We’ve done quite well for ourselves, haven’t we?
The Telegraph’s football writers Mark Ogdan and John Percy set themselves the task of listing Manchester United’s 50 greatest ever players, and there was plenty of green scattered around the list.
In total, nine Irishmen got the prestigious nod (6 Republic of Ireland Internationals, 3 Northern Ireland), but in typical Irish fashion, we want more.
Two of our countrymen made it into the top 10, with Roy Keane the highest at number six, just ahead of George Best, who seems surprisingly low down the list (to this United fan anyway), at seven.
The ever reliable Denis Irwin gets in at 13, with a former United captain Johnny Carey picked at 19.
Northern Irish goalkeeper Harry Gregg, a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster is picked at 32, while the remaining four Irish players are Shay Brennan (43), Norman Whiteside (46), Tony Dunne (47), and Frank Stapleton (50).
Not content to be in single figures, we’re fighting the cause to get the likes of Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath or John O’Shea into the mix. It’s a tight squeeze, but we reckon all three are have been better players for the club than Phil Neville, who gets in at 49.
At the same time though, having a near 20 percent representation in the list of the greatest players for one of the world’s most famous clubs is nothing to be sniffed at.
The top 10 was always going to be controversial, with Ryan Giggs picked as the club’s greatest ever player, Bobby Charlton in second and Paul Scholes in third. Denis Law and Duncan Edwards make up the top five, while Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo complete the top 10.
The most surprising placement looks to be David Beckham, who is way down at number 25, behind the likes of Gary Pallister (24) and Andy Cole (23).
See the full list here.
