On this day 18 years ago we lost George Best, the greatest footballer of all time.

Why do I describe him as that?

Read on. When George arrived in Manchester he was shy in character but fearless with the ball. His showmanship against Harry Gregg in training and exploits in youth games - running and scoring from kick off after telling John Fitzpatrick he would - gave birth to a legend before a debut.

Bobby Charlton was born on October 11, 1937, in Ashington, Northumberland.

So started the greatest story in football history. In 1953, legendary @ManUtd scout Joe Armstrong was in the north east looking for talent. It was a foggy day - but the ability of one young lad called Robert Charlton stood out. Armstrong convinced the Charlton family that Manchester should be his home.

Manchester United won the treble in 1999.

It's very likely Manchester City will win it on Saturday.

It's the same achievement but it will be nowhere near as impressive, for two important reasons, which I'll explain in this thread. * Disclaimer from the top, this is my opinion, I'm explaining it at length here. Many people will disagree (probably with both reasons), that's fine, I'm not entering into conversation about it, I won't change my opinion and I don't seek to change yours.

So the dust is settling on the season… a bit of an anti-climax in the cup final.

Plenty of think-pieces already being written along the lines of “how can United match this City team?”… well, they don’t necessarily have to.

Mini-thread There’s no point trying to imitate what’s happening at City. It can’t be done, not a club in the league has the financial clout to build, ride roughshod over bigger & similar size clubs to climb above them and stay there.

It’s Eric Cantona’s birthday.

You know him. He became arguably the most important player in @ManUtd history and unquestionably the most influential player in Premier League history.

A thread on how, and why, that's the case. After winning the ECWC in Rotterdam, United's squad felt they were the best in the country. Yet the following season they stumbled at the finish line when on course to win the last D1 as injuries and an absurdly packed fixture list cost them dearly. Confidence was on the floor.

George Best, the greatest football player in history, would have been 77 today. When I wrote True Genius (and when @Thom_Boswell and I made the film) the goal was : remember him for the football, as he would have wanted.

I think we achieved that.

Today is a monumental day as Jimmy Murphy’s statue is unveiled.

Jimmy is the most important man in @ManUtd history.

Here begins a thread.

“Telling them what Jimmy did… it’s the most important thing you can tell a young player who is representing Manchester United," Sir Alex… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Jimmy was a half-back (central/defensive midfielder) of international class. He played 200+ times for West Brom, inc. an FA Cup Final. Nickname ‘Tapper’, he finished his career with four games at Swindon in 1939 where he was reported to have tried scoring from the halfway line.

David Beckham. A thread.

Players are normally scouted or discovered.

Beckham was so desperate to play for @ManUtd he practically served himself up on a silver platter dressed complete in United kit. In a youth team bustling with talent, Beckham’s passing ability - honed from hours and hours of practice - stood out. He likes to stand out, too. In an A team game he scored from inside his own half after seeing a Spanish player do it the previous week.

Some Sunday morning reading for you if you’re interested.

Wrote this back in July about why I felt Ten Hag was a strong philosophical fit for the club… patting myself on the back that I was not far off 😃

talkofthedevils.co.uk/2022/07/21/the… A long read on a moment in time

David Beckham becomes a megastar with one sweep of his right foot at Selhurst Park

talkofthedevils.co.uk/2021/08/17/the…

In 1905, Manchester City forward Billy Meredith was found guilty of bribery by the FA.

The case opened a can of worms which led to the club being punished on an unprecedented scale and their players moving across town to kickstart the first golden era of Manchester United. In 1906 City were found to be using secret accounts to push money to navigate rules designed to stop wealthy individuals from pouring their money into clubs and gaining an unfair sporting advantage.

Who were the Busby Babes?

On this day 65 years ago they played their last ever game.

The Munich air disaster one day later would claim eight of their lives, the lives of two coaches and a club official, while two more never played again. Why were the Busby Babes so loved? What made them so good?

Matt Busby had broken up his title-winning side of 1952 to introduce talented young players into the team. The first eleven often had an average of just 22 or 23. They won the league in 1956 and 1957.

Erik ten Hag's start at @ManUtd has felt more convincing than any post-Ferguson manager.

A thread on how almost every major decision has been spot on ahead of his first game in 2023. He assumed responsibility well before his contract was due to start. This gave him power and control over existing matters such as expiring contracts. Acting decisively over lingering matters with Pogba/Lingard gave the incoming manager instant power in the dressing room.

Thirty years ago today Eric Cantona signed for @ManUtd.

He became arguably the most important player in the club's history and unquestionably the most influential player in Premier League history.

A thread on how, and why, that's the case. After winning the ECWC in Rotterdam, United's squad felt they were the best in the country. Yet the following season they stumbled at the finish line when on course to win the last D1 as injuries and an absurdly packed fixture list cost them dearly. Confidence was on the floor.

On the anniversary of George Best’s passing, I’d like to share with you 3 passages from True Genius.

Three of my favourite George goals for @ManUtd.

I hope you’ll enjoy. Benfica, 1966.

The sleight of hand of the world’s greatest magician… it’s breathtaking. It’s marvellous. It’s magnificent.

Was delighted when Ronaldo came back.

Was grateful I got to see him play for us and set global records in our shirt.

But you don’t go to Morgan, and the Sun, and do this to the club. You just don’t do it. It’s absolutely disgraceful and so ill-advised. Created an incredible legacy with Manchester United and destroyed it in one fell swoop, wilfully putting his name in the mud because someone was going to indulge him for 90 minutes.

Respect yourself, respect your club. Respect the sport!! To the Sun?! REALLY?!

A brief history of Manchester United’s captaincy in the post-Ferguson era, starting with Nemanja Vidic.

Vidic had already agreed to move to Inter before David Moyes was sacked. Giggs retired and Ferdinand and Evra also left. Louis van Gaal appointed the most experienced player, Wayne Rooney, as captain when he became manager - and also said the captain had ‘special privileges’ (ie he could expect to play most of the time)

https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/499311883351244801

In honour of Roy Keane's birthday, a reminder of what he brought to @ManUtd In 1993 he signed for the club after turning down Kenny Dalglish and Blackburn Rovers. A box-to-box midfielder, he was the long-term replacement for Bryan Robson, and scored two goals on his home debut to announce himself to #mufc fans in some style.

Manchester United are releasing their new third kit this week.

It's a good excuse to take a brief (non-exhaustive) trip down memory lane at some rare #mufc shirts you may never have seen, because they were unused for one reason or another. When Umbro took over from Adidas in 1992 they presented a number of different options to United before settling on the three that were eventually used, including this, the home shirt, which is pictured here without the sponsor.

A story about Manchester United's first ever European game at Old Trafford and why it is so significant in the club's history.

It was Thursday, April 25th 1957. The opponents were Real Madrid - who had won the first leg of this European Cup semi-final tie 3-1. First let's rewind. United had been rebuilding Old Trafford since it was bombed during the war. They were forced to play home games at Maine Road, and were finally able to return to their home ground for the 1949/50 season.

On this day in 1950 Louis Rocca passed away.

Rocca is one of the most important men in @ManUtd history.

A short (non-exhaustive) thread to explain why. When Rocca was a child he would sneak into Newton Heath matches without paying. One day he was caught by a steward, who gave him a punishment - make the tea and coffee for the players at half-time, and he could stay. Rocca obliged, and became the permanent tea boy.

Thread.

@WayneRooney is arguably the greatest ever British goalscorer when it comes to evocative and sheer outrageousness.

Take this trip down memory lane with me. He's 16. New to the @premierleague. His team are facing the league champions who haven't been beaten for donkey's years. He comes off the bench. Picks up the ball 30 yards out. He can't. He does. Goodison erupts. A star is born.