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#3 The first English team to participate in European Cup and to win it
Much before it got rechristened to UEFA Champions League, the annual European extravaganza used to be known as the European Champions Clubs' Cup, or simply European Cup.
Despite the stance of English Football Association (FA), branding the competition as a 'distraction', Manchester United entered the competition as English Champions in 1956, thereby becoming the first English team ever to participate in an European competition.
United had a brilliant run in the competition - from trouncing Anderlecht 10-0 in the first round (the highest score-line registered by United) to making a stunning comeback in the quarter-finals against Athletic Bilbao (Bilbao won 5-3 in the first leg before losing 3-0 to United in the return leg).
However, their stunning debut was cut short by eventual champions Real Madrid who won 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
United finally won the elusive trophy in 1968 when they defeated an entire Portuguese fleet of Benfica 4-2 in extra time to clinch their first ever European silverware.
This win also marked United as the first English team ever to lift the European Cup.
