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Manchester United as a club has been defined by many things, and on top of that list is prominent success over the years. The team has a record 20 Premier League titles under its belt. Also, they have been crowned European champions three times in history.
Secondly, United are known for having legendary players in their ranks - from George Best to Denis Law to the 90s era of Eric Cantona and the famous 'Class of 92'.
A huge debt of the club's success is owed to Sir Alex Ferguson, who steered the team to 13 league titles. He made United great again at a time when they faced a truly turbulent period.
Ferguson also oversaw the signings and departures of various players during his tenure. For the most part, he was excellent in spotting talent.
It has been reported that he is the one who handpicked a 19-year-old David De Gea from Atletico Madrid, while claiming that he would become a world class goal-keeper. True to Ferguson's word, De Gea has been rock solid at Old Trafford.
On the other hand, United also sold some players to other clubs for various reasons. In some cases, it was merely to cash in on the profits of the sale and rebuild the team. In others, it was Ferguson cracking the whip because he believed no player was bigger than the club.
However, three players were allowed to leave by the Red Devils under different circumstances, and they went on to succeed in a manner that would leave people at United's hierarchy questioning why they sanctioned the move in the first place.
#3 Paul Pogba
After a move to Old Trafford in 2009 from Le Havre in France, Pogba struggled to break into the first team. In two seasons with the first team, Pogba only made seven appearances in all competitions for the club.
In July 2012, Pogba signed for Juventus after a bitter falling-out with Ferguson, who deemed Pogba's actions in the build-up to the transfer as disrespectful to the club.
In Italy, Pogba evolved into a mega star with the physique of a combative midfielder and the technical ability of an attacking midfielder. He went on to inspire the Italian side to four consecutive Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia titles. As part of his exploits with Juventus, he won the 'Golden Boy' award in 2013.
He scored 34 goals for Juventus as he evolved into a pure world class talent. In fact, he became so good that United came calling in 2016 and bought him for a world record fee at the time.
#2 Gerard Pique
Pique developed his talent in the Barcelona youth academy before moving to United in 2004. In four seasons at United, he struggled to play regularly and made just 23 appearances for the club.
He had a season-long loan spell with Real Zaragoza in the 2006-2007 season. In an unexpected twist, Barcelona signed him for just five million pounds in 2008.
The player Pique would become in the next couple of seasons would make him 10 times more valuable. He cemented a regular starting berth at Barcelona, and created an astonishing legacy by winning the La Liga seven times, UEFA Champions League four times and Copa Del Rey six times.
All in all, Pique has won 26 titles with Barcelona. His exploits even enabled him to be a starter for Spain as they won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
This has been the greatest export in Manchester United's history. When Ronaldo joined from Sporting Lisbon, he had the same fire and potential of the Brazilian great whom he shared a name with.
Ronaldo evolved from a great player at United to a living legend when he moved to Real Madrid on a world record fee in 2009. At the time of his departure from United, he had won nine trophies - including three Premier League titles.
At Madrid, he scored over 30 goals in each of his nine seasons at the club. He left the club having scored a whopping 450 goals to emerge as their all-time top scorer. It is hard to imagine anyone ever coming close to that record.
Ronaldo was instrumental in most of his 15 trophies with Madrid. He was the top scorer for the side as Madrid won four out of five UEFA Champions League titles from 2013 to 2018.
What more could Ronaldo have achieved at United had he stayed? We will never know.
