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Irish Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Two decades of the Glazers: A debt of morals at United with football paying the bill
The first time the Glazer family visited Old Trafford, in June 2005, they paid a visit to the megastore. Outside, hundreds of furious Manchester United fans turned up with banners and placards, shouted slogans such as 'Die Glazer die', and a few clashed with police. Inside, the Glazers were doing a spot of – and here we must stretch the word to its broadest possible definition – shopping. For Joel, Avram and Bryan had no intention of doing anything quite as undignified as parting with their own cash. Instead they swarmed the aisles, scooped up armfuls of replica shirts and merchandise, which shop staff dutifully ran through the tills and bagged up. When the time came to leave, the Glazers simply took the bags and left. This was, after all, all their own property, theirs to take and use as they pleased. And as a metaphor for how they intended to run Manchester United over the next 20 years, it is about as good as any. Bobby Charlton would later apologise to the Glazers for the hostile reception they received from fans on their first visit. David Gill, the chief executive who had initially resisted the takeover, was the man who greeted them at their car, smoothed the transition and was rewarded with a doubling of his salary. Sir Alex Ferguson, perhaps the one figure capable of stopping the takeover dead in its tracks, repeatedly refused to do so, telling a bunch of disgruntled fans on a trip to Budapest to 'go and support Chelsea' if they were dissatisfied with the way United were being run. The Labour government, deep in election mode, refused to scrutinise the takeover despite the urging of many of its own MPs. And for all the diligent reporting of the takeover in many sections of the press, there were also plenty of journalists happy to take the inside line in return for a stream of Glazer PR. All of which serves, two decades on, as a reminder that for all their single-minded brazenness, the Glazers did not act alone. READ MORE On the contrary: at every turn they were abetted by the pliant and the opportunistic, the spineless and the unprincipled. Dissent, whether from outraged fans or concerned directors, was either ignored or extinguished. Contrary to common belief, the Glazers did invest a little of their own money in buying United: much of it raised through refinancing of their retail property empire. Man Utd co-chairman Avram Glazer (left) and Alex Ferguson (centre) in the stands during the Emirates FA Cup final Wembley. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA But of course the bulk of the purchase was funded by debt. And not simply of the pecuniary kind, either: a debt of morals and safeguards, a debt of oversight and care, a debt of courage and conviction, an original sin for which not just United but English football as a whole is still paying heavily. Ferguson would continue not simply to tolerate the Glazers but to defend them at every opportunity. Seven years later, on a pre-season tour of South Africa, he rounded on United fans who still opposed the regime. 'There are a whole lot of factions at United that think they own the club,' he said. 'The majority of the real fans will look at it realistically and say it's not affecting the team.' Many of Ferguson's quotes have aged like fine wine. This one, it's safe to say, has not. And not simply because performances on the pitch since his departure have shattered the illusion that the United trophy machine and the Glazer cash machine could somehow coexist in perpetuity. For in the sophistic dichotomy between 'real fans' and fans who 'think they own the club' is revealed a pure disdain for the paying public, a vision of the game in which the job of the fan is simply to cheer, to vindicate, while being told exactly what it is they should want. This sense of palpable disenfranchisement is perhaps the most toxic inheritance of the Glazer takeover. Unlike many of English football's big recent takeovers – Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Arsenal – the sale of United has been loudly and vocally resisted at almost every turn. Many of the more disillusioned fans broke away to set up FC United of Manchester, still fighting the good fight in the Northern Premier League. There was the green and gold movement of 2010, the arrival and swift departure of the Red Knights, the protests of 2021 and 2022, the tireless and often thankless work of supporters' groups. None of which really managed to move the dial. Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe now provide a public face and a handy lightning rod for criticism. Communications between the board and the fanbase have incrementally improved in the days since Gill refused even to engage with fan groups such as the Manchester United Supporters Trust on the basis that they were 'at war with the owners'. There is now long-overdue investment in the training facility and a long-overdue new stadium in the planning. There are, as there always are, fleeting glimpses of promise on the pitch. But the fundamentals of the transaction have not altered. The Glazers are still there, still unmovable, still loading the club with debt and debt interest that totals more than £1bn since the takeover. And £1bn is a lot of money. It would certainly have paid for a lot of the staff laid off so indelicately by Ratcliffe over the past few months. It would have funded significant improvements to Old Trafford. It would have made a very handy transfer war chest for Ruben Amorim. Where can it have gone? By a weird coincidence, £1bn is not a million miles away from the amount of money – net – that the Glazers are estimated to have earned from United in annual dividends and share sales, once you take out their initial outlay. And of course they fattened the asset appreciably in the meantime. The piecemeal sponsorship model – in which every part of the club was essentially reimagined as a high-end advertising space – became the dominant commercial model in the sport. The audacity of purchasing the club using high-interest hedge-fund loans is spoken of in reverentially hushed tones within the game. The reimagination of transfer business as a form of theatre – an instrument not simply of team-building but of branding, clout, supporter PR – is another phenomenon not invented by United but certainly perfected by them. The re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 – a transfer that has to be seen in the context of the Super League protests earlier that year – made no sense for United the team, but was a clear win for United the brand, albeit one that has come with a heavy knock-on cost. This is, or was, your money. It came from your season ticket, your club shop purchase, your satellite television subscription, your Nissin noodle. For all the opacity and financial jargon, perhaps the simplest way of conceiving the Glazer takeover is as a kind of aggressive counter-revolution: a massive direct transfer of wealth from the fan to the owner. And in the process, the sanctification of the principle that a football club does not exist for its public, or for its community, or for its heritage, but purely as a vehicle for generating wealth for one family, for as long as they choose. Have we learned anything in two decades? The leveraged buyout was finally banned in 2023, the independent regulator is finally being winched into existence, and across the sport there is a greater awareness of the dangers of malign ownership, of unaccountable power, of creating a class that is basically untouchable. For all this precious little has changed at United except the league position, except the evaporation of hope and the increasingly forlorn balance sheet. In the meantime, the Glazers continue to sit upon their still-appreciating asset, monarchs atop the throne of rentier capitalism. Meanwhile your club has no money. Your council has no money. Your government has no money. Your family has no money. Everyone you know is fighting ever more bitterly over smaller and smaller slices of what we once comically believed was our common inheritance. The Glazer ownership of Manchester United is a sporting tragedy. But in a way, it's also a parable for where we all went wrong. - Guardian
Sky News
05-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Football bodies could be forced to pay towards brain injury care costs of ex-players
Football bodies could be forced to pay towards the care costs of ex-players who have been diagnosed with brain conditions, under proposals set to be considered by MPs. Campaigners are drafting amendments to the Football Governance Bill, which would treat conditions caused by heading balls as an "industrial injuries issue". The proposals seek to require the football industry to provide the necessary financial support. Campaigners say existing support is not fit for purpose, including the Brain Health Fund which was set up with an initial £1m by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), supported by the Premier League. But the Premier League said the fund has supported 121 families with at-home adaptations and care home fees. From England 's 1966 World Cup-winning team, both Jack and Bobby Charlton died with dementia, as did Martin Peters, Ray Wilson and Nobby Stiles. Ex-players, including former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock, went to parliament last week to lobby MPs. Ruddock told Sky News he had joined campaigners "for the families who've gone through hell". "A professional footballer, greatest job in the world, but no one knew the dangers, and that's scary," he said. "Every time someone heads a ball it's got to be dangerous to you. You know, I used to head 100 balls a day in training. I didn't realise that might affect my future." A study co-funded by the PFA and the Football Association (FA) in 2019 found footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than members of the public of the same age. 'In denial' Among those calling on football authorities to contribute towards the care costs of ex-players who have gone on to develop conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia is Labour MP Chris Evans. Mr Evans, who represents Caerphilly in South Wales, hopes to amend the Bill to establish a care and financial support scheme for ex-footballers and told a recent event in parliament that affected ex-players "deserve to be compensated". Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who helped to draft the amendment, said the game was "in denial about the whole thing". Mr Burnham called for it to be seen as "an industrial injuries issue in the same way with mining". In January, David Beckham lent his support to calls for greater support for footballers affected by dementia. One of the amendments says that "the industry rather than the public should bear the financial burden". A spokesperson for the FA said it was taking a "leading role in reviewing and improving the safety of our game" and that it had "already taken many proactive steps to review and address potential risk factors". An English Football League spokesperson said it was "working closely with other football bodies" to ensure both professional and grassroots football are "as safe as it can be".
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A look back at David Beckham's highs and lows in Manchester as star turns 50
He is one of the best-known names, and recognisable faces, on the planet. David Beckham transcended football and established himself as a true global celebrity. It all began in London. David Robert Joseph Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, to kitchen fitter Ted and hairdresser Sandra Beckham on May 2, 1975. But it is Manchester that can rightly claim to have most shaped the life and career of Beckham, one of the most famous players to ever play the game. READ MORE: M62 LIVE as motorway shut after serious collision between 'two lorries and a vehicle' with severe traffic delays READ MORE: M62 crash latest: Motorists pictured out of their cars as motorway closed David's parents were both big Manchester United fans, a love he soon inherited. He was given the middle name Robert due to his father's love of Sir Bobby Charlton. They regularly travelled the 200 miles from their home to Old Trafford for matches. Beckham said that from an early age being a footballer was the 'only thing I ever wanted to do.' As a child, he attended one of Bobby Charlton's Soccer Schools in Manchester. And, after trials with Leyton Orient, Norwich and a stint at Tottenham's Centre of Excellence, Beckham signed a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) contract with United in July 1991, after a personal plea from Sir Alex Ferguson. "The moment I signed for United was the moment I knew my dream had come true, to play for the team my dad supported, and I supported" he said in 2013. He was part of the now legendary group of youth players, including Ryan Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, who were coached by Eric Harrison, and helped the club win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992. Then known as 'Fergie's Fledglings' when they first broke into the first team, before being later dubbed 'the Class of 92' He said of Harrison, after his death in 2019: "He taught us how to play, how to never give up, how important it was to win your individual battles and what we needed to do to play for Manchester United Football Club. "He was always watching and always with us every time we played, I can still hear him telling me NO MORE HOLLYWOOD PASSES. "I can still see him as we played on The Cliff training ground looking down on us either with a proud smile or a loud bang of his fist on the window, knowing any minute he would be on his way down to probably advise me in the most polite way to stop playing those passes." Beckham has said he did not lead a wild life at this point. 'I was allowed out, but the manager knew where we all were every minute of the day,' he told the BBC's Desert Island Discs. He said there were 'so many things going on' and he loved the music of the time, but not neccessarily the partying. "It was incredible in Manchester back then. It was the time of the Haçienda club - there were so many great things happening there at that time" he once said in an interview with Man About Town magazine. "I wasn't a clubby person. I haven't been a big clubby person my whole life, you know, even at a very young age, which I think has helped me throughout my career. I've nothing against going out and having a good time, but I think, for me it was all about Manchester United... and, of course, The Stone Roses. "Apart from the music, all I was interested in was playing for Manchester United. It was all I wanted in my life." He said of the Hacienda: "I probably only went there once, but certain songs remind me of Manchester" as he picked the Stone Roses 'I Am the Resurrection' as one of his Desert Island Discs. Beckham made his full debut for United in 1994 and made his league debut a year later, after a loan spell at Preston North End, during which Beckham has admitted he thought they 'didn't want me anymore.' However, after returning, he established himself in the first team. And after the starting the 1995/96 with a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa - in which BBC pundit Alan Hansen famously said 'you can't win anything with kids' - he helped them to a league and FA Cup double in May. But it was on the opening day of the following season that Beckham truly announced himself to those outside of Old Trafford, with a stunning chip from the half-way line against Wimbledon. The following season he inherited the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by the likes of George Best and Eric Cantona, and with which he would become so associated. In 1997, his life would also change forever, off the pitch. He met Victoria Adams, 'Posh Spice' from hit pop group the Spice Girls in the Players' Lounge at a United match. In January 1998, they caused a major media storm, and it all centred around a hotel in Nantwich, Cheshire. Beckham had only been with girlfriend Victoria for 10 months when they visited Rookery Hall Hotel. But the morning after their visit, a major press conference was called at the resort. The nation's press assembled outside as Spice Girl Victoria flaunted her £65,000 diamond solitaire handcrafted ring. Then aged just 23, Victoria told the media: "I am the happiest girl on the world today. I'm with the man I know I'm going to grow old and wrinkly with." According to book Arise Sir David Beckham: Footballer, Celebrity, Legend, Becks popped the question when the couple were in one of the Rookery's lavish rooms in their dressing gowns. Victoria had been given 30 roses, before arriving in her room to be greeted by £200-worth of lillies. And as part of the band that pioneered the term 'girl power', she had also bought her beau a £50,000 diamond-encrusted gold ring during filming for Spice World from a Hollywood jeweller. She reportedly said: "I said yes, then produced my own ring and said 'don't forget girl power – will YOU marry me?" When he first met Victoria, David was living in a modest pad on Hazelhurst Road in Worsley, Salford which, aged 20, he had bought directly from a developer for £150,000 It was thought that he moved to Worsley, Salford, to be close to his friend and fellow United star Ryan Giggs who lived nearby. Victoria was a regular visitor and spoke fondly of it to the Manchester Evening News back in 2008. She said: 'When we were last in Manchester for the Spice Girls gig David and I drove back to that house in Hazelhurst Road to have a look. "There are such fond memories for us - of the Trafford Centre and all that kind of thing. I know David misses Manchester as well and still keeps in touch with everyone.' The lowpoint of Beckham's career came as he was sent off for petulantly kicking out at Diego Simeone during England's defeat by Argentina in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup. Many fans blamed him for the loss and he suffered a very public vilification. David has previously said there were a lot of misconceptions about his life at this time. People thought he was living in London with Victoria and driving to Manchester to train, which wasn't true. The first property they bought together was apartment at Oakwood House in Alderley Edge, in Cheshire's 'golden triangle.' The couple gave birth to son Brooklyn in March 1999, who took his first steps there. Posh and Becks were said to among the visitors to the legendary Alderley Edge nightclub Brasingamens. Ncknamed The Braz, it was also frequented by Cristiano Ronaldo, Peter Crouch and John Terry when in its early-noughties heyday. The club was famed for its lock-ins, often featuring famous faces. Beckham attended football super-agent Dave Gardner's stag do at the club in 2003. Although they bought Rowneybury House in Hertfordshire, which became known as 'Beckingham Palace' - in 1999, in 2001 they moved onto the Heawood Hall Estate in the idyllic Cheshire village of Nether Alderley. The estate which was once owned by the family behind the well-known, Manchester-based brewery Boddingtons. Grade II listed Heawood Hall is believed to date from 1720 and was later divided into three separate properties, one being the Beckham's converted barn Their two oldest children, Brooklyn and brother Romeo, grew up here. According to CheshireLive, there were fewer than 700 people lived in the sparse smattering of large houses when the Beckhams purchased their property, but United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjær was among their neighbours. Solskjær would ultimatel gift Beckham his greatest footballing moment, with his last-gasp goal against Bayern Munich in the Nou Camp in 1999 winning them the Champions League and completing the treble. An estimated half a million people lined the streets for an open-top bus crawl from Sale into the city centre to a reception in front of thousands more at the Manchester Arena. Beckham was named England captain by stand-in boss Peter Taylor in 2000, and he went on to skipper his country 59 times. He achieved full redemption in the eyes of the English public when he secured a spot in the 2002 World Cup with a stunning free-kick in stoppage time of the last qualifier against Greece at Old Trafford. England were trailing 2-1 and staring at the prospect of a play-off when Beckham curled home in spectacular, trademark style. He also featured in one of the best-known moments of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Kirsty Howard, from Wyhenshawe, who had been born with a back-to-front heart and who was given weeks to live at the age of four, joined Beckham in handing over the baton to the Queen at the opening ceremony. Through the 'Kirsty Appeal' she went on to raise £7.5 million for Francis House which it said 'secured its future.' Following her death in 2015, at the age of 20, David paid tribute to an 'inspirational young lady.' One of the most enduring images from Beckham's career came after he emerged from Old Trafford with a cut above his eye following a defeat to Arsenal in 2003. It later transpired United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had kicked a boot in frustration and it struck Beckham, who went on to join Real Madrid later that year. Despite playing a prominent role in Madrid's 'galactico' era alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, it was not until Beckham's fourth and final season at the Bernabeu he finally won LaLiga. Beckham became just the fifth player to earn 100 England caps when he featured against France in Paris in 2008. The last of his 115 international appearances came in 2009. After playing 724 games in a professional career that also included spells at Preston, Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris St Germain, Beckham broke down in tears as he made his final outing for the French side against Brest in May 2013. David has said he will 'always' be a United fan. He is also invested in the area in other ways. Beckham has a 10 percent stake in the League Two club alongside former Manchester United teammates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. When the former teammates took over the club in 2014, Beckham was notably absent from the new ownership team. It would take another five years, until January 2019, for him to purchase his stake in the club from Lim and join his former teammates as directors. David said the 'time was right.' He said: "'It's a really special club and a special group of people. My early years in Manchester were all spent in Salford. I grew up there in many ways, so to be able to finally join the lads and the club today is a great feeling.' In January this year, Beckham attended the funeral of long-serving United receptionist Kath Phipps at Manchester. In a post on Instagram where he was holding her hand, he said: "The first and last face I would always see was Kath sat at reception at Old Trafford waiting to give me my tickets for the game. "She was the heartbeat of Manchester United , everyone knew who Kath was and everyone adored her.. "I moved up to Manchester at 15 and Kath made a promise to my mum and dad 'I'll look after your boy for you don't you worry' and from that first day till the last day I spent with her that's exactly what she did. "Old Trafford will never be the same without your smile as we walk through those doors... We love you."
ITV News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
New watchdog must investigate risk of dementia in football, MPs say
The prevalence of dementia in football must be tackled by the sport's new independent regulator, MPs have said. There are calls for the new watchdog to be given powers to investigate the issue or risk current players suffering the same fate as England stars of the past like Sir Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles. Charlton's dementia diagnosis was confirmed in November 2020, weeks after the death of his 1966 World Cup-winning team-mate Stiles. A postmortem on Stiles' brain found he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head impacts. Stiles' son John is the leader of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) group which is bringing its campaign to Westminster on Tuesday 29 April. FFJ has the support of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and is seeking an amendment to the Football Governance Bill to give the regulator powers to impose a statutory duty on the football authorities to develop a comprehensive dementia strategy. Chris Evans, the Labour MP for Caerphilly, said during the second reading of the Bill in Parliament on Monday, 28 April: 'Footballers suffer neurodegenerative diseases at four to five times the national average. "It is something that needs to be investigated. 'When the football regulator comes about, I hope research into medical conditions is part of its remit, to support people who have given so many others so much pleasure over the years. 'I hope that there is something we can do to ensure that the tragedies suffered by Nobby Stiles, Jackie Charlton and Bobby Charlton – legends whose names trip off the tongue – are not suffered by their successors, such as Harry Kane.' Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said he felt the Premier League and the Football Association 'do not do justice' by the families of affected former players. 'Those organisations are meant to help families with the care costs of such former professionals, but they do not do so,' he said. 'Will the Secretary of State meet Football Families for Justice so that we can put something in the Bill that will force the wealthy people in football to support those who suffer?' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy responded to say she planned to meet with the families 'shortly'. The campaign has the backing of another 1966 World Cup winner, Sir Geoff Hurst, along with former England captain David Beckham. The FA and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) co-funded arguably the single most important piece of research which informs the debate on dementia in football, the 2019 FIELD Study, which found footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the general population. The PFA and the Premier League set up the Football Brain Health Fund in September 2023, worth an initial £1million, a figure FFJ leader Stiles has described as a 'pittance'.
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How many games have Manchester United actually played?
Manchester United's 2-2 draw in Lyon on Thursday in the Europa League was, according to some online sources, their 6,000th game of football. The club, which was originally called Newton Heath, has certainly come a long way since being formed by the carriage and wagon department of the local railway company in 1878 — a record (for now) 20 English top-flight titles, 13 FA Cup wins and being three times champions of Europe is not a bad resume. Not to mention all the other various trophies they have picked up over the years. Advertisement But was the match in France this week really Manchester United's 6,000th? If not, how many games have they actually played and why is there some doubt over the official figure? And while we are at it, did Wayne Rooney in fact equal, not break, Sir Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record for the club? Here, The Athletic will attempt to explain. The crux of the matter is which games count as 'official' matches. In modern football it is largely obvious which do and which don't — pre-season friendlies are not official games but, once they are out of the way, every match within some form of recognised competition (so excluding winter-break friendlies) played by a top-flight club's first team is added to the record books. However, the issue with whether or not United reached 6,000 games on Thursday concerns four now-defunct competitions in which the club competed and whether or not they held (and still hold) official status. The competitions in question are the Watney Cup, the Anglo-Italian Cup, the Football League Super Cup and the Football League Centenary Trophy. The Watney Cup was held before the start of the season from 1970 to 1973. With a few exceptions, it was contested by the eight teams that had scored the most goals in England's top four divisions in the previous campaign. It featured two teams from each division, but not those playing in Europe, nor promoted sides. Manchester United played three Watney Cup games in 1970 and another in 1971. They lost in the final against Derby County in the first year and in the first round against Halifax Town in the second. The Anglo-Italian Cup, as the name suggests, was a competition between clubs from England and Italy. United played four games in it in 1973 (its fourth staging), with these matches taking place between mid-February and early May. Tommy Docherty's side were eliminated at the group stage after two wins and two draws. Advertisement The Football League Super Cup was held in the 1985-86 season for the six English clubs that had qualified for European competition but could not take up their places due to the ban imposed by UEFA following the Heysel Stadium disaster in May 1985. United again played four games in this competition and were knocked out in the groups. These matches were held from September to December (the competition wasn't staged again due to a lack of general interest). And, finally, the Football League Centenary Trophy was held during the 1988-89 season to celebrate 100 years since the founding of the English Football League. The teams that had finished in the top eight in the First Division the previous campaign competed and United lost to Arsenal in the final at Villa Park in October, which was their third and final game in the competition. Sir Alex Ferguson was the Manchester United manager for the three matches — more on that later. So, that comes to a total of 15 matches. If you count them all as official, then United have played 6,015 matches in their history and number 6,000 was their 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Europa League at Old Trafford on January 23. The club, who haven't commented on the 6,000-game landmark, do not consider these matches to have been official. The data on their website detailing the number of games in which their past players were involved does not include appearances in these competitions. However, Opta, the world's leading sports data and analytics company who provide the statistics for the top football leagues around the globe, count the 15 games played as proper matches. The English National Football Archive, an online database listing every official game played in the country's history, also classes these competitions as official. Advertisement This is largely because they were not friendlies and, other than the Watney Cup, were all played in-season. Of the four competitions, the Watney Cup is probably the one with the biggest question mark hanging over it, mainly because it took place before the season started. However, even if the four games United played in the competition are scrubbed from the records, they are still on 6,011. Not only does that put United beyond the 6,000-game mark, Opta and the English National Football Archive's stance throws up a few quirky conundrums. It would mean Ferguson was in charge for 1,503 games — not the neat 1,500 that was touted when he retired in 2013. Also, by this verdict, Ryan Giggs did not poignantly break Charlton's club appearance record of 758 in the 2008 Champions League final — he was still six matches behind at that point as Charlton played four times in the Watney Cup and three times in the Anglo-Italian Cup, therefore totalling 765 United matches. It is worth pointing out that wartime matches which were held during both the First and Second World Wars are, unlike these four competitions, universally considered to have been unofficial. Well, most notably of all, it would mean Rooney — who scored 253 times for the club from 2004 to 2017 — only equalled Charlton's long-standing goals record for the club. He did not break it. Charlton's total has long been accepted to have been 249 goals but, according to the English National Football Archive, he scored twice in the Watney Cup and twice in the Anglo-Italian Cup across those seven appearances which, if those games were indeed official, means the Englishman actually finished on 253 goals when he left the club in 1973. The issue was raised in the media when Rooney scored his 250th for the club, but only concerning Charlton's two Anglo-Italian Cup goals. Given Rooney reached 253, it became a moot point. At the time United said that the two Charlton goals — scored during his final United appearance, a 4-1 win against Hellas Verona in May 1973 — did not count. Advertisement However, during the process of researching this article, The Athletic has discovered that Charlton scored two goals in the Watney Cup against Reading in August 1970 which, if counted, would leave the two men level at the top. More trivially, if Bryan Robson's goal in the Football League Super Cup in 1985 is counted, it would mean he scored 100 goals for United, not 99. Interestingly, Liverpool have taken the opposite view to United. They have always maintained that Ian Rush scored 346 goals for them — a record total that includes seven goals in the Football League Super Cup in 1986. It may seem odd to a casual observer that, in a sport as well documented as football, two of its biggest clubs disagree over the status of past competitions in which they have participated. However, back in the 1970s and 1980s, when companies like Opta did not exist, it was largely down to the clubs themselves — alongside Rothmans Football Yearbook and newspapers — to record the results and details of matches. So with no central database upon which to rely, it is understandable discrepancies arose. It should also be noted that the status of the Community Shield, formally the Charity Shield, has caused similar problems in the past. Jimmy Greaves' all-time goals record for Tottenham Hotspur was listed, by the club, to be 266 — but that excluded two goals in the 1962 curtain-raiser against Ipswich Town. Harry Kane broke Greaves' record in 2023 and finished on 280 goals, so it is largely frivolous now. Yet Opta, the English National Football Archive and almost all other clubs (including Manchester United), do consider the Community Shield to be an official match. Given that other clubs mostly do count the games they played in in these competitions as official and that Opta and the English National Football Archive do, too, it seems reasonable to conclude that all 15 matches were legitimate and therefore the 6,000-mark was reached in late January. Similarly, we should conclude that Charlton did indeed score 253 goals for Manchester United. Advertisement After all, trophies were handed out at the conclusion of each competition. Not counting them expunges these tournaments from history for no incontrovertible reason. Yet, rightly or wrongly, Manchester United have long considered games in these four competitions to be unofficial — so they are hardly going to be ripping up their record books anytime soon. And while clearly there are more important issues in football than this, it is at the very least a curiosity that one of the world's most famous clubs ignores four competitions in which their first team played.
