must have come flooding back for Ruud van Nistelrooy as he completed an emotional return to Old Trafford as part of Erik ten Hag’s staff in 2024.

His interim spell as Man Utd boss will be remembered fondly, but the Dutchman’s managerial stint pales in comparison to what he achieved on the pitch at the Theatre of Dreams.

RVN was a pure goalscorer who scored at a remarkable rate during his five-year career in Manchester. He netted 150 times in 219 games, but the magisterial brilliance of Thierry Henry meant he claimed just one Golden Boot. His final two years were injury-ridden and forgettable, but few strikers have had a greater impact on the Premier League than the Dutchman did during his first three seasons on English shores.

Cristiano Ronaldo at 17 may seem a little low given his apex in Manchester was arguably superior to any superstar who’s dazzled the Stretford End before he joined as a naive teen and after he departed as a sporting behemoth.

United took a punt on the Sporting CP wonderkid and saw him blossom into the world’s best. Ronaldo won the 2008 Ballon d’Or as he inspired the Red Devils to Champions League glory and three consecutive league titles.

His three-year Manchester pomp was perhaps enough to get him into all-time Premier League XIs, but United boast stars who triumphed at Old Trafford for the best part of two decades.

Speaking of, Denis Irwin’s talent pales in comparison to Ronaldo’s, but the left-back gifted the club 12 years of stability down the left flank as United began to emerge as the country’s dominant force under Fergie.

Irwin appeared 529 times for the Red Devils and claimed seven league titles in addition to Champions League, European Cup Winners’ Cup and several FA Cup medals.

The Irishman’s steely consistency saw him go under the radar for much of his senior career, but Irwin is regarded as one of the two best left-backs in Premier League history along with Ashley Cole.

We see your 12 years, Mr. Irwin, and offer you 19 years of Gary Neville toil.

Neville has blossomed into a mainstream figure post-playing career and will perhaps be best remembered for his work as a pundit-commentator-influencer when all is said and done.

However, the former England international didn’t spend almost 20 years at the highest level to be merely known for groaning rather humorously on co-comms or effusively offering his opinion.

Neville was a top-class full-back throughout his senior career. Boasting a traditional profile with sturdy defensive instincts, he was a stalwart of the Fergie era at Old Trafford. Goals were rare, but standout performances most certainly weren’t.

The right-back is one of five United stars to pass the 600 appearances mark.

Roger Byrne was one of the 23 people and eight Manchester United players to lose their lives in the 1958 Munich air disaster. The full-back was United captain at the time of his death having taken the responsibility on in 1955.

He appeared 33 times for his country between 1954 and 1957 after developing into a reliable and stout customer in United’s backline. Byrne was of the Bruce and Vidic mould talent-wise, but he was a tremendous leader who surely would have eventually captained the Three Lions too had he not tragically passed away at only 28.

Byrne’s still remembered as one of United’s greatest captains and one of the heroes of the great Red Devils outfits of the early 50s.

It’s one thing being a bloody good footballer, it’s another emerging as a global icon.

David Beckham’s celebrity means it’s pretty easy to forget the magic he was able to conjure when he took to the field. There’s perhaps never been a sweeter right boot.

After developing through United’s academy, Becks caught the eye of Ferguson and eventually turned the Red Devils’ right flank into his own. His technique remains distinct and easily recognisable, with the midfielder’s ability to put the ball on a sixpence for any beneficiary ensuring he topped the Premier League’s assists chart on three occasions.

Beckham left for Real Madrid in 2003 as a six-time Premier League champion and the face of English football.

Peter Schmeichel is not only Man Utd’s greatest ever goalkeeper but is considered by some to be the best we’ve ever seen.

Schmeichel was as revolutionary as Manuel Neuer would later become, bringing handball techniques from his native Denmark that have influenced generations of goalkeepers since, a distinct style that made him so special.

The Dane was lauded as the “bargain of the century” by Ferguson upon his 1991 arrival and it didn’t take long for Schmeichel to pay off the £500,000 United splurged out to sign him. His career in Manchester almost spanned a decade, during which he was an ever-present between the sticks.

He was a two-time UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year while dominating at Old Trafford, with his antics in net helping his team to five league titles and the 1999 Champions League.

Like Ronaldo, you might think Wayne Rooney is a bit harshly done by here. However, it’s more of a testament to the greats United have boasted as opposed to any deficiency on Rooney’s behalf.

Signed as a hotshot teen with seemingly the largest of chips on his shoulders, young Rooney was nothing short of a phenomenon. The forward’s Euro 2004 campaign depicted something out of the ordinary and, while he’d go on to establish himself as an all-time great and United’s most prolific goalscorer, there’s a prevailing sense of ‘what if’ surrounding Rooney’s career. He was only 27 when Fergie left and United crumbled.

Still, Rooney was absolute dynamite in his teens and early twenties and the sort of player who could thrive in any era.

Oh, what could’ve been. Tommy Taylor was well on his way to superstardom before his death in Munich at the age of just 26.

The prolific forward was a force up top for the ‘Busby Babes’ and scored 131 times in 191 games for Man Utd. Taylor’s scoring rate of 0.686 per match is the best among United players to have scored at least 100 times for the club – Van Nistelrooy is second with a rate of 0.685.

Taylor played crucial roles in the club’s title successes of 1955/56 and 1956/57 and undoubtedly would have added a big supply of goals to his tally had he been allowed to enjoy his peak.

The striker was a mightily impressive athlete who was unflappable in front of goal and capable of befuddling goalkeepers with an array of finishes.

Post-playing career Roy Keane is a much nicer fella than the cold-hearted brute who took to the field, but boy could he play.

The Irishman was a nasty operator, although the midfielder only occasionally overstepped the mark. Keane signed for United from Nottingham Forest in 1993 and was vying to break into the supreme Bryan Robson-Paul Ince axis. However, with Robson veering towards the end of his career, Keane ably stepped in to fill the void and was the club’s leading man in the engine room by the time Ince left for Inter in 1996.

Keane was revered for his resilience and consistency, often setting the tone for the rest of his team. When he wasn’t suspended, the Irish star led by example and became the most successful captain in the club’s history after taking the armband in 1997, leading United to nine major honours.

Keane may have led Man Utd to more silverware, but many regard Bryan Robson as the club’s greatest ever captain.

‘Captain Marvel’ donned the armband for longer than anyone else in United colours and inspired the Red Devils to three FA Cup triumphs in the 80s as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991. His influence was less felt during the club’s early Premier League successes.

In his pomp, Robson was a do-it-all box-to-box midfielder who scored goals and defended fiercely. He was the utopian English midfielder who combined the attributes of some of the great midfield stars British shores produced at the end of the 20th century.

Ryan Giggs burst onto the scene a couple of years before the Class of ’92 were beginning to emerge and was a fully-fledged star by the time Neville and Beckham were worming their way into Ferguson’s thinking.

The Welsh wizard was a sparkling winger in his youth and would blossom into a cultured midfielder as his career progressed. Defenders were initially overwhelmed by Giggs’ electricity before they became overawed by his nous and canniness.

His longevity is unmatched and he’s one of football’s most decorated performers. Giggs’ one-club career lasted 24 years, during which he racked up 26 major honours and a bucketload of individual achievements.

Beckham may well be the most recognisable footballer from the Class of ’92, but Paul Scholes will be remembered as the best.

The unassuming central midfielder started out as an opportunistic operator in and around the opposition’s box before gradually sliding into a deeper midfield function. Scholes was renowned for his glorious passing range in his vintage, unquantifiable understanding of the game and ability to strike a ball from distance.

There were limitations to his profile, no doubt, but there’s a reason so many of his peers, including Ronaldinho, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Zinedine Zidane, hold him in such high regard.

Zizou and Pep Guardiola are among those to describe Scholes as the ‘best midfielder of his generation’.

The inaugural Premier League seasons were dominated by teams – big and small – attempting to find their own. Manchester United had the Eric Cantona and the Frenchman was so often the point of difference.

4-4-2s became 4-4-1-1s to facilitate players of Cantona’s profile, with United’s genius playmaker making the best use of the space that arrived between defensive and midfield lines.

His impish brilliance has rarely been seen in Manchester since he called it a career in 1997 at the age of 30. Cantona’s genius transcended the pitch and few have transformed Old Trafford like the great Frenchman when he arrived from Leeds in 1992.

You’ve got to be something quite special to be celebrated on both sides of the Manchester divide.

Law enjoyed two fairly brief spells at City on either side of an 11-year United career, during which he won the 1964 Ballon d’Or and inspired his team to multiple First Division titles and European glory in 1968 (even if he did miss the final).

The dead-eyed forward played a key role in the club’s rebirth after Munich and remains United’s third-highest goalscorer ever having struck 237 times during a decade of dominance.

Duncan Edwards was the ultimate ‘starboy’ about half a century before the phrase became relevant. He was tragically just 21 when he died in the Munich air disaster having had a remarkable impact at the start of his senior career.

Edwards was just 16 when he made his United bow, doing so in 1953, and became the youngest player to ever play in the English top flight.

He was able to impress in an array of positions but was revered as a steely holding midfielder who exuded authority every time he took to the field. Despite his tender years, Edwards was the heart and soul of the Busby Babes and described by Bobby Moore as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’.

While failing to exceed six foot, Edwards was a physical behemoth and an imposing customer in the middle of the park. He was already one of the very best the world had to offer and who knows what he would have achieved had he been able to enjoy a lengthy career.

The aptly-named former United rockstar was one of a kind.

George Best would eventually enjoy the career of a supreme journeyman as he ventured off to Los Angeles, San Jose, Miami and Dunstable, but he only embarked on those travails having cemented himself as a sporting icon in Manchester.

The dazzling Northern Irishman was part of several superb Man Utd teams, but he was the player supporters paid to see. Best was a masterful dribbler capable of flummoxing any opponent via his weaving majesty. He was the best player in the world during his United apex, claiming the Ballon d’Or during the Red Devils’ European Cup-winning year of 1968.

Best was a crowd-pleaser but persistently supplied substance to complement the unforgettable style. He came to the fore in the biggest moments and was there to fill the void when Law was struggling with his knees.

Imagine how good he would have looked while marauding the carpets the modern-day greats carve their legacies on today.

Sir Bobby Charlton is not only United’s greatest player, but he may well be the best England has ever produced too.

The 1966 World Cup hero conquered Europe with his boyhood club in 1968 and was the all-encompassing hub of United’s holy trinity. Charlton worked in genius harmony alongside wing master Best and goal-machine Law, as Busby’s Red Devils re-emerged as the country’s most potent force.

Charlton evolved from a nifty wide player into a dominant dictator from an attacking midfield position. His eye for goal meant he struck regularly and in the biggest moments. In total, he racked up 758 United appearances and scored 249 times – both of which rank second-most all-time.

Charlton embodied the values of Manchester United throughout his 17-year stay, before serving as a God-like figurehead at Old Trafford up until his passing in 2023. His legacy will never cease.

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