Man Utd 21st century rankings GFXGOAL

Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and the 25 best Man Utd players of the 21st century - ranked

Manchester United began the 21st century on the beaches of Brazil. They were there to compete in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and arrived as the official best team in the world after beating Palmeiras in the Inter-Continental Cup. In order to participate, they took the seismic decision to withdraw from the FA Cup, the competition they were the holders of.

A quarter of a century on, and United have restored their reputation in the FA Cup, which they won in May. The Club World Cup, however, is no longer their domain, and they were not even close to qualifying for FIFA's rebranded competition, which takes place next year.

That says a lot about how United have fallen as the century has progressed. The Red Devils won eight out of the first 14 league titles of the new millennium, but ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they have been on a downward curve. They have finished outside of the top four more times than they have made it in and won just five major trophies. In the first half of the new century, they lifted 13.

It should be no real surprise, then, that a list of the best United players from the first 25 years of the 21st century draws heavily on the Ferguson era. Only performances since January 2000 count, so the likes of Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam and Teddy Sheringham fall short, even though they straddled both centuries.

But who has made it in, and who has failed to make the cut?

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Frequently asked questions

Manchester United were founded in 1878, although under a different name at first - Newton Heath LYR. The name Manchester United was born in April 1902, beating alternative suggestions like Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic.

Manchester United are currently co-owned by the Glazer family, as well as INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe. In February, Ratcliffe bought an initial 25% stake in the club, ganing control over all the sporting operations.

Manchester United play their home games at the Old Trafford, which is also known as the 'Theatre Of Dreams' among fans and pundits.

Old Trafford has a capacity of 74,310, making it UK's second-biggest football stadium in terms of capacity (behind Wembley).

Manchester United have an impressive haul of 68 trophies in their prestigious history, which includes 20 league titles, three Champions Leagues, as well as 13 FA Cups.

Manchester United have won a record 20 English top flight titles. They have won 13 titles in the Premier League era, all of them coming under Sir Alex Ferguson. United, though, haven't lifted the Premier League trophy since the 2012-13 season.

With 963 appearances to his name, Ryan Giggs holds the record of making the most appearances for Manchester United. Giggs made his debut for the club in March 1991 and spent his entire professional career, spanning 23 years, at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 games for the club. He spent 13 years at the club, from 2004 to 2017.

Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angel Di Maria, and Denis Irwin are some of the most famous players to have donned the Manchester United colours.

Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, David Moyes, and Louis van Gaal are among the most famous to have been at the helm at Old Trafford.

Manchester United are famously known as The Red Devils among their fans and rivals alike. The term was introduced by the legendary Sir Matt Busby in the 1960s – after the tragic Munich air disaster – seeking inspiration from a local rugby club from Salford, who were referred to as "Les Diables Rouges" (The Red Devils) when they toured France in 1934.