Manchester United 1963-68

Man Utd 1967-8

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Coach: Sir Matt Busby
Achievements: European Cup 1968; First Division 65, 67
Key Players: Best, Charlton, Law, Stiles, Crerand, Stepney
Star Player: Best
Formation: 4-2-4 (or 4-3-3)

This side hosted three European Player of the Year holders at the same time: Denis Law (1964), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968) - a feat unmatched until Real Madrid's Galacticos of the 2000s. Memories of this side are dominated by this 'holy trinity'. George Best was something else: the first British football superstar, and certainly within the top twenty players the game has ever seen. The supporting cast included some very accomplished players in their respective positions too: Nobby Stiles was a tenacious ball-winner who managed to mark Eusebio out of the European Cup Final as he did in the World Cup semi-final, Crerand pulled the strings in midfield with his long range passing and Stepney was a first class keeper. Charlton and Nobby Stiles also went off to to win the World Cup for England during this period. Charlton, the talisman for England, was the captain of this team.

The finest hour of this team was winning the Euorpean Cup in 1968, a trophy that meant so much after the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster ten years previously (when the Busby Babes were travelling back from a European Cup game). Sir Matt Busby, Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes were all surviviors of that black day.

Denis Law missed the 1968 Final through injury, his substitute Brian Kidd scored, and winger John Aston was man of the match that day - emphasising that this was a strong team with depth beyond those three superstars. 

Man Utd 1968

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