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On May 29, 2008, the statue of Manchester United’s famed Holy Trinity was unveiled outside Old Trafford. The Trinity, which consists of Denis Law, Sir Bobby Charlton, and George Best, is considered by many to be the most decorated front-three in football history.
The three players who began their careers at the Red Devils under the tutelage of Sir Matt Busby quite rightfully took their place opposite the effigy of the late great manager. The occasion also marked the 40th anniversary of the historic 1968 European triumph of Manchester United.
But the question that many fans, especially the younger ones, have asked is, what made the Holy Trinity such a famed triumvirate of players? Why is it that they have statues of themselves outside the club’s stadium, and other greats such as Bobby Robson, David Beckham, or Paul Scholes do not?
The answer lies in the simple fact that Charlton, Law, and Best are not just footballing icons who have won a bunch of accolades both in a team and individually. For many in and out of football, they represent history, they stand for courage, and epitomize the desire to win.
Achievements in football are not in shortage, and whilst their records are not insurmountable, few have ever been able to become synonymous with Manchester United Football Club in the way they have been.
In this article, we look back at the career, the achievements, and the dreams of these three football legends who have shaped the history of their famed club.
Munich Air Disaster led to the start of something revolutionary at Manchester United
On February 6, 1958, a plane carrying the Manchester United team, including players and journalists, crashed on the Munich-Riem airport runway. The returning team had successfully defeated Red Star Belgrade in a European Championship match and were coming home for an FA Cup game. Out of the 44 passengers on board, 23 died, including the great Duncan Edwards.
On the plane was also the legendary Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby and a young Bobby Charlton. In the aftermath of the disaster, the latter was unhurt, and the former lay in a hospital bed for two months fighting tooth and nail to see his beloved Busby Babes play one more time.
During the time Busby was recuperating in Switzerland, Jimmy Murphy, his assistant, had taken the reigns of the club. The downward spiral was inevitable as Man United slid from second in the table to ninth and only managed to win one league game for the rest of the season.
The talented yet young Bobby Charlton was the first of the Holy Trinity to have played for Manchester United, which otherwise comprised of lower league and non-league players.
Sir Matt was urged by his wife to go back and take the reigns of his beloved club and help them get back to their glory days. He did so at the start of the 1958-59 season.
Busby traveled back to Manchester and started assembling a new set of Busby Babes at Manchester United - a team which would be written into the footballing folklore as one of the best ever; a team which comprised the three best players the world had ever seen; a team with rejuvenated energy, ambition, and a target, to win the very cup which changed their lives.
Sir Bobby Charlton was the first of Manchester United’s Holy Trinity
After the Munich air disaster, Bobby Charlton became a senior at the club at just 20 years of age. He had remained relatively unscathed in the plane crash and was in the hospital for only a week. Charlton took the field against West Bromwich Albion in Manchester United’s FA Cup tie and won the tie on aggregate.
The young boy from Ashington was now a prominent member of the club. During his time with the Red Devils, Charlton appeared in 758 games and scored 249 goals. Both of these were club records until surpassed by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, respectively.
Charlton’s first taste of silverware came in the form of an FA Cup victory in 1963 against Leicester City. The Busby Babes won the match 3-1, but Charlton did not score in the Final. The 20-year-old scored nine goals in the entirety of the season after playing 34 games.
The summit of his career domestically came in 1965 when Manchester United won the league. The following year he was crowned the European Footballer of the Year (now Balon d’Or) after scoring 18 goals in 54 appearances.
Charlton’s popularity both as an international footballer and as a Manchester United legend was at its peak. It could only be bettered by one thing - the European Cup.
The dreamland was finally reached in 1968, 10 years after the fatal plane crash had vanished the smiles and darkened the skies of Manchester. Sir Matt Busby, along with Bobby Charlton and the rest of the Busby Babes, won the European Cup.
The start of the 1970s was a disaster, as the club fell into disarray and even lingered on the brink of relegation. Charlton took leave from the game as he announced his retirement in 1973, as the leading scorer and with most appearances for Manchester United.
Denis Law fit perfectly into Matt Busby’s system at Manchester United
Denis Law was the second piece of the Holy Trinity puzzle. He came to Manchester United from Torino on the back of a British transfer fee record of €115,000 in 1962.
In only his second season, he set the record for most goals in a season for the club, with 46 goals scored across all competitions. To this day, it remains untouched.
As a goal scorer, he was impeccable. Law registered 20 goals or more in six out of the 11 seasons he was at the club. Having come from Manchester City, he was loved unanimously by all supporters.
The Scottish forward soon created a magical partnership with Bobby Charlton as they racked up goals and accolades in equal measure. Personal accolades soon followed as he won the European Footballer of the Year only two years into his United career in 1964.
Although he featured in approximately half of the games compared to his teammate Charlton -404 - Law scored an astonishing 237 goals. He was the top scorer at the European Cup in the 1968-69 season, while the Red Devils reached the semi-finals losing to AC Milan.
At the start of the 1973-74 season, Law moved to cross-town rivals Manchester City, where he finished his playing career. There was no one more formidable and charismatic on the football pitch than Law. Off the pitch, however, there was a man whose charisma and influence made national headlines, George Best.
George Best completed the ‘Holy Trinity’ puzzle of Manchester United
The Hero of Belfast, George Best, was not just the youngest of the Holy Trinity but also the most charismatic and flamboyant. He made his Manchester United debut in September 1963, after having turned professional at only age 17.
Already dubbed a ‘genius’ by then club scout Bob Bishop, Best was the first superstar to have made the infamous No. 7 shirt at United famous. He created magic on the pitch with his exquisite dribbling and, off the pitch with the most beautiful women in the world.
Best won the European Footballer of the Year after the 1967-68 season, finishing as top scorer with 32 goals in 53 games. Over the next four seasons, the Northern Irishman remained the best at the club by ending up as the top-scorer on all four occasions.
During his 470 appearances and 179 goals for the club, Best fought both his personal and professional demons to become the ‘best in the world.’ After a fallout with Bobby Charlton, the former decided not to play in the latter’s testimonial.
Best then unceremoniously "retired" in 1972 and went to Marbella, Spain. He then came back in 1974 before his contract was terminated mid-season.
1970s - beginning of the end for the Holy Trinity
The dawn of a new decade saw the sunset on a generation of legendary players at Manchester United. The 1970/71 and 71/72 seasons saw United finish 8th in the league consecutively. Only two years on from their European glory, the Red Devils were a shadow of their former selves.
Matt Busby retired at the end of the 68/69 season and left the club in the hands of Wilf McGuinness. The latter was a trainer and former player at United. However, dismal results and poor performances prompted Busby to return at the end of 1971 to try and salvage the season.
The Trinity were all coming to the twilight of their careers. In terms of age, Charlton was thirty-two at the start of 1970 while Law was almost 30. Only Best was in the prime of his career, in his mid-20s. However, his personal demons had taken over his footballing genius and he had just two genuinely good years left in him.
Post a shameful relegation-strewn season in 1973/74, all three left the club. Charlton retired at the end of the 72/73 season with seven goals in 41 appearances.
Law went to Manchester City in the summer of 1973 on a free transfer, after appearing only 14 times the previous season and scoring two goals.
Best was the only one remaining at the club from the Holy Trinity, but at only age 28, he was let go from his Manchester United contract mid-season in 1974 after a string of controversies and disheartening performances. He scored a meager two goals in 12 appearances that season.
United finally went down to League Two in the 1973/74 season after finishing 18th in the previous one. This brought to an end the golden era; a period in the history of Manchester United which saw disaster and triumph; despair and jubilation; and the rise and fall of a once truly great team.
The Holy Trinity is now secure in the lockers of Manchester United’s history. It saw one of its jewels, George Best, perish in 2005. Best had a short yet historic life, a career worth writing books about, and a lifestyle many can only dream of. However, his internal struggles and his flamboyance took away his playing career and his life much earlier than many would have liked.
Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, now both in their eighties, have dementia. As their lives slowly wander towards the setting sun on a distant horizon, Manchester United and their fans will only remember them for the genius they were with a football at their feet.
