Manchester United FC

Formed: 1878
 

Nickname: The Red Devils

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)• European Champion Clubs' Cup: 1968, 1999, 2008, (2009, 2011)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991
• UEFA Super Cup: 1991, (1999), (2008)

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)• League title: 19 (2011)
• FA Cup: 11 (2004)
• League Cup: 4 (2010)

History• United were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath L&YR FC, a railway works side which joined the English Football League in 1892. The club claimed a place in the First Division in 1906, and in 1907/08 they brought home their first championship before an inaugural FA Cup win in 1909. The next year United moved to Old Trafford and reclaimed the league trophy in their first season at the ground.

• A period of relative mediocrity followed, but the club were transformed forever by the appointment of Matt Busby as manager in 1945. The Scot developed a team of youngsters who went on to become English champions three times in the 1950s, yet the Busby Babes era ended prematurely with the Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 which claimed the lives of 21 people, including eight players.

• Busby himself had to recover from serious injuries before rebuilding the squad. The FA Cup was recaptured in 1963 after a 15-year gap, then the league in 1964/65 and 1966/67. Busby's crowning glory came when a team featuring Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law became the first English side to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup, although the injured Law missed the victory against SL Benfica in the 1968 Wembley final.

• Busby finally stood down in 1971 and proved a hard act to follow until the arrival of Alex Ferguson in 1986, the latter's first trophy arriving with the 1990 FA Cup. United followed up with the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the next season.

• After bringing in Eric Cantona, Sir Alex's team ended a 26-year wait by claiming an eighth league title in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93. The new competition suited United, who went on to become a hugely dominant force in the domestic game while returning to the European summit in their treble-winning 1998/99 campaign and again in 2007/08. By winning the league for the 19th time in 2010/11, the Red Devils surpassed Liverpool FC as the most successful club in English football.

Club recordsMost appearances: Ryan Giggs (876)*
Most goals: Bobby Charlton (249)
Record victory: United 10-0 RSC Anderlecht (European Champion Clubs' Cup, 26 September 1956)
Record defeat: 7-0 on three occasions, most recently at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (League, 26 December 1931)

* Last updated 1 June 2011