5 greatest foreign players to ever play for Manchester United
Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They are one of the most successful football teams in the history of the sport and have been able to attract some of the biggest stars in the game.
World-class players have proudly worn their storied red shirts and had glorious stints at the club. By virtue of their success and ability to play exhilarating football, Manchester United are also one of the most popular clubs in the world.
Thanks to all these factors, United have enjoyed great clout in the transfer market. The Red Devils have and continue to feature and some of the best players on the planet.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the greatest foreign players to ever play for Manchester United.
#5 Peter Schmeichel
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Peter Schmeichel from Danish club Brondby in 1991 for just £675,000. Schmeichel burgeoned into one of the best goalkeepers on the planet under Ferguson's tutelage. He was a physically imposing presence between the posts and was known for making some incredibly athletic stops.
The former Denmark international was the Red Devils' first-choice goalkeeper for eight successive seasons. He was part of the legendary Manchester United side that dominated the Premier League in the 1990s and also won the continental treble in the 1998-99 season.
The Dane was incidentally the stand-in captain for the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich which they dramatically won in the dying embers of the game.
During his time at Manchester United, Schmeichel won five Premier League titles, one Champions League title, three FA Cups, one League Cup and one European Super Cup.
#4 Roy Keane
Roy Keane first started turning heads as a 19-year-old at Nottingham Forest and started garnering attention from the Premier League's top clubs. Keane nearly secured a switch to Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 1993 before Sir Alex Ferguson swooped in and hijacked the move.
United signed the Irishman for a then-British record fee of £3.75 million. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows straight out the gate for Keane as he had to graft his way into Manchester United's talented starting XI.
An injury to Bryan Robson proved to be a blessing in disguise for the youngster, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands and bagged a brace on his home debut against Sheffield United. Shortly after, he was regularly playing in Manchester United's midfield alongside Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.
Keane is known for his temper but he was also a tenacious and unrelenting presence on the pitch. He wouldn't let his or his teammates level drop during the course of a game and was as belligerent a player as any to have graced the Premier League.
Ferguson made Keane captain following the departure of the iconic Eric Cantona and it proved to be the right decision. The Irishman led United to a continental treble win in the 1998-99 season. He won seven Premier League titles, one Champions League and four FA Cups with the Red Devils.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is 37 now and is currently in his second stint at Manchester United and he has still got it. Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United for the first time in 2003 as a tricky young winger whose technique and flair were very eye-catching. But he was far from the finished product.
But under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo blossomed into one of the finest forwards in the world and eventually won his first of five Ballon d'Or awards in 2008. He wore the iconic no. 7 kit and terrorized opponents with his dribbling, playmaking and goalscoring abilities.
Ronaldo left United for Real Madrid in 2009 after six hugely successful years. By then, he had won three Premier League titles, one Champions League title, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
The legendary Portuguese international returned to old Trafford last summer and won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in his first season back at the club. He is one of the all-time greats and a true Manchester United legend in every sense of the word.
#2 Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona is one of the very few players to have crossed the Leeds United-Manchester United divide. He joined Manchester United in November 1992 on a deal worth £1.2 million. At the time, United had a very young side but they desperately needed a charismatic personality leading from the front.
Cantona fit the role to a T. He had an aura about him that just couldn't be described in words. He had no trouble settling down at Manchester United and he mesmerized the Premier League with his exquisite technique and eccentric personality.
Ferguson fashioned Cantona into a dynamic striker who instilled fear in the minds of his adversaries every time he took to the pitch. The Frenchman had a temper on him but somehow, the Manchester United manager was able to help him channel it the right way on most occasions.
He still kung-fu kicked an opposition fan and was ruthless when it came to addressing the media. Despite all that, Cantona's contributions to United were extraordinary. King Cantona scored 81 goals and provided 61 assists in just 181 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.
He called it a day quite early on in his career in 1997, aged just 31 but had accomplished a lot by then. At Manchester United, he won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups and is still, to this day, seen as one of their greatest signings of all time.
Eric Cantona.
That's it. That's the tweet. https://t.co/EwgTXInLA6
#1 George Best
One-third of Manchester United's legendary 'holy trinity' alongside Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, George Best is arguably Manchester United's greatest player of all time. He joined the Red Devils in 1963 and played a massive role in helping United get back on their feet after the heartbreak of the 1958 Munich air disaster.
Best is widely regarded as one of the best dribblers in the history of football and came sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. His incredible technique and ability to flit past defenders as though the ball was glued to his feet made him a joy to watch on the football pitch.
The former Northern Ireland international is considered to be one of the greatest footballers to have never played the World Cup. His Beatles-style hairdo and flamboyant persona made him an icon, but his extravagant lifestyle also led to his undoing.
Best won two Football League First Division titles and one European Cup during his time at United. He is undoubtedly the greatest foreign player to have donned United's red shirt.
#GeorgeBestThe Best. Forever in our hearts. 💚 #GeorgeBest https://t.co/AhrEVcYL0A