When Juan Sebastián Verón moved to Manchester United in 2004, he went as one of the world’s best midfielder. Sadly, the Little Witch’s magic evaded him
Tag: man utd
Where does Nani rank alongside the best Portuguese players of his generation?
He was billed as the “new Cristiano Ronaldo”, but while that moniker was short-sighted and unfair, is Nani a true legend of the Portuguese game?
How Everton’s glorious 1995 FA Cup win over Manchester United changed the course for both clubs
With the vast majority expecting a Manchester United win, Everton would lift the 1995 FA Cup final and result in changing tides for both clubs
The demise of José Mourinho: a six-year journey of feuds, pragmatism and time passing him by
He was once football’s most revered manager, a master in man-management, but for six years now, the downfall of José Mourinho has taken shape
The social psychology that Manchester United have missed, and must reclaim, since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure
A master in the art of psychology, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were often a goal up before they’d kicked a ball. Today, they need it again
Arsenal’s double winners of 1998: the team that catapulted the club to new heights
Boasting a core of Seaman, Adams, Vieira, Petit, Bergkamp and Anelka, Arsenal in 1997/98 would cement their status as the rising Premier League force
How Bebé went from street football to Manchester United in a whirlwind 18 months
The scene is set in Loures, a remote city located on the fringes of the bustling Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Abandoned by his impoverished Cape Verdean parents as a young boy, Tiago…
The night Peter Schmeichel tilted the title away from Newcastle
This feature is part of Virtuoso For a time in the mid-1990s, Kevin Keegan’s swashbuckling Newcastle United – backed by the millions of miner’s son turned property developer Sir John Hall –…
How a selfless Roy Keane guided Manchester United to the 1999 Champions League final
This feature is part of Virtuoso “The most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field,” Sir Alex Ferguson ventured. “Pounding over every blade of grass, competing as if…
Eric Cantona and his re-ascension to the Manchester United throne against Liverpool in 1995
This feature is part of Virtuoso “Genius is digging yourself out of the hole in which you sometimes find yourself. It’s learning from your failures that makes you succeed.” Eric Cantona’s words…
Ole Gunnar Solskjær: the super-sub who lived up to his billing with four record-breaking goals in 1999
This feature is part of Virtuoso The instructions from coach Jim Ryan were simple: the game’s buried, take it easy, we don’t need any more goals. That was in the 72nd minute,…
The August 2003 evening when Cristiano Ronaldo announced himself to Manchester United
This feature is part of Virtuoso Way before Cristiano Ronaldo became a brand in himself, even before CR7 was dreamt up as a marketing ploy, the Portuguese player exposed serious shortcomings in…
The swagger of Dimitar Berbatov at his elusive best
This feature is part of Virtuoso Dimitar Berbatov was an often polarising figure when adorned in the red of Manchester United. Loved eternally for his passion towards the club, the cause and…
George Best and the six-goal haul that summed up his incomparable talent
This feature is part of Virtuoso There has never been much doubt about the footballing brilliance of George Best. Hailed as a genius when he was first discovered by Bob Bishop as…
Anderson: the rise and rapid decline of a player once touted as the world’s best youngster
Blackpool’s solitary season in the Premier League was certainly an eventful one. Under the eccentric guidance of Ian Holloway, it started in the best possible fashion, with a 4-0 thrashing of Wigan…
When Real Madrid offered Alfredo Di Stéfano to Manchester United
When Manchester United and Real Madrid locked horns in the last-16 of the 2013 Champions League, it was billed as “the game that the whole world wants to see”. Forget the bluster…
The complete story of Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison’s diverging careers
“Look at this kid, number 7, on the training pitch. Come and watch him for a minute.” Rio Ferdinand reminisces about the occasion his manager Sir Alex Ferguson eagerly called him to…
Where does Carlos Tevez, from the insane to the incredible, rank amongst his generation’s best strikers?
There is nothing glamorous about him. His body, hunched and taut, is soaked in a different kind of perspiration, a dirty, greasy sweat, not the type Cristiano Ronaldo is wetted by, and uses…