The genesis of Manchester United as a national and international ‘super‐club’, 1958–68

Abstract

By common consent, Manchester United are the best supported and most wealthy football club in the world today. An analysis of the club's development indicates that, contrary to popular beliefs, the Munich disaster was not the main reason for United's evolution into a ‘super‐club’. Rather, it is shown that the club's European Cup successes of the late 1960s, coinciding as they did with major British social, economic and cultural change, are the key to understanding United's present‐day popularity. It is concluded that, had United's success not occurred in the late 1960s, they would not possess their special status in world football today.