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Manchester United are one of the most successful teams in English and European football history. The record 13-time Premier League winners have won 20 English top-flight titles, more than any other team.
The Red Devils have also won three UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA Europa League, 12 FA Cups, five League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. Since 1975-76, United have played in the English top flight and are one of six teams that have not endured relegation in the Premier League era (1992-93 onwards).
Manchester United are the only English team to have won the continental treble, doing so in 1998-99. Considering their rich history and pedigree, many top players, especially goalscorers, have played for the club, scoring goals and winning big titles galore.
On that note, here's a look at the top five goal tallies by a Manchester United player across competitions in a season:
#5 Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001-02) - 36
Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of the top strikers to have played for Manchester United.
After arriving from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2001, the Dutchman hit the ground running at Old Trafford. Van Nistelrooy scored 36 times across competitions, including 23 strikes in the Premier League, where United finished third.
Despite the hitman netting 13 more times in three different competitions, including ten strikes in the Champions League, United endured a trophyless campaign. They were eliminated in the FA Cup fourth round (by Middlesbrough), League Cup third round (against Arsenal) and UEFA Champions League semi-finals (by Bayer Leverkusen).
Van Nistelrooy was only getting started, as he would bedazzle Old Trafford for four more seasons before an unceremonious exit.
#4 Denis Law (1964-65) - 39
Denis Law is one of the legendary players to have graced the Old Trafford club. During his 11-season association with United, the late striker netted 237 times, including 171 league strikes.
In his third season at the club in 1964-65, Law scored 39 times across competitions. That included 28 strikes in the league and another ten in Europe. Law's exploits helped United conquer the English top flight that season. United also reached the semis in the FA Cup (eliminated by Leeds United) and the Inter City Fair's Cup (lost to Ferencvaros) that campaign.
The Scottish forward is the only United player to have two statues at Old Trafford.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (2007-08) - 42
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the game.
The 37-year-old, who returned to United last summer, first made his name at Old Trafford during a six-season stint in the 2000s. After a modest start to life at the English giants - 50 goals in four seasons - Ronaldo burst into life in 2007-08, providing a portent of things to come.
The winger amassed 42 strikes across competitions, including 31 in the Premier League, as United won their second league title in as many years. Ronaldo also made a mark in Europe, netting 11 times. United won the Champions League for the first time since their treble-winning campaign (in 1998-99), beating Chelsea in an all-English final.
They did not fare as well in the domestic cups, though, getting knocked out in the FA Cup sixth round (against Portsmouth) and League Cup third round (at the hands of Coventry City).
It was during this season that Ronaldo scored the only hat-trick of his United career. He would go on to win his first of five Ballon d'Or awards later that year.
#2 Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002-03) - 44
Ruud van Nistelrooy continued from his exploits in his debut Manchester United campaign in 2001-02.
The Dutchman was on fire the following season, plundering a staggering 44 strikes across competitions. Nistelrooy netted three hat-tricks and scored in each of the last eight league games as United romped to the Premier League title. The striker was on fire in Europe as well.
Nistelrooy struck 14 times, including scoring in nine consecutive games, but United were beaten in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by holders Real Madrid. The Dutchman also netted five times as Manchester United were beaten in the League Cup final by Liverpool and were eliminated in the FA Cup third round by Arsenal.
Nevertheless, Van Nistelrooy's exploits that season remain one of the best in English football, especially since the turn of the century.
#1 Denis Law (1963-64) - 46
In only his second season at Old Trafford in 1963-64, Denis Law exploded for 46 strikes across competitions. That remains a record tally by a Manchester United player even after almost six decades.
The late Scotsman scored 30 times in the league, ten times in the FA Cup and six times in Europe. However, United failed to win any of the three competitions. They finished four points behind winners Liverpool in the First Division. Manchester United were knocked out by Sporting in the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals and by West Ham United in the FA Cup semis.
Law would go on to win the Ballon d'Or award a year later.
