What made you become a supporter of this club?

[Houdini]

I had more favourite clubs a a kid, but this story made me a hardcore United fan:
Calculators were quite expensive things back then and we were a quite average/poor family. My father had a "scientific" calculator from his job and he gave it to me. I was so happy. I had it only for few days whe some ****** stole it in the school. Then my best friend lent me som money to buy a new one. It was a new SHARP calculator. They had a special promo. You could win: 3. can't remember what 2. money in the value of the thing you bought in Sharp shop. 1. original United Kit
Once I came back from school and my dad told me that I have won a lot of money or something. It was weird, but when I read the letter it was clear that it's the United Kit. (my dad did not believe me that some kit has almost the value of his salary). Then I remember wathcing the CL final on TV with that kit on me, and Ole scoring the famous winner. It was the never die attitude the I have been cling to since then not only in football but also in real life.

 

[JebelSherif]

The reason I support the club I support is really very simple: I was born in Manchester. I actually believe you should (support where you were born), which is a bit of a bugger if you are born in Leeds!

 

[FahadiHossein]

Eric Cantona. His goals, his swagger, his collar, his arrogance. And the kick at Crystal Palace.

 

[OhGee]

Back in the day there was limited coverage of football and my first sight of United was the 1978 FA Cup final - hooked ever since…

 

[celia]

World Cup 98 and the fans

I sometimes watched some bits of international matches, like Argentina v England. Then I read in my local newspapers about the hate directed towards Beckham with his club and its fans supporting him. That hate was so nonsense for me and I appreciated the United fans doing the right thing, so I began to follow United mostly through match reports during the first half of the season. Fortunately, I could watch some United Champions League matches after the group stage.

98/99 was a so dramatic and entertaining season.

 

[One Night Only]

I liked the idea of feeling good when my team won and because we won a lot then.

Now I'm just depressed alot.

 

[Coxy]

99

I had a vague interest in football up to that point - my local team of Nottingham Forest - but I barely watched footy on the tv etc. then I watched the final and fell in love with football / United

 

[Spoony]

I have no idea whatsoever. My mum's fault I guess, she used to have me in United related clobber during nursery days despite me not having an idea what the hell football and United were about. Most folk were Red, so it was bound to happen. Man City indeed.

 

[Nicolarra90]

The crest and the feeling of waking up early mornings to watch the games in early 2000s.

Fifa 98 helped too.

 

[Sandikan]

Vaguest of all links.
My best pal at school was United, and after a while of teasing him singing stuff like "they wear glasses on their arses" and other ludicrous stupid songs, I eventually followed him to United.
Same sort of time getting a United red koala soft toy from my grandma.

1990. Superb timing really. I remember I almost got sucked into the Tottenham Gazza/Lineker stuff, but thank goodness went the right way!

 

[Fraser76]

Alex Ferguson. I support Aberdeen. My ten year old self was devastated when he left but I forgave him and supported Man Utd ever since.

 

[Maciej]

Beckham's mohawk back in 2002.

 

[Mufc8282]

My dad took me to watch them regularly from late 80s/early 90s, if it wasn't for that I'm not sure id have got into football but it does stay with you

 

[The Hustler]

1971. 10 years old. I hadn't much interest in football before that to be honest. Then made friends with the kid next door (a year older than me) whose parents started to run the working men's club, so I started playing football with him and his mates. Him and his brothers were big United fans, so I took an interest. The rest is history...

 

[Sir Matt]

My cousin and I played the FIFA demo on PC in the early 2000s, which only had United and Arsenal. I picked United while he played as Arsenal. Thank God.

 

[Lennon]

1991 - Cup Winners Cup against Barcelona!
I remember as if it was yesterday ... A 10 year old is sitting in front of the TV in the middle of Vienna and falls in love for the very first time. A love that continues to this day and a love that will never end!

 

[rubber_duck]

Because it's Manchester United!
SAF, Giggs, Cantona, etc.!
The history, Old Trafford - The theater of dreams...

 

[devilish]

My grandfather from my mother's side was pretty anglophile and pro independence which really didn't make sense as one was against the other. He started getting interested in football around the Munich crash. My brother loved United but he was more into playing football then following it. I was drawn into the dark side when I was around 4 from my older cousin who was a massive Manchester United supporter.

 

[Redpimp]

eric cantona!

 

[captain666]

I followed Orient as a kid as we lived very close to the ground,when United came to town for our only First Division season I was amazed that supporters were queing at the turnstiles at 9am!That season I watched my first FA Cup Final with my old man and we won.I was 9 at the time and we moved away later that year (winter of 63)and I became full on United!Denis my first hero!

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. Telekinetic partnership. I was a big fan of wrestling and they reminded me of a tag team back in the day. Even now though, I can't really remember them playing.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

When Rangnick arrived.

 

[red_sun]

Lots of cool nuggets here about each member.

I started playing FIFA 2004 and just randomly chose a team cause of the ratings. Can't remember the announcer, but I liked how he say Forlan. Thought that was a great name, and asked my cousin what team he plays on. He said United, so I said that's my team.

4 days later, Forlan is sold

 

[Hughie77]

1977 FA.cup win over the scum. Was maybe when I went full on. But before that did watch out for the results in Div 2 back then. 76 Fa Cup loss was another. Been a full on since there. I'm the only one in my close family who is. The rest are scum or Swansea City. My late father worked for City in the 80s he brought me loads of there stuff I gave it to my sister. He also knew a guy who signed for Leeds utd under Revie. And got me stuff from them as well. I gave those to brother . I've tried to be bribed into other teams. Them my mother bought me UTD top white 3 black stripes . That's it then. I thank the lord for SAF.

 

[Speako]

In 1983, growing up almost in the middle of Manchester and Liverpool, literally all my school friends supported the scousers and I wanted to be different. Luckily United made it to the cup final that year and again in ‘85 and by that time my parents saw me crying when Whiteside scored, so they knew I was serious. Saturday morning 7th Dec 1985 and my dad tells me to get my kit on, we’re going to Old Trafford. My bedroom backed onto the East Lancs Road and I sat for what seemed like hours until the car taking us pulled up in the lay-by with United scarves hanging out of the window. We sat in the Stretford End seats and as I walked up the steps for the very first time, and turned to my left to see the Stretty and Old Trafford lie out in front of me, a never ending love affair began. We sat in the same four seats bar a handful of times every game until ‘92, then pretty much same spec until I moved to South stand in ‘07. Little did I know back then, but my dad had been going United since the sixties and never said anything to me!

 

[Steve 007]

Grew up in Glasgow and my dad wouldn’t let me wear a Celtic or Rangers top, I watched a Leeds vs Man Utd game when Giggs had just broke into the team and that was that. Got a Man Utd strip and supported them since.

 

[Jim Beam]

In 1983, growing up almost in the middle of Manchester and Liverpool, literally all my school friends supported the scousers and I wanted to be different. Luckily United made it to the cup final that year and again in ‘85 and by that time my parents saw me crying when Whiteside scored, so they knew I was serious. Saturday morning 7th Dec 1985 and my dad tells me to get my kit on, we’re going to Old Trafford. My bedroom backed onto the East Lancs Road and I sat for what seemed like hours until the car taking us pulled up in the lay-by with United scarves hanging out of the window. We sat in the Stretford End seats and as I walked up the steps for the very first time, and turned to my left to see the Stretty and Old Trafford lie out in front of me, a never ending love affair began. We sat in the same four seats bar a handful of times every game until ‘92, then pretty much same spec until I moved to South stand in ‘07. Little did I know back then, but my dad had been going United since the sixties and never said anything to me!

Like this one! Usually, it's always dads, uncles or so on forcing United on kids... That's one cool dad.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Kind of lame but my brother supported United and so I just started watching them because of him.

The first goal I saw was Beckham against Wimbledon so you can say it was a good start

 

[MrBrightside1989]

My Dad is a big Aberdeen fan and when Sor Alex moved to Old Trafford he started following United more closely (he wasn't a fan of another English team). As a result I am now an Aberdeen and Man Utd fan.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

My aunt’s brother is a Utd fans, I saw a lot of our posters (with the Sharp logo kit) whenever I visited, which piqued the interest of a 6 year old.

The thing that made me really commit was watching the first game on the telly and saw Fergie munching on his gums, there’s something endearing in that figure to kid me.

 

[Reddevillondoner]

I was born and lived in Nigeria till I was about 14 years old.

In Nigeria, football is/was a big deal growing up because especially in the 1990s/ early 2002, we had alot of great Nigerian football players. Kanu, jj okocha etc. Nigerians loved football.

The two most popular teams were Arsenal and man United. My brothers were man United fans while I had cousins who were arsenal fan.

As a female growing up in a male dominated family, I slowly got into football because that's all my brothers watched. All I watched were man United matches.

Then the 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 season, I fell in love with this team because of Ronaldo, Rooney, Scholes.

When I migrated to the UK in 2004, alot of people told me I needed to support the team where I lived(in london), unless I would be known as a 'glory hunter', but I couldn't get myself to support arsenal or Chelsea or any other London club.
I used to tell my mum, why can't we live in Manchester. I want to only support Manchester United.

18 years later, through the ups and downs, my love for this team is still strong.

 

[EverReddy]

9th January, 1965. My dad took me to see United v Chester, midweek FA Cup 3rd round. I was 9 at the time, grew up in Chester, used to watch them, 4th division strugglers. South stand just above the picket fencing that used to separate the lower and upper tiers. United were in their pomp - the holy trinity, Busby - the works. Chester were 1-0 up at half time (being so young I thought they were actually in with a chance). Second half, United decided to break a sweat, George Best scored, final score United 2 Chester 1. Didn't want to go to watch Chester after that - my dad used to give me 10d (old money!) I used to get 2 trains and a bus each way and went to OT with my mate. (Different times: two 9 year olds, no mobile phones!). I will never forget the excitement of OT for the first time. i could take you to within 5 yards of the spot where we were in South stand that night. Been going since that night.

 

[Galactic]

Bryan Robson!

 

[We need an rvn]

Came over for a holiday from Holland back in '86, my dad asked me to chose a shirt as a gift, chose United because I liked the shirt and saw them on MOTD a few times with my dad. No history in the family and my kids aren't bothered about football, so the love will die with me.

 

[ForeverRed1]

My dads a United supporter. He was 6 when the Munich air disaster happened, it stuck with him and he’s been a fan since. So I was just raised with it. I was 13 when we won the table, and in my early 20s in 2008, so I have watched them through their best eras.. and feeling the rubbish we are going through right now

loving this club is some rollercoaster..always been a club of high highs and low lows .. but I love it and couldn’t imaging supporting any other club

also david beckham

 

[Swordsman]

its because of the cantona advertisement with his collar up.

 

[Lemon Moon]

Apart from United being my local football team, Pogs! If anyone remembers them? My best mate had a Pog making machine and we used to sit about cutting United players faces out of magazines to make our own United pogs! I think I had the whole squad at the time which would have been 93/94 season. Obviously King Eric was my most prized Pog!

 

[RyRy11]

Dad is a huge United fan and despite living somewhat "South" I've always been a United fan. He wanted to call me Eric but mum didn't like that name so they settled on Ryan.

 

[BlueHaze]

I am an American and grew up with no interest in football other than the US kind. Then, almost 20 years ago I was talking with a Manchester born co-worker and she brought up the sport, (don't even remember what prompted her to mention it), and I said that I thought it was a boring sport. She said that I only thought that because I had only seen Americans play it and needed to see a proper team. A few week later the late wife and I watched United v Barcelona on TV in a preseason friendly in New Jersey. We both enjoyed it and watched a few more United matches at the beginning of the season. The moment we knew we were fans was when United lost to Southampton 1-0 with 2 minutes to go in the match James Beattie scored the winner off a corner. We were gutted and that reaction to the result was when we realized we were fans. We were lucky to see them once live on a subsequent visit, but she died before we ever made it to Old Trafford. I did, a few years later, attend the Derby and brought a United flag my wife owned to the match, so, in a way, brought her to the game is spirit at least.

Thread is more than what I hoped for with stories like these and many others.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[davidmichael]

My Grandad was a United supporter and I was brought up by my grandparents so he would always try to get me to love United as much as him. I was more a fan of certain players than clubs as a young kid and loved Maradona, Van Basten, Robson and Mark Hughes.

By the late 80’s I was a United fan and it was drummed into me how much we hated Liverpool although all my mates were Liverpool fans due to them being the dominant team back then.

We went to the 1990 FA Cup final against Palace when we drew 3-3 with Ian Wright coming off the bench to score twice and it looking like Palace would win, I remember holding my match programme (which I’ve still got) crying until Mark Hughes scored with about 5 minutes to go in extra time and my Grandad going crazy.

I was desperate to go to the replay but it was a school night so had to watch it indoors, I remember being amazed at the time of the ball Neil Webb played to play Lee Martin in for what turned out to be the winner although later on in life I saw Scholes play the same balls so many times in so many games.