Manchester Utd are probably England's most famous club; they were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath and elected to Division 1 in 1892. The pre-war years saw the league championship at Old Trafford twice whilst the FA Cup was won in 1909 but since the second World War, they have been far more successful under two different managers. The first was Sir Matt Busby who arrived in 1945 and won 5 league championships and 2 FA Cups. Tragedy befell Utd in 1958 when their young team known as the 'Busby Babes' was decimated in an air crash in Munich while returning from a European Cup tie in Belgrade. Busby himself was almost klled in the disaster, and his team, which had looked like dominating English football for years to come, was no more. However, 10 years later, he led a new team including greats like Bobby Charlton and George Best became the first ever English team to lift the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final. Flamboyant managers such as Tommy Docherty and Ron Atkinson followed but none could bring the championship back to Old Trafford. Scot Alex Ferguson was appointed in 1986 and to begin with, it looked as though he would go the same way as his predecessors. However, the FA Cup win of 1990 heralded the start of good times which were continued with the European Cup Winners Cup success a year later. In 1992, Utd grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory as their late slip-up handed Leeds Utd the title but the advent of the Premier League finally saw them triumph 26 years after their previous title win. The following season saw Utd better this by winning the double (beating Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final).They were the first club to achieve the 'double double' in 1996 as Ferguson continued to bring trophies galore back to Old Trafford. As if that were not enough, the 98/99 season saw them achieve the unthinkable - the treble of league, FA Cup and European Cup. That earned Ferguson a knighthood and he followed it up with two more back-to-back league titles. When he announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2002/03 season, it looked like an illustrious era in English football was coming to a close, and the uncertainty about the future contributed to United's worst-ever finish in the Barclaycard Premiership - third. However, by then, Ferguson had changed his mind and was on hand to mastermind their return to the top a year later. The rise of big-spending Chelsea and the controversial arrival of new owner Malcolm Glazer brought some dark times for fans in the next few years, but back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 (plus another Champions League triumph) put United back on top. In 2009 they completed another three-in-a-row title success to take them to 18 league championships, level with rivals Liverpool. Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide – almost 5% of the world's population. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the exception of the 1974–75 season. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65. Manchester United are the reigning English champions and European and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2007–08 Premier League, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 21 major honours since Alex Ferguson became manager in November 1986. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1. They won a second European Cup as part of a Treble in 1999, before winning their third in 2008. The club also holds the record for the most FA Cup titles with 11. Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club, and is currently ranked as the richest and most valuable club in any sport, with an estimated value of £897 million (€1.333 billion / $1.8 billion) as of September 2008. Manchester United was a founding member of the now defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs, and its replacement, the European Club Association. Alex Ferguson has been manager of the club since 6 November 1986, joining from Aberdeen after the sacking of Ron Atkinson. The current club captain is Gary Neville, who succeeded Roy Keane in November 2005. Premier League/Division One winners: 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 Runners-up: 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1959, 1964, 1968, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2006 FA Cup winners: 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 League Cup winners: 1992, 2006 European Cup winners: 1968, 1999, 2008 European Cup-winners Cup winners: 1991 Legend: Eric Cantona, who inspired United to their first Premier League title in 1993. Terrace hero: Cristiano Ronaldo - now recognised as the best since, well, Best. Finest hour: Current manager Sir Alex Ferguson led them to a unique treble of League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999. Lowest ebb: Relegated to the old Division Two in 1974 . To make matters worse, former hero Denis Law scored against them - with a back-heel - for Manchester City on the day their fate was sealed.