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#3 Sir Bobby Charlton
Sir Bobby Charlton, yet another member of the Busby Babes, was fortunate enough to survive the Munich Air Disaster. Charlton was just 21 at the time of the accident and Matt Busby rebuilt the team around him in the aftermath. In his 18-year career, Charlton, made 758 appearances and scored 249 goals for United.
The legendary midfielder led United to their first-ever European Cup triumph in 1968 with a brace in the final but after Busby’s retirement, the club's troubles began.
But it was that man, Sir Bobby Charlton who led the team in the crisis and kept them afloat in the First Division before eventually suffering relegation in 1974, one year after Charlton left.
#2 Bryan Robson
United signed Bryan Robson in 1981 for a then-record fee of £1.5 million and the midfielder was made captain in 1983. Robson led United for the next 11 years, first as part of Ron Atkinson’s side and later during Sir Alex Ferguson’s first eight years in charge.
Robson served as captain from 1983 to 1994 and was simply more than any other skipper. He led United to two FA Cup titles in 1983 and 1985 before the arrival of Alex Ferguson, and then played a crucial role as the Scottish manager built a ‘once in a generation’ side at Old Trafford.
He helped guide United to glory in the first-ever Premier League season in 1992-93, winning the league title for the first time in 26 years and following it up with a second consecutive title in 1993-94.
Robson made 466 appearances for the club and scored 99 goals. Apart from his trophy-laden career and the record of longest-serving United captain, he was known for his courage and willingness to fight regardless of the situation.
No wonder he was called Captain Marvel!
#1 Roy Keane
Young football fans may recognise him as a controversial pundit, but United fans of the previous generation know him for who he really was – a true warrior!
One of the finest box-to-box midfielders of his time, Roy Keane was never the one to shy away from controversies and that made his relationship with Alex Ferguson very complex, to say the least. But even Ferguson knows that his United side would not have reached the heights it did without Keane.
He took over as United’s captain in 1997 and went on to become the most decorated captain in the club's history, leading the side to nine league titles, as well as The Treble in the 1998-99 season.
He left United in 2005 with 480 appearances and 51 goals, before 69,591 people attended Roy Keane’s testimonial game at the Old Trafford in 2006 – a then-record for the testimonial match in England.
Stats like these say a lot about a player than actual on-field stats, don’t they?
