Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. The club was founded as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878 and turned professional in 1885, before joining the Football League in 1892. After a brush with bankruptcy in 1901, the club reformed as Manchester United in 1902. Manchester United currently play in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. They have not been out of the top tier since 1975, and they have never been lower than the second tier. They have also been involved in European football ever since they became the first English club to enter the European Cup in 1956.
This list encompasses the major honours won by Manchester United and records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Manchester United players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. The club's attendance records, both at Old Trafford, their home since 1910, and Maine Road, their temporary home from 1946 to 1949, are also included in the list.
The club currently holds the record for the most Premier League titles with 13, and the highest number of English top-flight titles with 20. The club's record appearance maker is Ryan Giggs, who made 963 appearances between 1991 and 2014, and the club's record goalscorer is Wayne Rooney, who scored 253 goals in 559 appearances between 2004 and 2017.
Honours
Manchester United's first trophy was the Manchester Cup, which they won as Newton Heath LYR in 1886.Shury, p. 8 Their first national senior honour came in 1908, when they won the 1907–08 Football League First Division title. The club won the FA Cup for the first time the following year. In terms of trophies won, the 1990s were Manchester United's most successful decade, during which time they won five league titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup, five Charity Shields (one shared), one Champions League, one Cup Winners' Cup, one Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.
The club currently holds the record for most top-division titles, with 20. They were also the first team to win the Premier League, and hold the record for the most Premier League titles with 13. Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup when they won it in 1968. The club's most recent trophy came in May 2024, when they won the FA Cup.
Domestic League First Division / Premier League (Level 1): 20 – shared 1907–08, 1910–11, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13 Second Division (Level 2): 2 1935–36, 1974–75
Cups FA Cup: 13 1908–09, 1947–48, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2015–16, 2023–24 League/EFL Cup: 6 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2016–17, 2022–23 FA Charity/Community Shield: 21 (17 outright, 4 shared) – record 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 (* joint holders)
European European Cup / UEFA Champions League: 3 1967–68, 1998–99, 2007–08 European Cup Winners' Cup: 1 1990–91 UEFA Europa League: 1 2016–17 European Super Cup: 1 1991
Worldwide Intercontinental Cup: 1 1999 FIFA Club World Cup: 1 2008
Regional Manchester Senior Cup: 23 1886, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1893, 1902, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1924, 1926, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1948, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1964
Awards Laureus World Team of the Year Winner: 2000
IFFHS World Club Team of the Year Winner: 1999, 2008
PFA Merit Award Winner: 1993, 2013
BBC Sports Team of the Year Award Winner: 1968, 1999
Players
All current players are in boldAll stats accurate as of match played 3 June 2023
Appearances Youngest first-team player: David Gaskell – (against Manchester City, Charity Shield, 24 October 1956) Oldest first-team player: Billy Meredith – (against Derby County, First Division, 7 May 1921) Oldest post-Second World War player: Edwin van der Sar – (against Barcelona, UEFA Champions League, 28 May 2011) Most consecutive League appearances: 206 – Steve Coppell, 15 January 1977 – 7 November 1981 Shortest appearance: 2 seconds – Nick Culkin v Arsenal, Premier League, 22 August 1999
Most appearances Competitive, professional matches only. Appearances as substitute (in parentheses) included in total. RankPlayerYearsLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotal1 Ryan Giggs2 Bobby Charlton1956–19733 Paul Scholes1994–20112012–20134 Bill Foulkes1952–19705 Gary Neville1992–20116 Wayne Rooney2004–20177 David de Gea2011–20238 Alex Stepney1966–19789 Tony Dunne1960–197310 Denis Irwin1990–200211 Joe Spence1919–193312 Arthur Albiston1974–198813 Roy Keane1993–200514 Brian McClair1987–199815 George Best1963–1974
Goalscorers
Most goals in a season in all competitions: 46 – Denis Law, 1963–64 Most League goals in a season: 32 – Dennis Viollet, Division 1, 1959–60 Most League goals in a 38-game season: 31 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Premier League, 2007–08 Top League scorer with fewest goals in a season: 6 Bobby Charlton, 1972–73 Sammy McIlroy, 1973–74 Most goals scored in a match: 6 Harold Halse v Swindon Town, 25 September 1911 George Best v Northampton Town, 7 February 1970 Goals in consecutive league matches: 10 consecutive matches – Ruud van Nistelrooy, 22 March 2003 to 23 August 2003 Fastest goal: 12 seconds – Bryan Robson v Burnley, League Cup, 26 September 1984 Fastest hat-trick: 4 minutes – Ernie Goldthorpe v Notts County, Second Division, 10 February 1923 Fastest four goals: 13 minutes – Ole Gunnar Solskjær v Nottingham Forest, Premier League, 6 February 1999 Most hat-tricks: 18 – Denis Law (3 November 1962 – 17 April 1971)
Overall scorers Competitive, professional matches only, appearances including substitutes appear in brackets. RankPlayerYearsLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotalGoalsper game1 Wayne Rooney0.4522 Bobby Charlton1956–19730.3283 Denis Law1962–19730.5874 Jack Rowley1937–19550.4985 Dennis Viollet1952–19620.611 George Best1963–19740.3817 Joe Spence1919–19330.329 Ryan Giggs1991–20140.1749 Mark Hughes1983–19861988–19950.34910 Paul Scholes1994–20112012–20130.21611 Ruud van Nistelrooy2001–20060.68512 Stan Pearson1937–19540.43113 David Herd 1961–19680.547 Cristiano Ronaldo2003–2009 2021–20220.41915 Marcus Rashford2016–20250.32416 Tommy Taylor1952–19580.689
Assists Most League assists in a season: 21 – Bruno Fernandes, Premier League, 2025-2026
RankPlayerYearsLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotalAssistsper game1 Ryan Giggs0.2802 Wayne Rooney2004–20170.2543 David Beckham1992–20030.3074 Bruno Fernandes2020–0.3255 Paul Scholes1993–20112012–20130.1126 Marcus Rashford2016–20250.1837 Bobby Charlton1956–19730.1038 Cristiano Ronaldo2003–20092021–20220.2109 Nani2007–20140.28310 Éric Cantona1992–19970.341
Clean sheets First clean sheet: John F. Slater vs. Higher Walton in the 1st qualifying round of the 1890–91 FA Cup (4 October 1890) Most clean sheets: 190 – David de Gea Most League clean sheets: 147 – David de Gea Most consecutive clean sheets: 12 – Edwin van der Sar (21 December 2008 – 24 February 2009) Most consecutive League clean sheets: 14 – Edwin van der Sar (15 November 2008 – 18 February 2009)
Overall clean sheets Competitive, professional matches only, appearances including substitutes appear in brackets. RankPlayerYearsLeagueFA CupLeagueCupEuropeOtherTotalRatio1 David de Gea2 Peter Schmeichel1991–19993 Alex Stepney1966–19784 Gary Bailey1978–19875 Edwin van der Sar2005–20116 Alfred Steward1920–19327 Harry Moger1903–19128 Jack Crompton1946–19559 Ray Wood1949–195810 Frank Barrett1896–190011 Jack Mew1912–1927 Fabien Barthez2000–200413 Harry Gregg1957–196714 Sergio Romero2015–202115 Bobby Beale1912–1915 Roy Carroll2001–2005
Transfers Highest transfer fees paid Manchester United's record signing is Paul Pogba, who signed for the club from Juventus for a world record fee of £89.3 million in August 2016. The signing of Anthony Martial for £36 million in 2015 set a world record for the transfer of a teenager, and the £80 million paid for Harry Maguire in 2019 was a world record for a defender.
RankPlayerFromFeeDate1 Paul Pogba Juventus£89.3 millionAugust 20162 Antony Ajax£82 millionSeptember 20223 Harry Maguire Leicester City£80 millionAugust 20194 Romelu Lukaku Everton£75 millionJuly 20175 Jadon Sancho Borussia Dortmund£73 millionJuly 20216 Rasmus Højlund Atalanta£72 millionAugust 20237 Benjamin Šeško RB Leipzig£66.3 millionAugust 20258 Bryan Mbeumo Brentford£65 millionJuly 20259 Matheus Cunha Wolverhampton Wanderers£62.5 millionJune 202510 Casemiro Real Madrid£60 millionAugust 2022
Progression of record fee paid
The first transfer for which Manchester United (then Newton Heath) had to pay a fee was the transfer of Gilbert Godsmark from Ashford in January 1900, paying £40 for the forward. The club's first £1,000 transfer came in 1910, when they signed Leslie Hofton from Glossop. When the club signed Tommy Taylor from Barnsley in 1953, the fee was intended to be £30,000. However, Matt Busby did not want to burden the young player with the "£30,000-man" tag, and Barnsley agreed for the fee to be reduced by £1 to £29,999. Busby then took the extra pound from his wallet and gave it to the lady who had been serving the teas.
Manchester United made their first six-figure signing in August 1962 with the transfer of Denis Law from Torino for £110,000, a new British record. The club broke the British transfer record again in 1981 with the £1.5 million signing of Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion. When Andy Cole signed for United in January 1995, the club paid £7 million, almost double their previous record of £3.75 million, which they paid for Roy Keane 18 months earlier. In the summer of 2001, the club broke their transfer record twice in the space of a month, first paying PSV Eindhoven £19 million for Ruud van Nistelrooy, and then £28.1 million to Lazio for Juan Sebastián Verón. Manchester United have broken the British transfer record three times since buying Verón, with the signings of Rio Ferdinand in July 2002, Ángel Di María in August 2014 and Paul Pogba, who was signed for £89.3 million in August 2016, a world record fee at the time.
Transfers in bold are also records for fees paid by British clubs