Choosing the 50 greatest Manchester United players of all time is no easy task. When judging United's top 50 players of all time, their longevity, legendary status and pure quality have been taken into account. In 50th place is central forward Stuart Pearson, who scored 66 goals in 180 games for Manchester United in his five years with the club. The Scot was born to find the back of the net, scoring nearly 150 goals for the team over a seven-year period.
The forward, a young man with an apparently eternally fresh face, played more than 200 league games with the Red Devils, scoring 52 goals. A prolific scorer, McClair was able to find the back of the net from close range and scored 24 league goals in his first season and became the first United player to surpass 20 since George Best. It's almost criminal that Andy Cole has only won 15 games with England. Between 1898 and 1919, the Englishman captivated fans with his exceptional skill and speed.
Unfortunately, there is no recording of him in action. That makes Alex Stepney one of the exceptions. He played for United for 12 years, but most fans remember him for his key stops in the 1968 European Cup final. He was a great player during the 1980s, a decade in which not much greatness came out of Old Trafford.
Tony Dunne played more than 400 games for the Red Devils in the league alone, playing during the 1960s and early 1970s. Offensive midfielder Steve Coppell was an indispensable member of the Red Devils team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Another central defender, Gary Pallister, formed one of the key defensive partnerships in the history of Manchester United with Steve Bruce in the early 1990s. He was voted best goalkeeper in the 1958 World Cup with Northern Ireland. After a difficult start to his career at Old Trafford, the former England international has been a world-class defender for the team for almost 10 years.
But in the five years he played for United, his 150 goals and his incredible instinct in the area make the United faithful not soon forget him. The Red Devils have had many prolific goalscorers. Dennis Viollet's 179 goals in less than 300 games place him near the top of the list of the best. Before Vidic, before Roy Keane, Martin Buchan was the team's most dominant and influential player and captain. He was a devoted United player who played more than 400 games for the club. The clinical forward scored without a doubt the most memorable goal in the club's history with the victory in the final of the 1999 Champions League.
Let's say something about his 197 goals and leave it at that. During the 1990s and early years of last decade, he had pace, ability and could launch a center with infallible precision. In nearly 700 games behind Manchester United, Bill Foulkes was a well-respected club legend. Just outside the top 10 is Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Pass master Paul Scholes is as modest as he leaves the field.
But then, he preferred to let his feet do the talking. No one had more presence in the area than United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. How a player like Bryan Robson could use Manchester United now? Denis Law is another player who changed red from United to blue of City at end of his career, but he had already done enough at Old Trafford to secure legendary status. Roy Keane was another of United's great and inspiring captains. If there was a moment to define his career at Old Trafford, it would be his thrilling Champions League performance against Juventus in 1999 semifinal. Without Eric Cantona, it's doubtful that Red Devils are where they are today. The Frenchman's effervescent performances in early 1990s inspired Sir Alex Ferguson's team to win their first Premier League titles.
During 17 years of dedicated service playing for Red Devils, Bobby Charlton won three league titles and European Cup. He had everything a soccer player could want. With almost 500 games with Red Devils, he is integrated into club's fabric. What would your list of 50 greatest Manchester United players of all time look like? Unfortunately, 10 years after moving to Madrid, he died prematurely at age 33 in traffic accident. Michael Owen, one of few English players to win Ballon d'Or had sensational talent for Liverpool so much so that players like Real Madrid came to ask him for services. In 2004 Owen moved to Spain however in star-studded squad like that of Madrid Owen found himself playing supporting role after Raúl González Owen scored whopping 18 goals in 15 starts for Los Blancos but ended up returning to Premier League at Newcastle. Owen is one of few players to have scored more than 150 goals in Premier League and he is also youngest player to reach 100 goals if it weren't for injuries Owen had potential to make him even bigger than him he remains one of top scorers in history of Premier League with 150 goals in 326 league games. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is one of few players to have succeeded both clubs he is also one of top scorers in history UEFA Champions League with 56 goals Ronaldo became all-time top goal scorer UEFA Champions League during stay at Real Madrid since then he moved to Juventus on record transfer contract and has overshadowed new heights as top scorer history football, as well as top joint scorer international football Ronaldo is currently tied with Iran's Ali Daei on most goals (10) international...
