Yes I agree totally on the not judging players you havent seen element. I think statistically the period of time they have done it over at the to level rather than the statistics themselves. Hate to say it but somebody like Haaland goals wise could have a similar career goals wise over a period of time at least. Personally though I have never been one purely for statistics, just what I see with my own eyes and there are a few ability wise have been on a similar level and a couple that were a level above in my opinion anyway......but of course not consistently ver anything like the same period of time, that does set them apart in that respect at least for sure yes
FourFourTwo’s 50 greatest United players of all-time.
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
Cole was part of the reason why United were so dominant and won so many trophies.
Not at all. Cole was good at dropping deep and laying the ball to the winger, he crossed well, scored headers, individual goals, bicycle kicks from outside the area, he even scored a goal identical to Eric v Sunderland. Not just a box player at all. Even in the 93-94 season at Newcastle he was top goal scorer and leading assister.
Massively underrated. Amazing player.
Andy Cole was not a box player
Andy Cole was not a box player
He was at first but changed his game to suit United and was able to interchange with his teammates.
That's why I rate him better than Ruud, although Ruud was a better finisher Cole did more for the team and helped make the team more successful
Na bro it’s facts. Go check there goals per season. Coley was doing more numbers playing at a higher level. It’s not debatable.
Like I said he just wasn’t liked for whatever reason for England but he was better all round than those players.
No, no and no.
Looking at the Top Ten you might change one or two but it's there or thereabouts.
The remaining 40 are also there or thereabouts and I wouldn't change that many.
I might take Pearson, Kidd and Yorke out...but that's subjective.
But a list without Jack Rowley and David Herd doesn't make sense given their goalscoring records.
Jack Rowley is definitely in my Top 20
v
The remaining 40 are also there or thereabouts and I wouldn't change that many.
I might take Pearson, Kidd and Yorke out...but that's subjective.
But a list without Jack Rowley and David Herd doesn't make sense given their goalscoring records.
Jack Rowley is definitely in my Top 20
v
I took one look at this and stopped reading at John O'Shea...
- Bobby Charlton (longevity, peak, pristine public image & key part in our resurgence, from Munich to Wembley 68')
- George Best (probably the highest peak out of every United player, the most exquisite and exciting talent to play for us)
- Eric Cantona (without him there'd be no modern United, he was the difference-maker that set the foundation for the entire era; also bonus points for style)
- Ryan Giggs (
)
- Denis Law (he was for the 60's what Cantona was for the 90's; it's not a coincidence that they share a royal nickname)
- Paul Scholes (incredible longevity and trophy cabinet, bonus points for overall likability; sucking toes > smacking lips)
- Roy Keane (most valuable player of our late 90's-early 00's side and arguably the greatest United captain of all-time)
- Bryan Robson (Keano with goals; the only alternative to Roy as out greatest ever captain — he was equally impressive albeit in a less fruitful era)
- Wayne Rooney (I guess our all-time top scorer should break into top-10?)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (it's between him and George Best as for the highest peak ever reached by a United player; fecked off way too early to be able to secure a higher spot)
- Rio Ferdinand (our greatest ever defender and one of the most likeable characters around; there's a great competition for that CB spot but he wins on longevity & success)
- David Beckham (the poster-boy for the entire generation and one of the key reasons that United became such a commercial juggernaut; a damn good player too)
- Duncan Edwards (the biggest "what if" in our history, whose name is almost synonymous with Busby Babes & Munich disaster)
- Peter Schmeichel (our greatest ever keeper and one of the most recognizable and iconic figures in club history)
- Dennis Violett (one of the few Busby Babes to survive Munich — it was Violett who, alongside Charlton, helped to keep the club afloat in those dark years)
- Harry Gregg (he wasn't a better player than van der Sar or De Gea, but he was a damn good keeper — and, even if we're being pedantic, pulling Charlton, Violett and Blanchflower out of the burning plane has to be one of the most important things any United player did ever)
- Denis Irwin (barely a dozen poor performance in north of 500 club appearances)
- Bill Faulkes (688 appearances, 20 years at the club, Munich survivor; that European Cup trophy of 68' was for him, Busby & Charlton)
- Edwin van der Sar (closely follows Schmeichel as our greatest ever keeper, he was crucial to United's best ever defensive unit)
- Martin Buchan (he was arguably our most influential player for a decade or so... even though it was a poor decade)
- Nemanja Vidić (the key to unleashing Rio's potential; captain, warrior, legend)
- Roger Byrne (Busby Babes captain, another tragic loss)
- Ruud van Nistelrooy (perhaps our most ruthless finisher whose legacy is a bit tarnished due to the enormous success we've enjoyed after his leave)
- Paul McGrath (McGrath & Robson would've easily made any World XI at their peak but both spent it trying to pull United to Liverpool's level at the time; perhaps our most talented defender)
- Jaap Stam (can't put Stam much lower — yes, he only spent three seasons with us; it was enough)
- David De Gea (his legacy has taken a huge toll due to his average performances over the past 4 or 5 years, but he was the only glimmer of hope in the shittiest of times)
- Tommy Taylor (another Babe who'd most likely still be our all-time top scorer if not for what happened)
- Steve Bruce (you don't need to be fast to be good; the 19 goal-season as a CB has to be one of the craziest records that any United player have set)
- Mark Hughes (he never scored lots of goals but he always scored when it was needed; and the collection of his volleys would rival that of van Basten's!)
- Gary Neville (I have to put him somewhere, #30 seems about right; ever-reliable and a bit underrated on the ball; always loved the club)
- Jack Rowley (211 goals in 424 appearances even if it was mostly in the pre-War football)
- Michael Carrick (the unsung hero of our "continental" side)
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (and Solskjaer has won that; we've had better strikers that haven't featured yet but none that were greater)
- Andy Cole (speaking of better strikers)
- Billy Meredith (I have to put him somewhere? The original Welsh Wizard and, by all accounts, United's greatest player of the pre-War era)
- Patrice Evra (the perfect addition to van der Sar, Rio & Vida; mentality monster and our most technically gifted fullbacks; just don't look at his Instagram for too long)
- Nobby Stiles (he'd run through a brick wall if it meant that United would get an advantage — and, unlike Vidić or Stam, he didn't have the physique to guarantee his own survival in that scenario)
- Gary Pallister (before the days of Rio & Vida, Bruce & Pallister were the benchmark for a Man United defensive duo)
- Dwight Yorke (almost forgot about him somehow; he never reached the same heights again but his 98/99 level was as good as it gets)
- Paddy Crerand (what a wonderful passer ol' Paddy was — looking through the grainy footage you'd be excused if you were to mix him up with Charlton himself)
- Norman Whiteside (he never reached the true heights that were expected of him but what a talent he was)
- Sammy McIlroy (11 seasons during which United was only competing for an FA Cup— 3 finals, 1 goal, 1 win)
- Brian Kidd (looked absolutely class next to The Holy Trinity and on a good day it could've been tough to guess which one of those 4 didn't won Ballon d'Or)
- Tony Dunne (another one in the line of outstanding Man Utd fullbacks)
- Brian McClair (I never truly warmed up to him for some weird reason even though he certainly deserves a place on this list)
- Paul Ince (would've been way higher if not for the subsequent Liverpool move, I'm quite bitter about that)
- Joe Spence (another name from the pre-War era that we can only assess by his reputation; "Give it to Joe" chant was apparently very popular at the time, so he must've been good)
- Teddy Sheringham (FWA Footballer of the Year and a goal in the Camp Nou final — should be enough to justify the inclusion)
- Alex Stepney (the hero of that Wembley final of 68')
- John O'Shea (am I allowed a sentimental inclusion?)
I've spent way too much time on this.
Giggs should not be number one. He may have been had he continued to play like he did when he first came on the scene (when he took over from Lee Sharpe as the club's resident wing dynamo) but he didn't.1. Giggs
2. Charlton
3. Best
4. Robson
5. Cantona
6. Law
7. Edwards
8. Schmeichel
9. Rooney
10. Scholes
11. Ferdinand
12. Ronaldo
13. Keane (
)
14. Beckham
15. G. Neville
16. Byrne
17. Taylor
18. Irwin
19. Foulkes
20. Van Nistlerooy
21. Stiles
22. De Gea
23. Violett
24. Vidic
25. M. Hughes
26. Buchan
27. Bruce
28. Evra
29. Whiteside
30. Pallister
31. Van der Sar
32. Solskjaer
33. McClair
34. McGrath
35. Coppell
36. Crerand
37. Carrick
38. ‘Billy’ Whelan
39. McIlroy
40. Ince
41. Albiston
42. Cole
43. Yorke
44. Kidd
45. Dunne
46. Stam
47. Carey
48. Pearson
49. Gregg
50. Sheringham
Link and their reasoning
Keane’s position is an absolute joke; others are questionable, too, but what do you think?
Can you be arsed doing a list of 50 or even re-jigging this one?
My recollection of his career was an explosive start, an indifferent middle bit (where he was often a sub) and a storied end when he morphed into the reliable old stager. But he never really became what the early years promised.
It's pretty obvious that Best and Charlton are the best players ever to play for Manchester United. However, as most of us were not alive to see them play, this appears to be a controversial opinion, even though there is enough footage of both to them to get a very good idea of what they were like as players. Anyone who hasn't seen the '68 European Cup final v Eusebio's Benfica for example should watch it ASAP. The full match is easily accessible. It's wonderful.
If we have to stick to more modern players, I'd say Cantona, Rooney and Robson are more worthy of the number one spot than Giggs.
Bearing in mind that was pretty much the last line, that's the end of his piece anyway
there probably should be a place for Billy Meredith representing the great pre ww1 team. Also someone like Johnny Carey from the late 40s team that was very very good but somewhat overshadowed by the Babes team that followed them.
Haven't read the whole thread but Andrei Kanchelskis gets in my top 50 every time.
if we are talking peaks then yeah. Not many better than RVN, it's unfortunate his prime was did not coincide with our best teams otherwise we get another European Cup and he snatches the ballon d'or. We let him down in Europe.
Loved Eric but there are 2 things that have to be taken into account with him, one, the quality of the league at the time, at that period before the money really started flowing the league was 95% from the UK and Ireland and really not that good, and two, his poor to mediocre performances in Europe.
Giggs excelled in Europe, Scholes was probably the better, more consistent domestic player but Giggs elevated himself and the club on European nights. Rooney is underrated, top scorer and that was never all there was to his game, a selfless team player, who while yes he have been past his best by 27, still gave Utd 10 great years.
Don't remember Giggs being a sub in his middle period other than in rotation, which Fergie did a huge amount of.
I thought Sparky would be higher.
Not that good
I take it you didn’t watch many European games from the mid 70s to the mid 80s then when English teams were made up of British players.
It wasn't that good, as seen by the English teams of that period routinely getting slapped by average continental sides. The 90's was not the 70/80's, the game had moved on post the ban and the English teams were left well behind, and only started to pick up outside of Utd after Euro 96 when the money started to flow, attracted better quality from abroad.Not that good
I take it you didn’t watch many European games from the mid 70s to the mid 80s then when English teams were made up of British players.
Anyone thinking that the top division in England in say 1993 was at the same level it had been in 1985 are deluded.
Nothing but respect for you! Have you considered applying for one of the better sports institutions as a writer? I’d certainly pay to read someone who actually have a clue.
He was before my time and I haven't watched enough compilations
Was he really that good?
We beat Barca in the Cup winners cup in 91 and then beat the European Cup winners in the Super Cup!
Is that what you mean by “Slapped”
YesHe was before my time and I haven't watched enough compilations
Was he really that good?
This is true (about the fact that the English clubs had been left behind post ban) but it doesn't mean that the league was bad in the early 90s. Just that the English clubs had lost the know-how and nous to operate effectively in the European Cup/CL. International club football requires different qualities/tactics etc. and it took the English clubs a while to get back up to speed. It was still a very good league as it has always been. I'm not gonna accept that Cantona did what he did in a weak league, that's just ridiculous. But I think it is fair so say that he and United were not as effective in Europe because of the aforementioned factors.
The key for me is that he was never the best player or talisman at the club (except for arguably in his early years when he burst onto the scene. That was when he was closest to having that status for me. Aside from that, no). This is not the case for Cantona, Robson and Rooney who were each the go-to guys for years. So how can Giggs be the greatest Man United player of all time? It makes no sense to me. He had the longevity but when was he 'the guy'? The main guy? The one every other player looked to to make something happen?
By the way, I want to make it clear that this is strictly a football assessment, I'm not factoring in anything to do with his personal life.
Edwards would have been in all three top positions if he had survived. When Bobby Charlton says he was the greatest player he ever saw and played with that holds some weight.
Giggs was a very good player but he's rated highly due to his medal count.
Best I've seen is Robson.
Top 10?
Edwards
Charlton
Best
Robson
Cantona
Keane
Law
Ronaldo
Rooney
Best I've seen is Robson.
Top 10?
Edwards
Charlton
Best
Robson
Cantona
Keane
Law
Ronaldo
Rooney
I'll shamelessly link my own video which is probably the most lengthy/comprehensive George Best compilation on YouTube (there are also all-touch compilation on my channel if you want to see his entire performance which will include mistakes etc. — gives you a clearer picture).He was before my time and I haven't watched enough compilations
Was he really that good?
In mid-to-late 60's he reached one of the greatest peaks by any player ever — it wasn't quite as impressive in terms of stats as, say, Cristiano's time at Real Madrid but the time was different and no one cared quite as much about scoring 60+ goals per season. It was more of a case of winning the game and doing it in style. But the eye test doesn't lie — peak George Best was certainly the best and the most exciting British player ever and he is somewhere alongside Maradona, Ronaldinho and young Luis Ronaldo as the greatest and most exciting player that I've personally ever seen.
Sadly, just like Ronaldinho and Luis Ronaldo (for different reasons though), his peak was relatively short as by the time the 70's came he was already not very focused on football, he partied to much, didn't train properly and he even retired a couple of times. But I'd put 66'-69' Best higher than 06'-09' Cristiano personally, although not by that much.
This is my point, he has the medals but it's basically because he played the longest under a very successful Fergie. He was a great player though, of course.
Bobby Charlton also said Pele was the greatest player he ever saw. He, like most people, is not that consistent on this sort of stuff.
But he was never our best player. He was very good but he never quite turned inti the player we expected him to become after his first season.
Agree totally. I remember when he first came into the team and he scored many incredible solo goals. That's not the player he ultimately became, not on a consistent basis anyway.
Are you seriously telling me that 91-97 was a strong period for English club teams? I don't think you will find many who watched that period will agree.
He might not have had the consistency of some of those guys but his match by match top level was maybe the best we have seen at Utd outside of Ronaldo since Best. Being the "guy" is such an American idea, his was always a team-first mindset, if he had been more selfish, played on the last man, padded stats, demanded pens a lot earlier for example, then maybe he wins a few more individual awards, but probably burns out quicker.
The other players did look for him to make something happen, but that was usually in a creative sense rather than being a scorer.
In terms of players I have seen:
Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Cantona, Schmeichel, Rooney, Irwin, Ferdinand, Vidic, Pogba. Bite
Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Cantona, Schmeichel, Rooney, Irwin, Ferdinand, Vidic, Pogba. Bite
Definitely not IMO
No it's not
You're overthinking it. He just wasn't the best player in the team for most of his career.
Robson, Cantona and Rooney didn't always make things happen by scoring either. It's not just about goals, I'm not sure where you're getting that idea from. E.g. Zidane was the talisman of the great French team and the one they looked to (even though they had a number of great players). Were they requiring him to always score goals? Of course not.
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You can disagree with Giggs as number 1 but no Giggs in the top 10? No way.
BEST should be number 1
To be fair I still have no idea how we ended up winning that game against Crvena Zvezda, Savićević wiped the floor with Ince & co. and we should’ve lost it by a significant margin.
I don't think he's better than any of the ones I've mentioned nor as important to the team.