25 Fergie's U-turn, 2002
24 United raid City, 1906
23 Denis Law arrives, 1962
22 Busby steps down, 1969
21 Title collapse, 1986
20 Old Trafford is bombed, 1939-1945
19 Cantona signs, 1992
18 Relegation, 1974
17 Old Trafford expands, 2006
16 Robins keeps Fergie bobbing along, 1990
15 Fergie's Jimmy Hill outburst, 1994
14 League title, 1952
13 Keane joins United, 1993
12 American nightmare, 2005
11 Perfect ten, 1956
10 Entertainment, please, 1981
Jose Mourinho's recent dismissal by Chelsea was far from the first case of a manager losing his job because his team's football was too dull. Dave Sexton had just finished the season with seven successive league wins but he was ditched in favour of the extrovert Ron Atkinson, who brought a flamboyancy to United's play.
9 George Best emerges, 1963
The swaggering Northern Irishman is widely considered to have been the greatest British player and his presence helped swell interest in United during the 1960s.
8 Keane's prawn sandwich blast, 2000
Roy Keane was so angered by the criticism from the corporate areas of Old Trafford during the Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev that he dismissed their occupants as prawn sandwich eaters who had little knowledge of the game.
7 Bruce's header, 1993
United had trailed at home to Sheffield Wednesday until late in the game in the league run-in but, after conjuring up the equaliser, Steve Bruce added the winning goal deep into stoppage time to leave Brian Kidd, the assistant manager, on his knees on the pitch in delight and United ahead of Aston Villa in the table. Three weeks later they wrapped up their first league title in 26 years.
6 Bobby Charlton's debut, 1956
As perhaps the most famous English player of all time, his presence in the team for 17 years helped to make United famous around the world.
5 The Nou Camp, 1999
United's first European Cup for 31 years and the first such League-FA Cup-European Cup treble by an English team were achieved through two goals in stoppage time against Bayern Munich in the final.
4 European champions at last, 1968
Ten years after the destruction in a plane crash of the United team that had seemed destined to win the European Cup, Sir Matt Busby guided a rebuilt side to glory against Benfica on an emotional night at Wembley.
3 Fergie's appointment, 1986
Sir Alex Ferguson became manager, kicked out the drinkers, overhauled the youth system and achieved his stated aim of knocking Liverpool off their perch.
2 Munich air crash, 1958
Eight United players were killed when their plane crashed in Munich after a refuelling stop on the return from a European Cup tie in Belgrade. The wiping out of the standard bearers of English football brought world-wide sympathy for the club and fired imaginations as to what they might have achieved.
1 Busby's arrival, 1945
United were just another medium-sized club when Sir Matt Busby became manager after the war and he, more than anyone, was responsible for turning them into giants of the world game, building three great teams and laying down a philosophy of attacking football.