10 Greatest Manchester United players of All Time

The honourable gentlefolk of Oxford Dictionary defines the word 'great' as "of ability, quality, or eminence considerably above average".

Considerably above average... At Manchester United, there have been quite a few players who fit into the definition above, so picking just 10 players to fit into a Greatest of All Time list is never going to be an easy task; but here's our list from the 209 players who have had the fortune of pulling on a Manchester United jersey more than 100 times.

The list is not based exclusively on appearances, or goals scored, or any one single tangible characteristic but a combination of the tangible and the intangible... the greatest weightage going for the impact they've had on the history, and present, of the grand ol' club.

Editor's Note - A lot of you out there, may have strong objections - either to the ranking or the names excluded - Do feel free to list out your names in the comments

Honourable Mentions

- Paul Scholes

The bedrock of Manchester United's most successful era, as the inimitable Aditya Rangarajan put it, Paul Scholes went from a youth team player at Uni to become arguably the best English midfielder of his generation - scoring 155 goals in 718 appearances for United along the way.

- William Anthony "Bill" Foulkes

Only three people have played more games for United than the great Bill Foulkes did in his 19 years as a senior-team player - one of the first members of the Busby Babes that wowed England in the 50's, he survived the tragedy of Munich and went to win two more First Division titles (he already had two), 1 FA Cup and a European Cup.

He, along with Harry Gregg, was responsible for pulling a number of his teammates out of the wreckage during that fatal February day in 1958.

- Peter Schmeichel

The Great Dane is the greatest goalkeeper to have represent United, and that's no exaggeration. 398 appearances in 8 years is a record that speaks for itself; what is not self-evident from the stats is just how many of the 5 League titles, 3 FA Cups (and that Champions League triumph) that United won in his time there are because the Dane simply refused to let anything in at his end.

- Roger Bryne

Captain of the Busby Babes from 1955-58, Bryne was never considered the most gifted of footballers, but his incredible work ethic and footballing intelligence spoke to the very heart of the ethos of Manchester United Football Club. For an entire generation, Bryne (a three-time league winner) will always be the captain of the club.

10. Cristiano Ronaldo

At the club: 2003 - 2009

Appearances: 292

Goals: 118

Honours: 3 x Premier League; 1 x FA Cup; 1 x UEFA Champions League; 1 x FIFA Club World Cup

His star may have risen highest after he left the club, but it would take a short-sighted, mean, man to overlook just how good Cristiano Ronaldo was during his brief, but oh! so sweet, peak at Old Trafford.

He is, after all, one of only four players to have won the Balon d'Or whilst playing for Manchester United.

As the astute Gary Neville once said "When he was at United, between 2006 and 2008, I still maintain that’s his best two football years as a football player, in terms of his contribution through the whole game" - and thinking about it with cold logic, Neville's right, of course.

Between those two, three, years Ronaldo was the best footballer on the planet - someone who won matches and decided titles on his lonesome - and he more than made a decent shout of being arguably the best footballer (in terms of pure skill and impact on matches) to have worn a United shirt.

9. Bryan Robson

At the club: 1981- 1994

Appearances: 461

Goals: 99

Honours: 2 x Premier League; 3 x FA Cup; 1 x European Cup Winners' Cup

The longest serving captain in United's history ('82-'94), the man they called Captain Marvel may not be the most decorated footballer on this list, but a generation and two of United fans will swear by the man who gave it his all to keep their club competitive during the dreary days of the dark, dark, '80s.

A magnificent midfielder who could do everything - get up and down, defend, pass, score goals - it was his impeccable ball control, stamina, hard tackling, astute footballing intelligence and tough-as-nails persona carried United through some of their darkest days.

As Fergie once said - “An influential person in the dressing room, well-liked by the players, a great captain, and courage? Well, three broken legs, a broken collarbone, a hundred and one hamstring injuries, ankle injuries, and still played till 37 years of age! So that tells you something about the man. Oh, fantastic."

If Bryan Robson proved anything, it was that glory didn't lie in the gleam of silverware but in the muddy shorts and broken bones of the endeavour.

Glory, Glory, Robbo.

8. Duncan Edwards

At the club: 1952 - 1958

Appearances: 177

Goals: 21

Honours: 2 x First Division

Big Duncan Edwards signed for Manchester United as a wee lad before becoming the youngest player to ever pull on the hallowed jersey.

Destined for greatness, he was just 21 when he lost his life in the Munich disaster and his legacy will always be one of what could have been - he was the one player Sir Bobby Charlton said "made him feel inferior" and his demise was described as "the biggest single tragedy ever to happen to Manchester United and English football"

This is what Tommy Docherty, not one prone to bouts of flowery praise, said about the great man - "there is no doubt in my mind that Duncan would have become the greatest player ever. Not just in British football, with United and England, but the best in the world. George Best was something special, as was Pelé and Maradona, but in my mind, Duncan was much better in terms of all-round ability and skill."

It is this term that sticks out when anyone talks about Edwards - all-round ability - he was capable of playing anywhere on the pitch, although he preferred the classic no.6 role, where he could use his pace, strength, energy and powerful shot and heading ability to good use at both business ends of the field.

Edwards, along with Dennis Viollet and Jackie Blanchflower, formed the core of youngsters that soon got dubbed the "Busby Babes" and has a special place in the hearts of all United faithful - nobody embodies the romance of United, the promise of youth and talent, the rewards of hard-work and graft, quite like Big Dunc.

7. Wayne Rooney

At the club: 2004 - 2017

Appearances: 559

Goals: 253

Honours: 5 x Premier League; 1 x FA Cup; 1 x UEFA Champions League; 1 x UEFA Europa League; 1 x FIFA Club World Cup

The record goalscorer for Manchester United.

That one record alone is enough to guarantee Wayne Rooney's place on this, or any, list of Manchester United greats but add to it the sheer commitment he's shown this club on the football pitch and there really shouldn't be any argument.

Arguably the greatest English footballer of the last two decades, Rooney's legacy will always be a mixed one - not helped by his decision to go to war with Sir Alex Ferguson during the great Scot's last few years at the club, and rumours of him wanting a transfer to rival clubs during those years and his lacklustre performances this past couple of years - but he's never given anything less than 100% for the team when he's stepped out on the pitch.

His selflessness was the foundation of Ferguson's last great United team, Rooney's willingness to play second fiddle to Ronaldo allowing Fergie to create one of the most dynamic forward lines this league has ever seen.

6. Ryan Giggs

At the club: 1990 - 2004

Appearances: 963

Goals: 168

Honours: 13 x Premier League; 4 x FA Cup; 2 x UEFA Champions League; 1 x FIFA Club World Cup; 1 x Intercontinental Cup

Just look at those numbers up there. 24 years as a midfielder at one of the biggest clubs in the world. 963 appearances - the most of any Manchester United footballer, ever. 13, THIRTEEN, league titles.

Trust Sir Alex Ferguson to describe him best - "I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind."

Eric Harrison, the youth team coach that ushered in the Class of '92 said of him - "A young Giggsy was like a Ballet dancer I had never seen a young player like that... and I had seen the Busby Babes"

At his flowing best, Giggs was unstoppable, a poetic whir of motion and energy that left defenders with "twisted blood" (another Fergie classic) and showed just how true that famous Old Trafford chant of him "tearing you up" really was.

Able to dribble with the ball as if it was tied to his laces, immensely intelligent on the pitch, and able to see patterns where most people only see green grass and random human beings standing on it - his transformation from flying winger to deep-lying central midfield playmaker spoke volumes of the man's quality as a top-level footballer.

5. Roy Keane

At the club: 1993 - 2006

Appearances: 480

Goals: 51

Honours: 7 x Premier League; 4 x FA Cup; 1 x UEFA Champions League; 1 x Intercontinental Cup

"Aggression is what I do. I go to war. You don't contest football matches in a reasonable state of mind"

He went to war and he rarely lost. Roy Keane was arguably the greatest leader to have donned the red of United - his never-say-die, blood-and-thunder attitude permeated through the team and his champion attitude reflected in everything the team did as a collective.

Remembering him for how tough he was, and how much of a winner he was ("If I was putting Roy Keane out there to represent Manchester United on a one against one, we'd win the Derby, the National, the Boat Race and anything else," Sir Alex Ferguson once said. "It's an incredible thing he's got."), is doing a disservice, though, to just how good a footballer he was.

It wasn't just the ball-winning that mattered, but his metronomic and intelligent passing set the rhythm of the team in a way that most people overlooked due to the nature of the man himself.

Think about it - the one player that United have never been able to replace in the modern era is Roy Keane... and it isn't just that unique attitude they have been missing.

4. Denis Law

At the club: 1962 - 1973

Appearances: 404

Goals: 237

Honours: 2 x First Division; 1 x FA Cup; 1 x European Cup

Balon d'Or winner in 1964 - the year in which United won their first title since Munich, and he finished top scorer in the First Division with 28 goals - the 'Lawman' was the greatest striker in United's long history. His goalscoring exploits are legendary, and in that Balon d'Or winning season, he hit a quite incredible 46 goals in all competition - a record that still stands today.

A player who could make the entire ground stand up in anticipation when he went near the ball - deadly in the box and capable of some spectacular finishing, he was superbly nimble and possessed the kind of quick feet that made the great Bill Shankly once remark "Denis Law could dance on eggshells"

As a player, he was a complete forward and Sir Bobby Charlton summed him up when he said -"Denis was fast, arrogant, tough, skilful, sharp, good in the air and it all just boiled down to a fantastic player. He was magic."

You don't get nicknamed "King" for nothing, do you?

3. George Best

At the club: 1963 - 1974

Appearances: 474

Goals: 181

Honours: 2 x First Division; 1 x European Cup

"If you'd given me the choice of going out and beating four men and smashing a goal in from thirty yards against Liverpool or going to bed with Miss World, it would have been a difficult choice. Luckily, I had both."

The man who put the 'Devil' in 'Red Devil', George Best was arguably the most skilful player to have graced Old Trafford.

He won the European Cup in one of that famous competition's greatest individual displays against mighty Benfica in the Final, winning redemption for a side, and city, that had suffered immensely in Munich - along with winning the Balon d'Or... aged just 22.

Nicknamed the Fifth Beatle, he was one of the very first celebrity footballers - a man well ahead of his time... but it's not his off-pitch antics that's gotten him a place on this list.

On the pitch, he braved the rough, tough, world of '60s and '70s football and stayed true to his instincts - dribbling, nay, gliding past opponents like they weren't there, stunning crowds across the land with his audacity and his skill, winning hearts and games with the easy ease of a man who knew he was... pardon the pun... the best.

On his legacy, he once said - "They'll forget all the rubbish when I've gone and they'll remember the football. If only one person thinks I'm the best player in the world, that's good enough for me"

Rest In Peace Georgie. There's more than one person thinks that, trust us on this.

2. Eric Cantona

At the club: 1992-1997

Appearances: 185

Goals: 87

Honours: 4 x Premier League; 2 x FA Cup

“If ever there was one player, anywhere in the world, that was made for Manchester United, it was Cantona. He swaggered in, stuck his chest out, raised his head and surveyed everything as though he were asking: ‘I’m Cantona. How big are you? Are you big enough for me?" - Sir Alex Ferguson

Were it not for an unfortunate leg break to Dion Dublin that ruled him out of the inaugural season of the Premiership, were it not for a punt that Alex Ferguson took in calling his Leeds counterpart (as his version of the story goes), were it not for Howard Wilkinson taking a dislike to the outspoken, egoistic, Frenchman - Manchester United may never have signed Eric Cantona - and if they hadn't they may never have been the side they are today

“In my eyes, he was responsible for the Premier League developing as quickly as it did. Everyone took to him, controversy or not. He oozed charisma and genius in equal measure and is by far and away the best ever in the Premier League" - Peter Schmeichel isn't far off when he pinpoints Cantona as the catalyst that pushed the Premier League into being the pre-eminent league on the planet, and United the mammoth juggernaut they are today.

His attitude, skill and pure professionalism took United to the next level and played a vital role in breaking a 26-year-old trophy doubt - the only year the Premier League trophy did not find its way to OldTrafford was the one in which he was banned for 8 months for trying to kick the Xenophobia out of a Crystal Palace fan.

King Eric was quite something else.

1. Sir Bobby Charlton

At the club: 1956 - 1973

Appearances: 758

Goals: 249

Honours: 3 x First Division; 1 x FA Cup; 1 x European Cup

Survivor of the Munich tragedy. An Original Busby Babe. Champion of Europe and Champion of the World. Goalscorer extraordinaire. Sir Bobby Charlton is Manchester United.

Rising through the ranks at United, the quiet Englishman grew to become one of the greatest midfielders of all time - capable of scoring goals of either foot, from any distance; capable of picking out a pass where most people saw none; capable of running all day; capable of making the game look utterly effortless... there was very little that Bobby could not do on a football pitch.

He won the Balon d'Or in 1966 - the year he won the world cup with England - and he was as respected off the field as he was on it.

As Michel Platini once said - "Sir Bobby represents everything that is good about the game of football; fair play, respect, and true loyalty and he is a good example for future generations, both on and off the pitch.”

No one quite embodies the romance, the tragedy, the success, and the glory of Manchester United quite like Sir Bobby Charlton.