Manchester United Football Club

Manchester United are one of thw 2 biggest football brands on the planet, along with Real Madrid. They are also the unquestioned kings of the Premier League era, under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United have won 11 out of the 17 Premier League titles awarded since 1992 when the EPL was formed. This includes 2 series of 3 straight wins, the last one being the most recent season which leaves Manchester United with a chance of going for an unprecedented fourth straight title.

The club was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath. The club was relegated to the second division in 1974 for a single season. This came after their famous recovery under Sir Matt Busby following the Munich air crash in 1958, in which 8 of the first team lost their lives. Survivers included Matt Busby himself and Sir Bobby Charlton.The rebuilding of the team in the 60s culminated in winning the Champions League in 1968, with a team also boasting the talents of Denis Law and George Best.

The next great period of the club arrived with the appointment of Alex Ferguson, in 1986. Ferguson survived some difficult times early in his career but started winning trophies consistently from 1992. They won the treble in 1999 leading to Ferguson being awarded a Knighthood.

Manchester United share the record for the maximum number of League titles (18) with Liverpool and also hold the record for the most number of FA Cup titles (11).

Often known as the Red Devils, the club plays at the Old Trafford Stadium in Greater Manchester. Old Trafford, known to the fans as "Theatre of Dreams" is one of the biggest and best stadiums in Europe. This is a part of the reason why Manchester United earn more than other clubs and why they are among the most valuable football brands in the world.

Manchester United was one of the first clubs to float as a PLC, but in 2005 the club was acquired by the Glazer family from the US, who levereged the club's assets to finance the deal in a widely unpopular move. The debt servicing that the club faces is seen as one of the greatest threats to its long term success.