GLORY GLORY

Joseph Waters "Joe" Spence (15 December 1898 - 31 December 1966) was an English football player. Spence was purchased from Scotswood in March 1919 by Manchester United. His first game for the club came on 30 August 1919 against Derby County. He is currently 6th on the club's all-time goalscoring list with 168 and 7th for appearances with 510. He left the club in 1933.
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.
Sadly for Spence, he failed to win any major honours and it was not until he left United in 1933 that he lifted any silverware – the Third Division North Championship with Chesterfield, in 1936.
It was his misfortune to be at Old Trafford during such a time of transition, but in a period when United teams often failed to produce the goods, his entertaining presence was a true highlight.
He remains among the top 10-appearance makers for the club and his 481 league games was a record that stood for 40 years until surpassed by Bill Foulkes.
He left United to join Bradford City in 1933, where he played 75 games in two seasons, scoring 27 goals, including being top goal-scorer in the 1933–34 season. He left City to join Chesterfield in May 1935.
When the Second World War ended in 1945, new manager Matt Busby brought Joe back to United in a coaching and scouting role.
Despite his success as a player, he was capped only twice by England.
He died on New Year's Eve 1966, at the age of 68.

Award winners

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Ballon d'Or

The following players have won the Ballon d'Or whilst playing for Manchester United:

Denis Law – 1964
Bobby Charlton – 1966
George Best – 1968
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

European Golden Shoe

The following players have won the European Golden Shoe whilst playing for Manchester United:

Cristiano Ronaldo (31 goals) – 2008

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year

The following players have won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award whilst playing for Manchester United:

David Beckham – 1999
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

FIFA World Player of the Year ]

The following players have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award whilst playing for Manchester United:

Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008

David Beckham

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David Robert Joseph Beckham,[2] OBE,[3] (born 2 May 1975) is an English football midfielder currently playing for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan (on loan from American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy)[4] and the England national team. Beckham's stint with Milan, which began on 7 January 2009, is a two-month loan in order to retain his fitness levels during the MLS offseason to sustain his England career.[5] However, after impressing at the Italian giants, Beckham stated his desire to sign permanently with Milan. This announcement sparked a media circus. First, Los Angeles turned down Milan's initial offer, citing that it was "too low;" next, the MLS commissioner imposed a transfer deadline that was passed with Galaxy officials stating that the deal was off and that Beckham would be returning to L.A.; and recently, it was reported that Beckham's transfer to Milan may be finally completed the last week of February.[citation needed]
Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year [6] and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer,[7] Beckham is the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.[6]. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.[8] With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.[9][10] Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000[11] until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals,[12] during which he played 58 times. Since then he has continued to represent his country and earned his much-publicised hundredth cap for England against France on 26 March 2008.[13] He is currently tied with Bobby Moore as England's most-capped outfield player.[14]
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.[6] During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.[6] He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons[15] , clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.[16]
In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.[17] Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy became effective on 1 July 2007 and gave him the highest player salary in MLS history.[18] He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea at The Home Depot Center,[19] and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final.[20] His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.[21]
Beckham is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.[22] The couple have three sons and currently reside in Beverly Hills, California.

Christiano Ronaldo

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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (IPA: [kɾɨʃˈtiɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985)[1] is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for English Premier League club Manchester United F.C. and the Portuguese national team.
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player at C.D. Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting two seasons afterwards. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which he scored his first international goal.
In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named the final's Man of the Match. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year[2] and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.[3]
Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruijff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."[4]

Bill Foulkes

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# : 3
Name : Bill Foulkes
Career : 1952 – 1970
Appearances : 688
Goals : 9

William Anthony Foulkes (born 5 January 1932) was an English football player who played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre back. For Manchester United, he played 679 games, third to Sir Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs, he also made 3 appearances as a substitute. He also started in every single United game in the seasons 1957-58, 1959-60, 1963-64 and 1964-65. He scored a total of 9 goals in his 18 seasons at United and helped the club win four First Division titles, one FA Cup and one European Cup. Despite this, he was capped only once for England in 1955.

Bobby Charlton

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# : 2
Name : Bobby Charlton
Career : 1956 – 1973
Appearances : 758
Goals : 249

Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won the World Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot.
He began to play for United's first team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958. After helping United to win the Football League in 1965, he won a World Cup medal with England in 1966 and another Football League title with United the following year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup, scoring two goals in the final to help his team be the first English side to win the competition. He has scored more goals for England and United than any other player. He had made more appearances for Manchester United than any other player (758 [1]), a record superseded by Ryan Giggs at the Champions League Final in Moscow on 21 May 2008, and who is still an active player. Charlton is considered by many to be one of the greatest English players of all time.
At the time of his retirement from the England team in 1970, he was the nation's most capped player, having turned out 106 times at the highest level. This record has since been eclipsed by Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton and then David Beckham.
He left Manchester United in 1973, becoming player-manager of Preston North End,[2] but decided management was not for him and left after one season. After assuming the post of the director at Wigan Athletic F.C. for some time, he became a member of Manchester United's board of directors in 1984[3] and remains one as of October 2008. He set goalscoring records for both the England team and Manchester United, with both records remaining intact some 35 years after the end of his playing career. He was knighted in 1994.

Ryan Giggs

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# : 1
Name : Ryan Giggs
Career : 1991 – present
Appearances : 789
Goals : 147

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE [1] (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973 in Canton, Cardiff) is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for the entirety of his club career to-date. He established himself as a left-winger during the 1990s and continued in this position well into the 2000s, but more recently playing in a deeper central role.
Giggs holds a host of football records, including that of being the most decorated player in English football history. On 11 May 2008, he became the first footballer to collect 10 top division English league title medals. Giggs was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993) and is the only player to have played and scored in every single season of the Premier League since its inception, also holding the league's record for most all time goal assists.[2]
Giggs has had a stellar domestic and continental career and is the first player in UEFA Champions League history to have scored in 12 successive seasons, on top of being elected into the PFA Team of the Century in 2007[3], the English Premier League Team of the Decade, in 2003, as well as the FA Cup Team of the Century. Giggs is also the only United player to have played in all 10 Premier League winning teams and the only Manchester United player to have played in both League Cup winning teams. At the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, held on 21 May 2008, Giggs surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 appearances for Manchester United to become the club's all-time leader in appearances.[4]
At International level, Giggs played for the Welsh national team prior to his retirement from international football on 2 June 2007, and was once the youngest player to ever represent his country. As well as the many honours Giggs has received within football such as being named in the Football League 100 Legends, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, and was inducted into the exclusive English Football Hall of Fame in 2005, for his services to English Football.

Club crest and colours

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During its days as Newton Heath, the club played in a number of different colours, the most recognisable being the yellow and green halved shirts worn from 1878 to 1892, and then again between 1894 and 1896; this strip was revived as an away kit in the early 1990s. Other kits worn by Newton Heath included a red and white quartered shirt (1892–1894) and a plain white shirt (1896–1902), both worn with blue shorts.[38] In 1902, in conjunction with the name change to Manchester United, the club changed their colours to red jerseys, white shorts and black socks, which has become the standard for most Man Utd home kits ever since. The most notable exception to this is the shirt that the team wore in the 1909 FA Cup Final against Bristol City, which was white with a red "V" sash.[39] This design was resurrected in the 1920s before United reverted back to the all-red shirts.
Away strips are usually white jerseys with black shorts and white socks, but other colours have been used, including a blue and white striped shirt used on-and-off from 1903 to 1916, an all-black kit in 1994 and 2003 and a navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes in 2000. One of the most famous, yet short-lived, United away kits, though, was the all grey kit from 1995–96. This kit was dropped after Manchester United failed to win a single game while wearing it. At half-time during a game against Southampton, when United were already 3–0 down, they switched to their blue and white third kit, but eventually lost 3–1. According to the players, the grey kit was not visible enough which led to the poor results.[40][41] Another famous Man Utd away kit included a reversible shirt that was white with black sleeves and gold trim on one side, and gold with black trim on the other side. This shirt was released as the last kit created by Umbro for the club before the change to Nike, and commemorated 100 years since the club had changed its name from Newton Heath to Manchester United.
The United third kit is traditionally all-blue in homage to the kit that the 1968 European Cup was won in. Exceptions to this rule have included a bright yellow kit worn in the early 1970s, the aforementioned blue and white striped shirt from 1996, which proved to be a firm favourite with the fans, and a white shirt with black and red horizontal pinstripes from 2004. United have also used what were originally used as training shirts as their third kit in the past, having adopted an all-black kit in the 1998–99 season and a dark blue shirt with maroon sides in 2001 for games against Southampton and PSV Eindhoven.
Currently, Manchester United's home jerseys are red with a vertical, white broken stripe with black trim on the reverse. The stripe is adorned with the letters MUFC at the top of the bottom portion, and a silhouette of the devil from the club badge at the top of the top portion. The AIG and Nike logos are also white. A patch with the words "The Red Devils" written in white, over an image of the club badge's devil, is attached to the bottom-left of the shirt. The club crest sits on a red shield of the same shape on the left breast. The away kit is white with blue piping around the side and back of the neck and down the sides of the body. The trim on the front of the neck is red. The letters "MUFC" are on the back of the collar and the club badge is located on a white shield over the left breast. The third shirt is royal blue, with sponsors' logos in white. Around the club badge, which sits on a blue shield, the words "May 29th 1968 40th Anniversary" are embroidered. Like the away shirt, the letters "MUFC" are on the back of the collar, while the inside of the collar is adorned with the coat of arms of the City of Manchester, in a design inspired by the tickets used for the 1968 European Cup Final.[42] The away and third shirts are worn with blue shorts.
The Manchester United crest has been altered on a few occasions, but the basic form remains similar. The badge is derived from the crest of the city of Manchester. The devil on the club badge stems from the club's nickname "The Red Devils", which was adopted in the early 1960s after Matt Busby heard it in reference to the red-shirted Salford rugby league side.[43] By the end of the 1960s, the devil had started to be included on club programmes and scarves, before it was finally incorporated into the club badge in 1970, holding its unmistakable trident. In 1998, the badge was once again redesigned, this time removing the words "Football Club".[44]

Manchester United F.C.

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Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is one of the most popular football clubs in the world,[3] with over 330 million supporters worldwide[4][5] – almost 5% of the world's population.[6] The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the exception of the 1974–75 season. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65.[7]

Manchester United are the reigning English, European, and World Champions having won the 2007–08 Premier League, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is the second most successful in the history of English football and by far the most successful of recent times, having won 20 major honours since the start of Alex Ferguson's reign as manager in November 1986. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1. They won a second European Cup as part of an unprecedented Treble in 1999, before winning their third in 2008, 40 years almost to the day after their first. The club also holds the record for the most FA Cup titles with 11.[8]

Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club,[9] and is currently ranked as the richest and most valuable club in any sport, with an estimated value of £897 million (€1.333 billion / $1.8 billion) as of September 2008.[10] Manchester United was a founding member of the now defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs,[11] and its replacement, the European Club Association.[12]
Alex Ferguson has been manager of the club since 6 November 1986, joining from Aberdeen after the sacking of Ron Atkinson.[13] The current club captain is Gary Neville, who succeeded Roy Keane in November 2005.[14]