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Manchester United have maintained their status as the biggest club in the Premier League for several decades, winning a record 20 league titles in their 143-year-old history. With three triumphs in the UEFA Champions League as well, they rank among Europe's elites.
The Red Devils have been represented by some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, George Best, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes all ran riot during their time at Old Trafford and gave opposition teams the scare of their lives.
However, Manchester United have also faced some legendary superstars over the years who were able to create some iconic memories against them. With their electric performances, these icons proved to be serial tormentors to the Red Devils and their memories will continue to hurt the fans in the years to come.
Even though many players can claim to have staged some iconic performances against the Premier League giants, there are five names that stand out from the rest.
#5 Thierry Henry
When Thierry Henry was in his prime, Arsenal had one of the best strikers in the Premier League. The Frenchman was a huge revelation in the English top-flight, tearing opposition defenses apart and making goalkeepers look helpless with his unstoppable goalscoring instincts.
Manchester United were one of Henry's top victims. The Frenchman bagged an impressive nine goals and three assists against the Red Devils, with eight of those goals coming in the Premier League and the other one coming in a Community Shield clash in 2003.
#4 Robbie Fowler
One of the greatest names in the history of English football, Robbie Fowler also proved to be a huge nemesis for Manchester United during his peak days at Liverpool. The striker was a huge force to reckon with and the Red Devils were made to pay the price for his greatness.
Fowler has a record of nine goals and two assists to his name against Manchester United. He scored eight of those goals in league clashes and the last one in the FA Cup. It is interesting to learn that the striker was on the losing side only once in the Premier League games in which he scored against the Red Devils.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has never played in the Premier League but the Argentine was able to create some historic moments against Manchester United in the Champions League that will haunt the club for several years.
The Red Devils entered the 2009 UCL final clash with Barcelona in high spirits. Samuel Eto'o put the Blaugrana ahead in the 10th minute but Sir Alex Ferguson's men weren't going to settle for a defeat as they fought hard to get back into the tie. Not until Messi stepped up with an unbelievable header in the 70th minute to put the game out of their reach.
The Argentine returned to hurt them at the same stage of the competition in 2011. Messi scored a beautiful effort as the Blaugrana emerged victorious once again, courtesy of a 3-1 victory. He also bagged a brace when the two sides clashed in the quarterfinals in 2019, raising his overall tally to four goals in six games.
#2 Steven Gerrard
Another former Liverpool player whose memories Manchester United fans would love to erase, Steven Gerrard proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the Red Devils during his days at Anfield. The fact that he is the only midfielder on this list shows just how much of a tormentor he was to the men from Old Trafford.
Despite playing in central midfield, Gerrard still managed to score nine times against Manchester United, with eight coming in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup. He also set up five goals against the Red Devils.
One of the midfielder's most memorable displays came during Liverpool's 3-0 humiliation of Manchester United at Old Trafford in March 2014, as he bagged a brace in that game.
#1 Alan Shearer
No footballer has scored more goals against Manchester United than Alan Shearer. The legendary English striker bagged a whopping 10 goals and five assists against the Red Devils during his playing days.
It is interesting to learn that all of Shearer's 10 efforts came up in the Premier League. The striker turned down the opportunity to switch to Old Trafford multiple times in his career. When he was later asked about the snubs, he revealed that he just couldn't stand the Red Devils. The former Newcastle forward remains the all-time goalscorer of the Premier League with a whopping 260 goals to his name.
