Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. The team originally played games against other departments and railway companies. On 20 November 1880, they competed in their first recorded match. Wearing the colors of the railway company--green and gold--they were defeated 6-0 by the Bolton Wanderers' reserve team.

When they won back-to-back league titles in 1956 and 1957, the squad had an average age of 22. They were nicknamed "the Busby Babes" by the media, a testament to manager Matt Busby's faith in his young players.

The "Roses Rivalry" with Leeds stems from the Wars of the Roses, fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, with Manchester United representing Lancashire and Leeds representing Yorkshire.

The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958 when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport, West Germany. The aircraft was carrying the Manchester United football team, along with supporters and journalists.

After the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, "The Busby Babes" nickname was retired. Seeking a new nickname, Busby drew inspiration from the English rugby side Salford that had toured France in the 1930s. Their kit consisted of a red shirt, with the French press dubbing them "Les Diables Rouges" -- which translates to "the Red Devils". Busby liked the nickname, feeling the allusion to "Devils" sounded more intimidating than "Babes". The club badge was officially redesigned in 1970 with the signature devil and pitchfork that has now become synonymous with the team.

Nicknamed "The Theatre of Dreams" by Bobby Charlton, Old Trafford has been United's home ground since 1910, although from 1941 to 1949 the club shared Maine Road with local rivals Manchester City as a result of Second World War bomb damage.

Beckham began life at Old Trafford with number 10 but changed to the iconic number 7 jersey once Teddy Sheringham arrived from Tottenham in 1997. Although Beckham was in possession of the shirt until he signed for Real Madrid in 2003, the ex-England captain is adamant that it belonged to those who had preceded him. "It was never my shirt. It was George Best's, Bryan Robson's, Eric Cantona's. The only reason I wanted to wear the No. 7 shirt was because of these players."

Peter Schmeichel's popularity in Britain is perhaps best measured by the character Chesney Brown on the Manchester-based soap opera Coronation Street, who named his dog "Schmeichel" after the goalkeeper.

Dennis Viollet was famous as one of the Busby Babes who survived the Munich air disaster. Playing alongside fellow crash survivor Bobby Charlton and new signing Albert Quixall, Viollet proved his worth during the 1959-60 season by scoring 32 goals in 36 games, a club record. It was during this season and the one following that he received his two caps for England, in a defeat against Hungary and a victory over Luxembourg, in which he scored one goal.

Alex Ferguson won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football. During his 26 years with Manchester United, he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles. He was knighted in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours list for his services to the game.