The Home of Football Legends
Home to Manchester United Football Club for over 100 years, Old Trafford has seen some of football’s biggest legends showcase their talents on the pitch, from George Best, to David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Manchester United’s trophy cabinet has been one of the most active in the footballing world, with twenty league titles, twelve FA cups, and a further eight from European tournaments, including the UEFA Champions League. With so many tremendous accomplishments over the years, it is of little surprise that the stadium has earned itself the nickname, “Theatre of Dreams”.
This iconic footballing arena was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and opened in February 1910, with the first match taking place against arch rivals, Liverpool. United fans would be relieved to know that this unfortunate 3-4 defeat would not set the tone for what has been overwhelming success since, particularly during the 1990’s.
The stadium originally had capacity of 80,000 people, but damage during air raids in World War 2 reduced this down to around 60,000. Rebuilding of the stadium over the following decades has slowly brought the stadium back in to full use. It is now one of the biggest football stadiums in Europe, and the second biggest in the UK, with only Wembley - England’s national stadium - being any larger
Today, the presence of past glory is felt all across the stadium through a range of touching tributes. The Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson Stands are named after two of the club’s biggest icons, and outside them can be found statues of the some of the club’s other most influential figures, including Denis Law and Sir Matt Busby. The stadium even has its own museum, highlights of which include the impressive trophy collection and tour of the grounds.