- Manchester United always possess a prolific frontman
- Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton among most successful
- Several foreign frontmen made their mark at Old Trafford
There are few more iconic roles in football than the number nine at Manchester United. The Red Devils’ current striker, Benjamin Sesko, struggled to adapt to life after his summer move from RB Leipzig, but under Michael Carrick, he looks reborn.
Their strikers have led the way in England, helping the club win a plethora of trophies, including 20 league titles and three European Cups in the club’s illustrious history.
With goals, performances and trophies being the main aspects amongst the fans, here is a look at the top five that have ever represented the Old Trafford outfit and etched their name into the club’s DNA.
5 – Mark Hughes
‘Sparky’ was a serial winner in Manchester, where he played a key role in the early stages of Sir Alex Ferguson’s success. During his first spell at the club, he won the FA Cup in 1985 under Ron Atkinson, scoring three goals in the competition on their way to Wembley.
After a period at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he returned to the Red Devils in 1988, two years after the legendary Scotsman took to the helm. He went on to win two more FA Cups, two Premier League titles, and a League Cup, and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, in 1989 and 1991.
In 462 appearances, he found the back of the net 161 times and became one of the first of many excellent strikers during Sir Alex’s reign.
4 – Denis Law
After spells at local rivals Manchester City and in Italy, Denis Law returned to England to play in the famous red of Manchester United.
His 237 goals for the Red Devils are only beaten by Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney, though the Scotsman did it in 405 appearances, during which he also registered 55 assists.
He is the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d’Or and was part of the first English team to ever win the Champions League in 1968.
He would lead the Old Trafford outfit to two league titles and an FA Cup triumph in 1963, and as sportswriter Hugh McIlvanney put it after Law passed away, “If you had to send a man out to score a goal to save your life, there’s only one man you’d send out: the Lawman.”
3 – Bobby Charlton
A product of the academy, Sir Bobby Charlton is one of United’s greatest-ever players. He was a survivor of the tragic Munich air disaster at 20 years old and came back to become an iconic figure at Old Trafford.
Charlton played alongside Law and George Best in the club’s ‘Holy Trinity’ as they went to lift the European Cup in 1968, three league titles and a World Cup for England in 1966, where he scored twice in a 2-1 semi-final win over Portugal.
He made 746 appearances in the red shirt in Manchester, whilst scoring 245 goals, a record at the time until Wayne Rooney surpassed it in 2017.
2 – Eric Cantona
The Frenchman joined from Premier League rivals Leeds in 1992 as Sir Alex looked to conquer England, and much of that early success was carved by Eric Cantona.
His iconic stance as he took to the field, collar pulled up, struck fear into his opponents, and he showed his class with 82 goals and 63 assists in just 185 appearances.
He helped Ferguson’s side win four Premier League titles and two FA Cups in his five-year stint at the club, though it wasn’t just the trophies which made him so loved by United supporters.
Cantona transformed the club, set a culture that put the club back on the European map and his usual character came across well to the fans, which earned him the nickname ‘King Eric’.
1 – Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney’s signing from Everton in 2004 was to usher in a new era at the club, and he did just that. Five Premier Leagues, four League Cups, an FA Cup, a Champions League, a Europa League and a Club World Cup are all trophies the Red Devils have won while the English striker was at the club.
He is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, after breaking Charlton’s record, as Rooney found the back of the net 253 times.
His hard work made him one of the fans’ favourites, as he was a part of a special front three alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez as they lifted their third European Cup in Moscow.
His records speak for themselves, cementing his place not only as United’s greatest striker but one of the finest forwards in English football history.
