The 5 most influential players in Manchester United history

As one of the biggest and the most successful football clubs in the world, it’s no surprise that Manchester United has been home to some of the greatest players that the game has ever seen too. Winners of three European Cups/Champions Leagues as well as 20 domestic league titles and countless numbers of other trophies, United’s list of players reads like a who’s who of football.

But who are the most influential players to ever pull on the famous red shirt? With a crazy amount to choose from, it’s almost impossible to say, but here’s an attempt anyway – the five most influential players in Manchester United history, along with a handful of honourable mentions.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

Denis Law

The Scottish striker scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for United and was the first player to be nicknamed ‘The King’ by the United fans for his amazing finishing skills.

He won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 while playing for the Red Devils and helped them to league wins in 1965 and 1967, but missed the 1968 European Cup win through injury and was somewhat overshadowed by a pair of even better players who starred in the same era.

Duncan Edwards

Described by Bobby Charlton as the best player he’d ever seen, Edwards signed for United as a teenager and went on to help the club win two league titles and reach the semi-finals of the European Cup over a period of five seasons.

He was so good that he was supposedly able to play in any outfield position on the field, but his career was cruelly cut short by his death in the Munich air crash of 1958, and he never had the chance to reach his full potential.

Ryan Giggs

The Welsh winger played in 24 seasons for the Red Devils and became the most decorated player in football history during his time at Old Trafford, winning a ridiculous 13 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, and 12 other minor honours.

But he also blew hot and cold at times and despite his longevity was never the absolute key player in any of the United sides he featured in.

Robin Van Persie

Signed from rivals Arsenal in 2012 for a fee of £22.5m, the Dutch hitman immediately proved to be worth the money as he hit a crazy 26 goals in 38 Premier League appearances and practically won United the 2012/13 league title single-handedly.

But after that great season, his form waned and he only lasted two more at Old Trafford. Even so, he earns a spot here due to that one great season – United’s last title win in fact.

Wayne Rooney

United’s all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals, Rooney joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2004 as perhaps the most hyped teenage prospect in English football history.

For the most part he lived up to the hype as he helped United to 5 Premier League titles and the 2007/08 Champions League, but he was often overshadowed and he ended his United career with a whimper rather than a bang as his powers waned rather suddenly.

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#5 Cristiano Ronaldo

When Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2003, he was fresh-faced and massively inexperienced and requested the #28 shirt. Showing massive faith in the youngster, boss Alex Ferguson instead gave him United’s famous #7, previously worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.

When he left six seasons later, he’d earned a place in United’s history books to stand alongside those three greats. During his time at United Ronaldo developed from a winger who was often labelled as more flash than substance to the complete player, capable of scoring goals from anywhere on the pitch.

He scored a total of 118 goals in 292 appearances for United and won the 2008 Ballon d’Or after helping the Red Devils capture the Champions League.

The focal point of an attack that also starred the likes of Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo’s best years came at the tail end of his United career. He hit 42 goals in the Champions League winning 2007/08 season and was the key player in the 2008/09 side that won the Premier League title.

Ronaldo’s legacy was a simple one – he was the catalyst that allowed United to regain their spot as the top club in England following a handful of lean years that saw the power shift towards Chelsea and Arsenal. Fans of the Red Devils are still waiting for someone as good as him to arrive again.

#4 Roy Keane

The definition of an influential captain, Roy Keane was the driving force behind United’s mid to late 1990’s domination of English football, the kind of player that could somehow grab a game around the throat and ensure that it was his side that came out on top.

He demanded nothing but perfection from every player around him and most of the time under his captaincy, he got it.

Keane was signed from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 1992 for a then-British record of £3.75m and became the successor to another United legend in Bryan Robson. He played largely in the holding midfield spot – a position not yet in vogue – but he was so much more than that too, often driving attacks and setting up and scoring goals as well.

Keane’s finest performances in a United shirt undoubtedly came in the treble-winning 1998/99 season, when United won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

The Irishman had returned from an ACL injury to reclaim his spot as captain, and his performance in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Juventus – after he’d been booked, ruling him out of a potential final – will go down in United legend.

Keane often flew off the handle and caused controversy – he wasn’t afraid to criticise his teammates or the club itself – but everything he did was for the betterment of his team and in his prime, he was probably the best central midfielder in the world, as well as arguably United’s greatest ever captain.

#3 George Best

Perhaps the most naturally gifted player in football history – even more so than the likes of Pele, Maradona and Messi – George Best was one of a kind, and his influence at United went further than on the pitch – he was arguably the first player to truly transcend the game, being treated like a rock star and even nicknamed the ‘Fifth Beatle’.

He was the precursor to today’s stars such as David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

On the pitch though he was so much more. Just watch one of his highlight reels – nobody could dribble quite like George Best; even on the shoddy pitches that he played on for United in the 1960’s, the ball appeared to be stuck to his boot with glue.

He made his United debut at just 17 after being signed as a teenager, and made an immediate impact, helping the side to the league title in his first full season in 1964/65.

Best really shot to fame in the 1965/66 season when he scored twice in the European Cup quarter-final against Benfica – earning that Beatle nickname – and then he went on to help United defeat the same side for their first European Cup victory two seasons later.

The same season also saw him awarded the Ballon d’Or, as he finished as United’s top goalscorer with a total of 32.

He might not have had the longevity of some of United’s other superstars – his peak basically only lasted for about six seasons before he began a steady decline, largely due to his heavy-partying lifestyle off the pitch.

But in that short period, he basically won all there was to win with United and changed the idea of what it was to be a footballer, making him one of the most influential players of all time.

#2 Bobby Charlton

When discussions about the greatest player to ever play the game take place, the usual names come up every time – Pele, Maradona, and then others like Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Best, Zidane and now Messi and Ronaldo.

Somehow Bobby Charlton is usually forgotten, and it’s a mystery as to why. Not only was he a key player in England’s only World Cup win, he was arguably the best player to ever feature for Manchester United.

At one point Charlton held the records for the most ever appearances in a United shirt – although he was surpassed by Ryan Giggs in 2008 – and more importantly, the most goals ever scored for United with 249.

That record was broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017, but most forget that while Rooney broke Charlton’s record in fewer games, the majority of Charlton’s goals came from an attacking midfield position rather than as a striker.

Renowned for his never-ending cardio, an incredibly hard shot and the ability to score goals from seemingly anywhere on the pitch, Charlton first broke through at United as one of the ‘Busby Babes’ in the mid-1950’s, and won his first league title in the 1956/57 season.

In 1958, he was one of the players to survive the Munich air crash and then helped to rebuild the team as their star man.

He won the FA Cup with United in 1962/63 – their first post-Munich trophy – and then went on to help them capture league titles in 1964/65 and 1966/67, before finally scoring twice in the European Cup final in 1968 against Benfica as United won the trophy for the first time.

He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1966 and remains a United legend, as he currently sits on the Board of Directors.

Charlton’s influence at United went further than his goals and legendary performances in the red shirt – he was the man who most helped to regain the momentum lost by the club after Munich; the man who more than any other helped to find light in a truly dark moment.

#1 Eric Cantona

While he only starred for United for a brief period – five seasons before his shock retirement in 1997 – no United player had quite as much influence on the club – and the English game in general – as ‘King Eric’.

His arrival signalled the beginning of United’s dominance in the 1990’s, as he helped them to win the inaugural Premier League title and then a further three titles, as well as two FA Cups. But his influence went beyond trophies.

Prior to Cantona’s rise to stardom at United, foreign players – particularly flair players - were widely distrusted in the English game, but it was the French star who opened the floodgates and allowed the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Gianfranco Zola and Jurgen Klinsmann to succeed in the Premier League.

Above anyone else, Cantona turned the English game into a truly continental one, shaping its future.

While he was involved in some unsavoury incidents during his time at United – most notably the kung-fu kick that saw him sidelined for most of 1994/95 – off the pitch, he was a tremendous role model for United’s younger players like David Beckham and Paul Scholes, who have stated that they learned about true discipline by witnessing Cantona practicing alone on the training ground for hours after his teammates had left.

His performance in the 1995/96 season – when he practically single-handedly wrestled the Premier League title from the grasp of Newcastle United to return it to Old Trafford – remains probably the greatest achievement from a single player in the Premier League era.

Nobody had the kind of impact that Eric Cantona did on a club and most likely, nobody ever will again.