The Secret of Manchester United's Academy Success

Manchester United is among the greatest and most famous teams in the History of Football. The club has hundreds of hundreds of millions of fans around the world, and the names of legendary players can be called anywhere on the planet. To study the club’s history in more detail, you can turn to a paper writing service and pick up a unique topic with the support of an experienced writer or even get fully prepared material.

Manchester United is famous not only for its brilliant coaches and experienced scouts, who found and signed the best players in the country. The team is also famous for having one of the best academies for young football players. Many world football stars have come out of their doors, and to this day, it is the place where almost every young footballer wants to prepare for a professional career. Below, we will recall the academy’s birth and development history and the most famous of its pupils.

The Beginning of the Way

In fact, the academy was founded back in 1938. The club trained young players from England and offered contracts to the best of them when they reached full age. Most clubs did this, but no one could boast of outstanding results of newcomers at the start of their careers. For real, the academy began its prosperity under the leadership of Sir Matt Busby. The head coach began to develop a philosophy based on attracting young talent. His approach proved particularly important after the tragedy in Munich in 1958 when 8 Manchester United players died in a horrific airplane crash.   The academy became a major source for rebuilding the squad.

One of the main academy pupils at the time was Bobby Charlton, who survived the plane crash. He became the new team’s leader and helped keep the players’ fighting spirit on the field. 1966, Bobby Charlton won the Ballon d’Or, and in 1968, he helped the club win its first European Cup. Charlton played over 750 games for the club, scoring 249 goals, and remains one of the major legends in the club’s history. Many call him not just a Manchester United legend coming out of the youth academy but overall one of the greatest footballers of all time. 

George Best: The Academy’s First Superstar

George Best made his debut for the main team in 1963. The young footballer demonstrated technical football, unusual for that time, and possessed tremendous speed and accuracy of passes. In 1968, he won the Golden Ball, becoming the best player in Europe. In the European Cup final against Benfica, his goal in extra time brought the club to victory, which became one of the most important milestones in the club’s history. During his career, Best played 470 matches and scored 179 goals.

In 1999, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics ranked 11th among the best European football players of the 20th century and 16th among the best football players in the world.

Class of ’92

In the early 1990s, in the club academy, a situation happened only once in history and not for even the most successful football academy. At one time, the youth squad trained such future football legends as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, the Neville brothers, and Nicky Butt. Nicky Butt became the first player from this pleiad who earned a dominant position in the main squad of the Red Devils. A little later, other young players came under the command of Alex Ferguson. Each of them earned the love of the fans and the world press and received their deserved football awards.

Ryan Giggs became the most decorated player in United’s history. Making his debut for the first team in 1991, he played over 960 matches and won 13 titles. Paul Scholes, who dedicated his entire professional life only to Manchester United, remained in the memory of fans as an example of unwavering loyalty and devotion to the club.

Current Stars of United’s Youth Academy

Marcus Rashford is one of the latest academy success stories. Making his debut for the first team in February 2016 in a Europa League match against Midtjylland, he immediately proved himself by scoring two goals. A few days later, he repeated the success, scoring two goals in the Premier League against Arsenal.

Rashford is also active in charity work. In 2020, he initiated a campaign to provide free meals for children from low-income families. He achieved a change in UK government policy, helping millions of children. He was awarded an MBE for his contribution to the social sector.

Current Status of the Academy

Many young footballers dream of getting into the Manchester United academy, but now the competition is extremely high. Coaches conduct a detailed and responsible selection of talented players, conducting a kind of grademiners review, assessing the potential of players, and predicting whether they can unlock the talents of a young player so that he can join one of the best football teams in the world.

From the very beginning, young aspirants are taught more than just how to play on the field. They are taught how to eat properly and train, and the principles of sports discipline are explained. Children are also taught to communicate with training camp partners and players of the opposing team. The academy has its own set of rules and behavior, which consists of 6 points.

1. Attitude – always motivate yourself to give the best you can;
2. Behavior – be an example for others, show your best self;
3. Relationship – listen to your parents. Teachers and coaches. Take advice and ask for it yourself;
4. Discipline – always be prepared, be punctual, and show respect for people and the place where you play;
5. Enthusiasm – always give the best you can and encourage that drive in others;
6. Fair play – learn to win and lose with equal dignity.

Conclusion

Manchester United Academy is deservedly ranked among the country’s top youth football academies and the world. For over 85 years, the club has produced professional footballers who become either part of the Red Devils’ main squad or strengthen other clubs.