Rank the best individual seasons you've seen by United players

[Jonno]

Vidic(07/08)​

I'm honestly of the opinion that in 07-09 Vidic was the best CB in the world. He was near perfect. I've never seen a defender win as many headers as Vidic, he owned that box, you knew if you were defending a lead with 10 minutes, and they pack the box and whip in crosses, Vidic will literally smash people out of the way and head the ball away. If I saw Vidic not win a header, I was left confused.

He was so vocal too, such a great leader. Then he'd go up for corners and smash 5-10 goals in.

Better than Stam and Ferdinand by a smidge in my opinion. But what a choice of CB's we've had hey.

 

[roonster09]

1. Ronaldo 07-08
2. Beckham 98-99
3. Rio - Vida - 07-08: Both were awesome and it's very hard to choose one over the other.

 

[Harry190]

Golden Balls 1999.

It's what dreams are made out of.

 

[Yagami]

I'm honestly of the opinion that in 07-09 Vidic was the best CB in the world. He was near perfect. I've never seen a defender win as many headers as Vidic, he owned that box, you knew if you were defending a lead with 10 minutes, and they pack the box and whip in crosses, Vidic will literally smash people out of the way and head the ball away. If I saw Vidic not win a header, I was left confused.

He was so vocal too, such a great leader. Then he'd go up for corners and smash 5-10 goals in.

Better than Stam and Ferdinand by a smidge in my opinion. But what a choice of CB's we've had hey.

I've always admitted I've never been the best judge of defenders, but I have my favourites. I loved Vidic but Ferdinand was the perfect CB for me and Stam in the treble season was a beast.

You're right, though; we're spoilt for choice when it comes to CBs. I think older fans than me can come up with even more great CBs we've had - Bruce and Pallister were an awesome pair, too.

 

[simonhch]

Ronaldo 2007-2008
Van Nistelrooy 2002-2003
Beckham 1998-1999
Keane 1998-1999
Cantona 1995-1996

I’d also like to talk about great partnerships:

Yorke and Cole 1998-1999
Keane and Scholes 1997-2002
Ferdinand and Vidic 2006-2012
Beckham and Neville 1997-2002

There are many others, but these are some of my absolute favourites. I think great teams are based on great partnerships or triumvirates around the field.

 

[manunited1919]

Nani : that game against Arsenal

 

[simplyared]

DDG 2017-18

 

[lawliet354]

1. Ronaldo 07-08
2. Beckham 98-99
3. Rio - Vida - 07-08: Both were awesome and it's very hard to choose one over the other.

Same but I'd add Keane in 98/99 as well

 

[Mr. MUJAC]

Bryan Robson 1983/84 or 1984/85
Lou Macari 1975/76
Gordon Hill 1976/77
Mark Hughes 1984/85 or 1990/91
Brian McClair 1987/88
Ryan Giggs 1993/94
Paul McGrath 1984/85 or 1985/86

 

[Alfie092]

1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2007-2008- His 42 goals including scoring in big games like the CL finals says it all. Won Ballon d'Or due his his performances that year too.

2. Robin Van Persie 2012-2013 - His goals was the difference between us winning the league ahead of Man City. You put Van Persie in the City side that year and they would have walked the league, he was that influential. Just didn't light up the CL like Ronaldo did in 07/08, hence why he is below him.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo 2006-2007 - Was his breakout year where he scored 23 goals which is still a phenomenal amount for a winger. Our best player that season and was key to us winning the PL having not won it in the previous 3 season. Was clear for us all it was the start of something special for himself and United.

4. Wayne Rooney 2009-2010 – He immediately almost replaced the goals Ronaldo provided us in full that year having scored 34 goals. Sadly tailed off slightly towards the end of the year and the injury which affected him during the Bayern game didn’t help us. Had he stayed fully fit and we go on to beat Bayern, I do believe we would have won the CL! Had we at least won the PL that year I would have had his performances that season placed in 3rd.

5. Michael Carrick 2012 – 2013 – Was the player’s player of the year that season even though most would suggest it was RvP that won us the league! It shows how highly the players rated him and as a massive Carrick fan, I fully appreciated what he did for us that season, was practically a 1 man midfield! None of our other midfielders were fit enough to lace his boots that year, apart from Scholes but only played occasionally and was not a regular starter.

6. Rio Ferdinand 2007-2008 – Him and Vidic was an absolute rock of a partnership! Put that Rio and Vida in our current team and I would be very confident in us winning the league next season! However, Rio stood out slight more than Vida did to me, he is my favourite United defender of all-time so I could be seen as biased but I just loved his composure on the ball and his leadership qualities. Even though Vida was a leader himself, Rio was more vocal.

7. David De Gea 2015 – 2016 – During a time where we was just so so bad and boring to watch. De Gea was the only real standout performer and our only genuine world-class player at the time. He prevented us from finishing lower than we actual did and pulled off some of the best saves I’ve ever seen for a United keeper. He is so vital for us, not just for the present but for the future in the next 5-6 seasons if we are to get back to the top of domestic and European football!

 

[Revan]

1) Ronaldo 2007-2008, magnificent season and lead us to UCL/league, being the best player and top goalscorer in both competitions.
2) Nistelrooy 2002-2003, first season I watched every match of United and boy, what a dramatic ending it had. Ruud wasn't bad, scored 44 goals and we won the title despite trailing 12 points.
3) De Gea 2013-2014, to be fair I could have easily chosen the following season where he was even better, but this season he was (together with Adnan to some degree) the only bright point. We would have finished several positions below than we finished (7th) if it wasn't for him.
4) Vidic 2010-2011, best season from a United defender I have seen, and lead us to the title.
5) RVP 2012-2013, well we needed to win another title, so we got the best player in the league. And he delivered.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Michael Owen 09/10.

 

[Tom Foster]

Ronnie 07/08
Ronnie 08/09
Schmeichel 95/96
Cole and Yorke 98/99
As a one off, how about Ray Wilkins 83/84 when he almost left us at the start of the season, outperformed Robbo and nearly got us that elusive first league for ages.

 

[IAmAWinner]

Apart from the obvious choices (Ronaldo 07/08 RVP 12/13 etc) here are my hipster choices of recent years

Fletcher 08/09 - Was linked with a move to Everton the summer of 08, but with the midfield troubles at the beginning of the season (Owen injury, Anderson at Olympics), he got his chance, scored twice in the opening 2 games and never looked back. Had a great season in the midfield and was like a mini Roy Keane. Remember him having a brilliant game with Giggs in the middle against Chelsea when we beat them 3-0. His aggression and work rate would have helped against Barca, but we still would have lost probably. Prime Fletcher was beautiful. Damn you illness.

Evra 09/10 - His best season for us imo, 07/08 comes close. Was consistently brilliant. We had unbelievable bad luck with injuries in defence, but Patrice always played. Remember in December when we had the likes of Fletcher, Carrick, Park and De Laet playing as defenders. Complete beast down the left-hand side. His last great season for us, the impact of playing so much and the whole WC 2010 debacle took a toll on him.

Nani 10/11 - Nani was always there during the first half of 10/11, when Rooney had the contract thingy and the horrific form, Valencia had the horrific injury and Berbatov was inconsistent (Hattrick against Pool, then 10 games without scoring and then the 5 against Blackburn). Lots of assists and some cracking goals, it really looked like Nani had replaced Ronaldo. Played a big part in us winning the title, even if Park and Valencia were playing better in the final stages of the season.

Valencia 11/12 - Back when he could cross the ball, and was one of the better wingers around. Terrorised full-backs all day long. Undoubtedly his best season for us. His goal against Blackburn was superb. His efforts deserved a title. Turned to shit as a winger after this season.

Rafael 12/13 - Again, consistently good. I remember he got a yellow against Madrid in the first half and I was sure he would get a red card. But he showed his maturity in the second half and at that point I thought, we finally had replaced Gary Neville and got our long-term right back, but oh well. If Fergie was in charge he would still be a starter at United I think. Remember being shocked he wasn't included in the team of the year, even though Zabaleta was solid back then. Still watch his goal against QPR sometimes.

 

[DanNistelrooy]

I was actually going to make a thread like this myself, @Skills ! I thought it'd make for an interesting read - especially from older United fans.

Schmeichel(92/93)
Brown(07/08) Ferdinand(07/08) Stam(98/99) Evra(07/08)
Carrick(12/13) Keane(98/99)
Beckham(98/99) Scholes(02/03) Ronaldo(07/08)
Yorke(98/99)​

Subs:
Van Der Sar(07/08)
Vidic(07/08)
Irwin(92/93)
Cantona(95/96)
Robin van Persie(12/13)
Ruud van Nistelrooy(02/03)
Rooney(09/10) Remember his run of scoring headers?

To rank them as a top 10, I'd go with something like this:
1.Ronaldo(07/08)
2.Beckham(98/99)
3.Scholes(02/03)
4.Cantona(95/96)
5.Stam(98/99)
6.Yorke(98/99)
7.Keane(98/99)
8.Robin van Persie(12/13)
9.Carrick(12/13)
10.Ruud van Nistelrooy(02/03)


As a big Sherigham fan, that was awesome

02/03 for me. He was incredible.

A thread for United XIs based on individual seasons would be interesting as per your XI. If you made a rule that you can only have one (or two?) player(s) from a certain season it would be fun to follow.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

1.Ronaldo (07-08)
2.Keane and Beckham (98-99)
3.Van Persie (12-13)
4.Vidic (08-09)
5.Scholes (06-07)

Carrick is frighteningly overrated here, he was a good player for us and had a couple of very good seasons here, but we were not a midfield dominant side during his time here, and in 12-13 people forget that we were outplayed in midfield by practically every decent side, Southampton for example and his glaring weakness is a huge downside for a top midfield player (ability to play out of a press).

 

[The-Mezzala]

Cantona 95/96 for me pretty much carried United to the double that season. Gave the club such a lift when he returned from his ban. Ronaldo 08 is a close second.

 

[RuudRuud]

Van Nistelrooy 2002/03

Ruud Ruud Ruud

 

[TMDaines]

Too many to list around 2007/2008.

 

[ghagua]

Ronaldo 2007-2008

RvP 2012-2013

Paul Ince 1992-1993

Van Nistelrooy 2002-2003

 

[Yagami]

A thread for United XIs based on individual seasons would be interesting as per your XI. If you made a rule that you can only have one (or two?) player(s) from a certain season it would be fun to follow.

It would! I might make one if there's enough interest. I'd love to see a side from some of the older United fans who've witnessed more past greats and maybe underappreciated talent.

For me, a rule stating you can only have one or two players from a specific season could make it tricky as the majority of mine are from the treble and double winning sides! It could be fun to make two formations - one with that rule and one without.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

My slightly unpopular opinion is that I felt Beckham had a better individual season for us in 2001/02 ,Fergie's initial retiring season, than he did in the famous treble 98/99 campaign.

 

[SpyLuke10]

1. Ronaldo in 07/08, 2. Rooney in 09/10, 3. Van Persie in 2012/13, 4. De Gea in 14/15, 5. Vidic in 08/09.

Note: I only really started following United late 2007/early 2008 (and this is best I've seen). I was about 10 years old then. I remember being in awe of Ronaldo and Rooney.

 

[Volumiza]

All been said but:

Van Nistelrooy - 2002 / 3. Developed a proper man-crush on this fella. Was my favourite player.

Ronaldo - 2007 / 8. Just incredible.

Loads really but those two ... wow.

 

[Foxbatt]

Hargreaves the year we beat Chelsea for the CL.
Robbo they year we won the FA Cup under Big Ron.

 

[Tarrou]

Nani 10/11 - Nani was always there during the first half of 10/11, when Rooney had the contract thingy and the horrific form, Valencia had the horrific injury and Berbatov was inconsistent (Hattrick against Pool, then 10 games without scoring and then the 5 against Blackburn). Lots of assists and some cracking goals, it really looked like Nani had replaced Ronaldo. Played a big part in us winning the title, even if Park and Valencia were playing better in the final stages of the season.

Good shout. He was absolutely immense for the first two thirds of the season, and IMO more instrumental in us winning the title that season that any of our other attackers. He tailed off a bit towards the end IIRC, I think that was the season Carragher injured him with a shocking tackle and he never looked right after? His contribution seems to be a bit overlooked in retrospect.

 

[AgentP]

De Gea pretty much every year since Fergie retired. The only player who has been consistently good and can arguably be called the best in the world in his position.

 

[Beagle]

Bryan Robson 1983/84 or 1984/85
Lou Macari 1975/76
Gordon Hill 1976/77
Mark Hughes 1984/85 or 1990/91
Brian McClair 1987/88
Ryan Giggs 1993/94
Paul McGrath 1984/85 or 1985/86

So you stopped watching United since 1994?

 

[Mr. MUJAC]

So you stopped watching United since 1994?

Nope..but everyone else seems to have those seasons covered and no-one was talking the 1970's and 1980's.

 

[WR10]

Can we do half seasons? Martial first half of last season before Sanchez joined

 

[acnumber9]

Can we do half seasons? Martial first half of last season before Sanchez joined

Only if you want to be laughed at.

 

[99withaflake]

Cantona 95/96 for me pretty much carried United to the double that season. Gave the club such a lift when he returned from his ban. Ronaldo 08 is a close second.

Agreed.

I know it's all ifs and buts, but if Cantona didn't win us the double that season and give our youngsters their first taste of first team success, and the club went two seasons without winning the league, who knows if we would have had that same dominance afterwards.

He really did lift the club, inspire all of those around him and step up in big moments again and again during that run in.

This run of league games was ridiculous:

4 March Newcastle away 1-0 - Cantona
16 March QPR away 1-1 - Cantona (90th minute)
20 March Arsenal home 1-0 - Cantona
24 March Tottenham home 1-0 - Cantona
6 April Man City away 3-2 - Cantona (pen), Cole, Giggs
8 April Coventry home 1-0 - Cantona

In the FA Cup, he scored in 5 of our 7 games, including the important first goal in 3, and the winner in the final in the 86th minute.

6 January Sunderland home 2-2 - Cantona (80th minute), Butt
16 January Sunderland away 2-1 - Scholes, Cole
27 January Reading away 3-0 - Cantona, Giggs, Parker
18 February Man City home 2-0 - Cantona (pen), Sharp
11 March Southampton home 2-0 - Cantona, Sharp
31 March Chelsea 2-1 - Cole, Beckham
11 May Liverpool 1-0 - Cantona (86th minute)

I have never seen anything like it. When it really mattered, in close games, in big games, when the pressure was on, he kept stepping up again and again and again.

This is why he'll always be in my all time 11. There's no-one I would rely on more during a title run-in. Van Nistelrooy and Rooney can battle it out to play alongside him.

 

[charlton66]

Denis Law in 1964 (he was bloody good in 1965 too)

George Best in 1968

Bryan Robson in 1984 (his performance in the game vs Barcelona at home was possibly the best individual performance I've ever seen)

Eric Cantona in 1996

Ruud in 2003

Ronaldo in 2008

No particular order.