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11.4k voters

Best Manchester United Players of All Time, Ranked

Updated May 22, 2020 147.2k votes 11.4k voters 125.3k views102 items

List RulesUpvote the greatest players in Man United history

Whenever you think of soccer, the first team that's likely to come to mind is Manchester United. The club is by far and away the most popular team in the entire world, with a whopping 10 percent of the world's population considering themselves United fans. Founded in 1878, Manchester United is one of the most decorated clubs in all of sport. They've won countless trophies over the years, both domestically and on the European front. That said, they've sported some of the strongest squads and fielded some of the best players to ever wear cleats. Whenever someone players for Manchester Untied, they become instantly popular, but the guys listed here are some of the greatest Red Devils in history.

Who are the greatest former Manchester Utd players of all time? Any list has to start with George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton. These are two of the most iconic and famous players in club history, and in the case of Best, his incomparable talent dazzled the old First Division like few could. In the Premier League era, players that contributed to United's dominance include legends like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Before Sir Alex Ferguson retired, these players helped contribute to United's 13 league titles under the legendary coach's watch.

This is the list of the best Manchester United players of all time. If you notice someone is missing from this list, feel free to add them. Vote or re-rank this list according to who you think is the greatest Red Devils ever.

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1
3,040
1,071
Paul Scholes
Midfielder
Birthplace: Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Paul Scholes ( SKOHLZ; born 16 November 1974) is a co-owner of Salford City, an English... more
2
3,374
1,214
George Best
Midfielder
Birthplace: Belfast, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who... more
More George Best
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3
2,816
984
David Beckham
Midfielder
Birthplace: Leytonstone, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
David Robert Joseph Beckham (UK: ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional... more
More David Beckham
#238 of 439 Famous Men You'd Want to Have a Beer With#17 of 32 32 Celebrities Who Have Insane Phobias
4
5,177
1,900
Cristiano Ronaldo
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Santo António, Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese... more
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#119 of 200 The Hottest Men Of 2021, Ranked#1281 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time
5
2,192
759
Nemanja Vidić
Defender
Birthplace: Užice, Serbia
Nationality: Serbia
Nemanja Vidić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Видић, Serbian pronunciation: [němaɲa ʋǐːditɕ]; born... more
6
3,356
1,222
Wayne Rooney
Forward
Birthplace: Croxteth, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays for... more
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#85 of 240 The Best Current Soccer Players#13 of 40 Who Is the Coolest Athlete in the World Right Now?
7
2,726
1,002
Peter Schmeichel
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Gladsaxe Municipality, Denmark
Nationality: Poland, Denmark
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel, MBE (Danish pronunciation: [pʰetɐ ˈsmaɪ̯ˀkl̩]; born 18 November... more
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#137 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#8 of 188 The Best Soccer Goalies of All Time
8
3,337
1,279
Eric Cantona
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Nationality: France, Spain
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (French pronunciation: [eʁik kɑ̃tona]; born 24 May 1966) is a... more
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#46 of 222 The Best French Soccer Players & Footballers of All Time#24 of 28 Famous Athletes Convicted of Assault
9
2,220
780
Edwin van der Sar
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Voorhout, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
Edwin van der Sar OON (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛtʋɪn vɑn dɛr ˈsɑr] (listen)) (born 29 October... more
10
2,424
917
Bobby Charlton
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Ashington, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Sir Robert Charlton (born 11 October 1937) is an English former footballer who played as a... more
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#61 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time#3 of 1,058 The Best Soccer Players from England
11
2,152
801
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Forward
Birthplace: Oss, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy (Dutch: Ruud van Nistelrooij; [ˈryt fɑn... more
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#74 of 1,295 The Best Soccer Players of All Time#49 of 164 The Best Soccer Players of the '90s
12
3,614
1,517
Ryan Giggs
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Cardiff, Wales
Nationality: Wales
Ryan Joseph Giggs (born Wilson; born 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former... more
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13
2,211
647
David de Gea
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spain
David de Gea Quintana (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ðe ˈxea kinˈtana]; born 7 November 1990)... more
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#5 of 32 The Best Goalies In The World Right Now#17 of 114 The Best Soccer Players from Spain

14
1,835
709
Rio Ferdinand
Defender
Birthplace: Denmark Hill, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who... more
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#51 of 452 The Best Soccer Defenders of All Time#79 of 103 Coolest Soccer Players
15
2,228
915
Roy Keane
Midfielder
Birthplace: Cork, Republic of Ireland
Nationality: Republic of Ireland
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football manager and former professional... more
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#1 of 81 The Best Soccer Players from Ireland#9 of 30 The Best Athletes Who Wore #16
16
1,890
742
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Kristiansund, Norway
Nationality: Norway
Ole Gunnar Solskjær KSO (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈuːlə ˈɡʉnːɑr ²suːlʂær] (listen); born 26... more
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#2 of 105 The Best Soccer Players from Norway#26 of 30 The Best Athletes Who Wore #20
17
1,698
671
Robin van Persie
Forward
Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
Robin van Persie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɪn vɑn ˈpɛrsi] (listen); born 6 August 1983) is a... more
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#35 of 117 The Best Arsenal Players Of All Time#2 of 12 The Best Professional Soccer Players Who Retired In 2019
18
1,314
524
Jaap Stam
Defender
Birthplace: Kampen, Overijssel, Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
Jakob Stam (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjaːp ˈstɑm]; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional... more
19
1,442
568
Patrice Evra
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Dakar, Senegal
Nationality: Senegal, France
Patrice Latyr Evra (French pronunciation: [pa.tʁis e.vʁa]; born 15 May 1981) is a French... more
20
1,226
704
Gary Neville
Defender
Birthplace: Bury, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football coach, retired football... more
21
1,419
654
Park Ji-Sung
Midfielder
Birthplace: Goheung County
Nationality: South Korea
Park Ji-sung (Korean: 박지성; Hanja: 朴智星; Korean pronunciation: [pak̚.t͈ɕi.sʌŋ]; born 25 February... more
22
879
373
Nani
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Praia, Cape Verde
Nationality: Portugal, Cape Verde
Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha ComM (born 17 November 1986), commonly known as Nani (Portuguese... more
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23
1,054
509
Dimitar Berbatov
Forward
Birthplace: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Nationality: Bulgaria
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Иванов Бербатов [diˈmitɐr bɛrˈbatɔf]; born 30... more

24
602
317
Louis Saha
Forward
Birthplace: Paris, France
Nationality: France
Louis Laurent Saha (French pronunciation: [saˈa]; born 8 August 1978) is a French former... more
25
911
566
Michael Carrick
Midfielder
Birthplace: Wallsend, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English football coach and former player. He is... more