Manchester United FC have always had great players in the club due to the great scouting network and financial stature of the club. The Red Devils have one of the best academies, but whenever the academy has failed to produce, United have compensated by their signings. Be it, Sir Matt Busby or Sir Alex Ferguson, most of United’s managers have cherished a huge transfer budget.
Sometimes it is not just about the price tag related to the transfer, but it is the impact made by the signing. The red Devils have broken the transfer record quite a few times, but most of their best signings are cheaper ones. Let us now look at some of Manchester United’s best signing over the years.
#3 -RUUD VAN NISTELROOY –
One of the best strikers to have worn the Red Devils shirt is the former Dutch international Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The Dutchman was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2001 from PSV for a reported fee of £19m to bring in goals at Old Trafford. And that is exactly what the Dutchman did as he enjoyed a great run of form scoring 95 goals in the Premier League.
In his tenure at Manchester United, the former United No.10 played 219 games in just five seasons. Van Nistelrooy became one of the best strikers in the Premier League and scored a total of 150 goals in all competitions. He also enjoyed the longest consecutive scoring run in the league when he scored in 10 consecutive games, which was ultimately broken by Jamie Vardy.
Being one of the most complete strikers in the Premier League, Van Nistelrooy has also won a lot with United. He won a Premier League title, an FA Cup, a Football League Cup and the FA Community Shield. He won the Premier League Golden boot once and was also the top scorer of the Champions League thrice at United.
#2-NEMANJA VIDIC –
Nemanja Vidic is one of the toughest defenders in the world and is one of the best centre-backs to have played in the Premier League. The former Serbian international was signed for United from Red Star Belgrade for a reported fee of £7m in January 2006. Vidic and Ferdinand together formed one of the most formidable centre-back pairings in Premier League history.
In his nine seasons at Old Trafford, Vidic turned into one of the best all-time defenders in the world. He played a total of 300 games in all competitions for Manchester United, in which he also scored 21 goals. Vidic was also made the captain of Manchester United in 2011 and continued to lead the team till he left for Inter Milan in 2014.
The fearsome defender won a total of five Premier League titles, three Football Leagues, five FA Community Shields, the 2007/08 Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. Surprisingly, Vidic won the Premier League Player of the Season twice in 2008/09 and 2010/11seasons.
#1-CRISTIANO RONALDO –
Arguably the greatest player to have played the beautiful game, Cristiano Ronaldo has had a long road to success. The Portuguese talisman was signed in 2003 for a transfer fee of £12.24m, which made him the most expensive teenager in English football. Ronaldo became one of the best players in the world at United and lighted up Old Trafford with his performances.
Given the famous United No.7 shirt from the beginning of his United career, Ronaldo played for six seasons at Old Trafford. In his time as a Red Devil, he played a total of 292 games in all competitions in which he scored 118 goals. The Portuguese superstar left United as the world’s most expensive player when he signed for Real Madrid.
In his time at Old Trafford, Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two Football Leagues, an FA Community Shield, the 2007/08 Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. He also won the Ballon d’Or, the FIFA World Player of the year UEFA Club Footballer of the year and the European Golden Shoe in 2008.
