Manchester United Legends meet Bayern Munich All-Stars for a second time during the break in the footballing calendar, and the fixture promises to be an entertaining affair with a host of top talents and golden-oldies lining-up for the two sides. But who exactly will feature for the Red Devils?
Goalkeepers
Edwin van der Sar – One of the best players to ever wear the gloves at Manchester United, his record of 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal still stands as a world record. He is most fondly remembered for saving Nicolas Anelka’s penalty to win United the 2008 Champions League Final.
Raimond van der Gouw – Another Dutch goalkeeper, van Der Gouw made 64 appearances for United in his six years at the club. He spent a period as first-choice keeper but was Fabian Barthez’s understudy when the Frenchman arrived, having previously been chosen ahead of Mark Bosnich. He won the 1999-2000 Premier League with United after finally making enough appearances for a medal.
Defenders
Clayton Blackmore – A Welsh full-back with a fearsome striker, Blackmore rose up through the youth system and was loved by Sir Alex Ferguson for his versatility around the back four and midfield, along with his knack for causing problems for opposing goalkeepers.
Dion Dublin – Originally a striker, it is unlikely that Dublin will return in his former role for United, as he moved to the centre of defence after leaving the club, but not until he won the Golden Boot at Coventry. He was the first player to score a match-winning goal for the Red Devils in the Premier League.
Denis Irwin – Signed from Oldham Athletic in 1990, Irwin is a club legend and a role model for many. He won the league seven times in his glorious spell at United and is regarded as Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest ever signing, pound for pound, by the manager himself. He spent two years at Wolverhampton Wanderers before retiring but is now back at the club working for MUTV.
Ronny Johnsen – Making appearances in the FA Cup and Champions League finals in the treble-winning season of 1999, Johnsen enjoyed a very successful spell at the club, winning the Premier League four times – meaning he has more titles to his name than Manchester City do to this day. The semi-final against Juventus in 1999 is regarded as the best game he ever played, where he spent the match in central defensive midfield, but he moved to his preferred centre-back role for the final, partnering Jaap Stam.
Lee Martin – Martin may have been a defender but he will forever be remembered as the man who won Sir Alex Ferguson his first trophy – scoring in the FA Cup final replay against Crystal Palace in 1990. The left back was an established player but eventually lost his place to Clayton Blackmore.
Mikael Silvestre – Possibly the best moment of this versatile Frenchman’s United career came before he’d even signed the contract; rejecting Liverpool to come to Old Trafford. In 2004, 5 years after playing against United for Inter Milan, he scored twice in a 2-0 victory over the Merseyside club in a truly world-class display. Despite joining Arsenal later in his career, he has always been appreciated by the fans.
Jaap Stam – One of the best centre-backs in the world at his peak, Sir Ale Ferguson has openly admitted on more than one occasion that selling the towering Dutchman too early is one of the biggest regrets of his managerial career. The fan favourite won the league three times whilst he was in England but it easily could have been more.
Midfielders
Russell Beardsmore – Another youth academy graduate, Beardsmore was a very silky winger who had an eye for precision when it came to crossing the ball. He scored 4 times whilst at the club but the emergence of the promising Ryan Giggs and the transfer of Andrei Kanchelskis meant it was very unlikely he could get a place in the starting 11 and he eventually joined AFC Bournemouth where he played out the rest of his career.
Jesper Blomqvist – An understudy to Ryan Giggs for the most part, Blomqvist was a skilful wide man who had previously torn United apart in the Champions League. He was signed in 1998 and played on the right wing in the Champions League final the next season but his United career was dampened by injury and he joined Everton in 2001.
Quinton Fortune – Still relatively young at 38, this South African has played at two World Cups and played a huge role at United in offering Sir Alex Ferguson something different with his adaptability and outstanding attitude. He was just a squad rotation player, though, so never won a Premier League medal of his own, despite setting Ruud van Nistelrooy up for a title-clinching goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
Phil Neville – Before Phil Neville was Everton’s captain and then David Moyes’ assistant manager at United, he was a stalwart as a player at the club. One of the famous ‘Class of ‘92’, he is the younger brother to Gary Neville and predominantly played at left-back for the Red Devils. He most memorably scored a winning goal against Rangers in a Champions League away game.
Ji-sung Park – ‘Three Lung Park’ is still held proudly in the hearts of United fans and is the most successful Asian footballer ever. He didn’t always start games but he was invaluable to Sir Alex Ferguson because he always turned up in big games – most notably against Arsenal in the Champions League in 2008. His energy, commitment and attitude were second to none – and there’s never been a better friendship than between him and Patrice Evra!
Karel Poborsky – David Beckham’s undoubted right to play on the right side of midfield definitely shortened Karel Poborsky’s United career. The Czech winger spent just two years at the club but did win the Premier League in the first of those, as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
Bryan Robson – Robson will manage the United Legends side on Sunday but he is almost certain to pull his boots on at some point in the game. He’s one of the best captains United and England have ever seen and his heroics against Barcelona in 1985 are still talked about to this day. His no-nonsense style of play would do the current United squad favours in midfield, if only he still had the legs for a Premier League tie!
Paul Scholes – There isn’t much anyone can say which would do Paul Scholes justice. He’s one of the best midfielders the world has ever seen and certainly one of the best United players ever. He’ll captain the Legends side after scoring in the first leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich. He has produced many a memorable moment in a United shirt but perhaps the very best of all is his stunning effort from 30 yards against Barcelona in 2008 to take United through to the Champions League final – an occasion he missed out on in 1999 through suspension.
Ben Thornley – Thornley could have reached the same heights as Beckham, Giggs and Scholes as part of the same Class of 92, having risen through the youth academy with them, but injury snatched away his career filled with potential. He was never the same player after getting injured and his peak was reached at Huddersfield instead of United – where he made over 100 appearances. Fun fact: his brother is a massage therapist at the club now, working on the player’s muscles.
Strikers
Andy Cole – Signed from Newcastle United in 1995, he scored 5 times in a 9-0 thumping of Ipswich, lobbed the keeper on the final day of the season to help United clinch the 1998-99 title and was part of the telepathic duo that was Yorke and Cole. The pair were unstoppable and arguably the best Premier League strike partnership ever. Cole will be out for goals against Bayern, and definitely still has the natural finishing that gifted United many trophies.
Dwight Yorke – Yorke has played in six different World Cups with Trinidad and Tobago and is still playing now, having signed a deal with IMG-Reliance to play in a proposed new Indian setup next year (along with Louis Saha). He won three titles in his first three seasons in England under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and was top scorer in the 1998-99 Champions League, despite failing to find the net in the final. ‘The Smiling Assassin’ was a real entertainer on the pitch and will be relishing his chance to partner Andy Cole up front once more.
Andy Ritchie –Born in Manchester, Ritchie looked an incredible prospect having come through the youth ranks then scoring two hat-tricks, one as an 18 year old against bitter rivals Leeds, and another as a 19 year old against Tottenham Hotspur. Howver, he only made 42 domestic appearances for the club before being sold in a shock transfer to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Louis Saha – This French striker was a natural finisher who could find the net from almost any distance or angle, but he was another player whose United career was hampered by injury. He was impressive enough at United to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy as Wayne Rooney’s strike partner, but was eventually himself replaced by Carlos Tevez. He scored some vital goals at United, such as in the League Cup final against Wigan and in the Champions League against Benfica.
Bayern Munich:
Hans-Jorg Butt, Walter Junghans; Jorginho, Hans Pflugler, Oliver Kreuzer, Matthias Zimmermann, Daniel van Buyten, Michael Tarnat, Robert Kovac; Niko Kovac, Mark van Bommel, Marcel Witeczek, Paul Breitner, Maurizio Gaudino, Markus Schupp, Michael Sternkopf; Paulo Sergio, Roy Makaay, Michael Rummenigge, Alexander Zickler.
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