There have been many great personalities who have led Manchester United, and while a few are still remembered fondly, some have faded from memory.
In the early 1980s, 'Captain Marvel' Bryan Robson was given the captain's armband by Ron Atkinson. The coach broke the bank to sign Robson from West Brom for a then-British record transfer fee and had no qualms in handing over the captaincy to the midfielder.
It is believed that even former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly advised Atkinson to go all out for Robson. "Every penny it takes Ron, every penny it takes," Shankly reportedly told Atkinson.
However, Sir Matt Busby quit the board because he thought no player could be worth more than a million pounds. In spite of that, Robson survived and United started to reap the dividends.
In fact, when the Premier League era kicked off Robson still had the armband. However, his qualities were on the wane and Ferguson would often bench him, eventually leading Steve Bruce to take the armband.
Robson played 466 times for United and scored 99 goals. He was the United captain for 12 years, sharing the role with Bruce for the last two years.
Who went on to serve as United's captains in the Premier League era? GOAL takes a look.
