What made you support United?

TheReligion

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So what's your story and how did you come about supporting the best football club on the planet?

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Denis79

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My father is a die hard fan like his father before him, I was brought up a United fan.
 

DVG7

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I really liked the spurs goalkeeper kit when I was 4, and asked for it for Christmas 1991. Ended up with a united one instead and supported ever since.
 

AshRK

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2002 wc was the first time I saw the game. I was 10 and became a huge fan of that Brazilian side. The way they played football was beautiful. In the same tournament I also became a fan of Beckham and scholes. After that I watched them sparingly as PL got more coverage than other leagues. But the game that made me their fan was the 4-3 win over Madrid. Even though we got knocked out but really started to love the team. Since then I have been following them.
 

Chairman Woodie

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I used to hate football in my first couple of years in primary school. When my family moved house I changed school. I went into a class of United supporters. The rest is history.
 

Yagami

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From Manchester, parents and grandparents were/are reds.
 

pseudo_canadian

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In the early 2000s only United and Arsenal games were typically shown on U.S. television. My dad would watch the United games whenever they were on and I watched with him (I was about 7 years old). I remember instantly loving Keano and Beckham, and then Rooney. The rest is history.
 

BehemothTerror

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THAT David Beckham goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon. Supported ever since
 

Whiteside '85

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I should have guessed that one!
Yeah it is obvious.

So many beautiful reasons to support them. Might have been Cantona FA cup 1996 or Solskjaer ECLF 1999 or even Giggsy FA cup SF 1999 (special mention to Andy Cole Spurs)
or Scholesy ECLSF 2008

But that was the moment!

I'd already heard so much about our local hero Georgie Best from my City supporting Uncle. But I just didn't really care enough to follow anyone until the time I was nearly 10 and after playing kickabout outside on our caravan trip. Sitting with my milk and cookies watching and wondering how anyone could score from that angle. Then I heard he's one of ours. Yeah that's how clueless I was. Got my Whiteside Jersey although it always reminds me of Strachan, that kit.
Anyway
Utd in my blood. In my kids DNA now. It's just how it's gonna be.
 
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Handré1990

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Started playing football when I was six, my friend who’s dad was a United supporter got the 96/97 Champions Again season review on VHS and we watched that tape til it crumbled. Didn’t hurt that Solskjær became top scorer that season either! Sadly Cantona retired after that season, he was already my favorite player even though I’d never seen a full game of his up to that point.

The 98/99 season was excellent, the summer before I allied with my godfather (avid United fan) who helped convince my parents I should be allowed to watch the full CL games as opposed to the first half and then to bed. Talk about lucky break! Have missed very few games since. What’s not to love?
 

MittenCrab

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The purest of reasons. Dad was a Liverpool supporter who played away. Mum made sure I was brought up supporting United.
 

Red Stone

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Moved to a new town in Norway in 1996, when I was five. The neighbour kid was extremely into football cards and had a huge collection. If my memory serves me right he was a Liverpool fan at the time, but after a bit of digging on social media he apparently supports West Ham now so my memory might be failing me. Obviously a proper bellend either way. Anyway, I knew nothing about football, partly because I was five years old, partly because no-one in my family gave a crap about it, but I remember seeing Schmeichel's purple GK jersey and thinking it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I also thought our badge was by far the best in the league, and obviously there was no way back for a young Norwegian kid after finding out that Solskjær played for United and was scoring goals for fun.

A little later Beckham blew up like no player before him ever had and every kid in town, including myself, was desperate to wear fancy boots and the number 7 jersey for their team, and spent all day practicing free kicks as if it was the only skill you would ever need, not just in football, but in life in general. My best mates growing up were also always United fans, and my childhood consisted of pretending we were United players when we were playing football at school or in the back yard, and then going inside and playing as United on FIFA and CM/FM or watching United season review tapes to the point where we'd quote every single line of commentary to each other. Pretty much just obsessing 24/7. I miss those days a lot. The club these days feels like something entirely different to what I fell in love with as a child.
 

Tarrou

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I was born in Canada to British parents, my old man supported United (though wasn't a massive fan) and bought me some Bryan Robson shin-pads when I was 5... and here we are
 

Marcus

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In my time, the only live games which were televised in Singapore were FA Cup matches. I loved the way United played, with daring and speedy wingers. Supported them from then on.
 

meamth

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Ronaldo caught my eye. I was 13 that time.

Never had interest in football but knowing that this club kept winning, I was one of the glory hunters back then.

But now?
I understood that supporting United isn't about trophies, but the mystic behind it.
 

Bebestation

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Grew up in an Rugby and cricket loving family - United was the first full match I watched in the UK.

Milan was the first Serie A team.
 

kclord

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My uncle brought a team encyclopedia back to the States the year after the Treble was won. I devoured that thing cover to cover and was instantly hooked. Watched them play in Seattle in 2003 and been invested ever since.
 

Caesar2290

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That 4-3 win against Real Madrid. Up untill then I hated football, but that match changed everything.

I still remember Sir Alex's presser before the match where he claimed that "if we somehow stop the Ronaldo-Raul-Figo-Zidane axis we might yet still progress to the next round".I asked my dad, how good are these guys. He told "the best of the generation".

So I was hooked. Suffice to say when I woke up the next day I checked the news to see how the match unfolded and to my surprise, United won 4-3, but went out on aggregate with Beckham stealing the show.

I went to school and everyone was buzzing how United beat Real 4-3 in a thrilling match. And that started my curiosity about United. Later I researched about the Sir Matt, the Busby Babes, The Munich and the character and resilience that this club has show and I was sold.

Been a United fan ever since. And I don't care if we get relegated to the Conference North, United was and still is the only reason I watch football.
 
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captain666

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My uncle brought a team encyclopedia back to the States the year after the Treble was won. I devoured that thing cover to cover and was instantly hooked. Watched them play in Seattle in 2003 and been invested ever since.
I was at that game vs Celtic but have supported United since the 1963 FA Cup final victory against Leicester,some memorable moments along the way!
 

atkar83

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In my school it (1990 or so), it was either Liverpool or United. I fell in love with players like Giggs, Cantona, Irwin and Schmeichel, so they became my team.
 

Beans

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The way we played under Sir Alex circa 2006, I thought it was the best stuff on display.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Nothing fascinating about my story. The premier league was starting to become big here in India. And United and their story appealed to me - David Beckham, class of 92, Sir Alex etc. Funnily enough the first proper football match I watched (aside from WC finals) was 2002 where Arsenal best us at Old Trafford to win the league. There's probably a glory hunting aspect to my picking United as there would have been for most foreigner fans who started post 92, but the affinity is genuine and long term which is what matters I suppose.

That 02/03 season will always be my favourite. 08 was the most glorious but 02/03 and that race with Arsenal was something else for me personally. My first full season supporting the club, RVN (my favourite player at the time). Lovely.
 

Ian Reus

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Norman Whiteside lived in same area that I was born. He was a hero when he went to United as a kid (although a man to me at that age).
There was a send off party in local community centre for him which was heavily guarded by heavyweight mothers as there was alcohol present and Norman was still underage.

Me and my mates went round and got told to go play with the buses.

I still didn't really support them though until Whiteside curled one around Neville the walrus Southall.

I watched that match with my granda and cried to watch MOTD that night as my granda was trying to fool me into putting the Elephant Man movie on instead.
 

NK86

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Grew up in a family of fanatical cricket fans and so was all about watching as much cricket as possible. The PL didn't have a lot of coverage in these parts of the wood at that time. It was '99 and I was watching cricket on TV when there was kind of an announcement or congratulatory short video for Manchester United on winning the treble (very unusual for me at that time because I didn't know what a treble meant and these kind of vids are only shown when a team wins a major international tournament). That vid even had the "And Solksjaer has won it" shout with SAF also saying "Football, bloody hell!".

So I started watching United to understand what the fuss was about. And here I am today absolutely hooked on to anything United.
 

SmashedHombre

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Family. Grandad used to take me to the games as a young kid. Uncle tried to get me to support City, but as he never took me to the games I had to go with United. Definitely dodged a bullet.
 

calodo2003

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Joined a youth club team in the summer of 1989 in Clearwater, Florida & my coach was Steve Heighway. After a whirlwind few weeks of training, we were headed for a few matches in England before Norway Cup, I asked our assistant coach, Roy McCrohan, who I could support in England to piss Steve off (the rest of my teammates had already fallen under the spell of Heighway & his tales of Liverpool & has fast become supporters; being a goalkeeper who could dress himself daily, I wanted to be contrarian & I really never liked Steve). He responded that I needed to support United. When we landed at the Manchester Airport, I spent hundreds of pounds on United gear at the first store I saw & needed my parents to wire me more for the remainder of our trip. I wore United gear in goal for almost every match & training session during my three years with the club. While Heighway never let on that he registered I was wearing United regalia during my time at the club, he did mention to me after the third season that not seeing the United crest anymore daily would be a nice change.
 

Isotope

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My young eyes fell in love with the Ginger Prince and the King. And just the way United played. A constant attack, those energy, imaginative play, and those long range and exquisite goals. Things that make United (used to be) the most famous football team in the world. It's more than just those (domestic) trophies. Things that United don't have now.

It was a "lucky" shot, because I was also a fan of McManaman and Patrik Berger.
 
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JoeyJoJoJrShabadoo

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I can't really remember when it started, but my first shirt was in 88 so it must be around then. My parents both moved to Manchester in the mid 70s during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. They met, finished college, went home, married etc. We went back and forth to visit friends and family in and around Manchester throughout my childhood so I guess that coupled with United having a bunch of Irish and Northern Irish players in the late 80s made it inevitable. The weirdest part is no one else in my family supports United :lol:
 

Drawfull

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My mum's family were and for the most part still are City fans, but my Grandad on that side supported United. I started supporting United 'officially' on 10th October in 81 when I was 6 kind of because of him. I had to check the date.

That day there was a derby game at Maine Road, and a few of the family had gone, but my grandad hadn't. So all day he avoids everyone and everything telling anyone who will listen 'not to tell him the bloody score'. I guess he was waiting for Match of the Day or something. Anyway, day goes on and by sometime mid-evening, my nan's had enough of him going on and on about not wanting to know the result, turns to him and screams, 'there was no bloody score!'. Fecking 0-0 draw!
 

Baneofthegame

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Grandad supported United, Dad supported West Ham.

Got bought a United shirt with Cantona on, been going ever since.