Well, I'm sure you've guessed it but there are some absolute ballers and legends on this list and not just for United but football.
These are the five players that I look back upon with the fondest of memories.
Without further ado, let's get into it.
5. Ruud van Nistelrooy - The Predator 🦈
Although I only really saw him for 2 seasons or so, in those two seasons, he was the best out-and-out striker I ever saw at United and for me, is still the best striker I've ever seen at the club.
Whenever I watched him play, he was just one of those players that you knew would get a goal, something we eventually saw with Cristiano Ronaldo (07/08). In the box, his movement and finishing were second to none, which is what made him such a great striker throughout his career. He scored all types of goals from side foot finishes, headers, chips, you name it, he's done it. What I loved most about Ruud is that I knew if he got a chance, he was not going to miss.
Having a player like that, especially a striker where you could rely on him in any game and any situation was so important in trying to build a successful side and he did it so well.
He like all the players on this list, was a big game player who would always deliver. The only other player who has come close to resembling him for me was his fellow Dutchman in Robin van Persie. However, I still feel that to this day, I have never seen a proper number 9 like Ruud at Old Trafford. He was the definition of fox in the box as he only scored one goal from outside of it during his time with United. He scored 150 goals in total for us in his 5 years. The best striker I ever saw play for United.
The fact that he appears to be coming back to the club as a coach makes me so happy. I would be so happy if he does.
To have a coach like him as a mentor to the team would be quite the experience.
You think he could still do a job up front 😏?
4. Nemanja Vidic - The Beast 🐲
When it comes to tough defenders, there were few tougher or as tough as Nemanja Vidic. Broken noses, blood running down his face, head injuries, rain, snow or sunshine, there was nothing that would stop this man from giving absolutely everything on that pitch. Probably the toughest player I ever saw at United and he was one hell of a captain and leader as well.
There was nothing that he wouldn't do to stop the ball from going in the back of the net. He was one of those old school defenders who would come out for a header and clear everyone out, even if it was he own teammates.
I loved that about him and he always gave me some sense of security that we will be fine at the back. The fact that he had Rio Ferdinand next to him made things even more secure.
What he did best was give the rest of the team that reassurance, something that I felt whenever he played, which was pretty much all the time, another great aspect of Vidic's as I can hardly remember him having too many injuries.
He is the type of defender we don't see too much nowadays, one that is rough, tough and puts his body on the line. I find that a bit sad because I find that a lot of the defenders are a little too weak and care more for the technical side of the game instead of putting their bodies on the line.
Nemanja Vidic was the definition of a rock. He is my favourite defender of all time both at United and in football. There was just something about that no holds barred attitude that I loved about him.
Does anyone know if he is still available? We could use a centre-back like him.
As he said, "You can fix a broken nose, but if you let someone score a goal, you can't fix your pride." This is the type of attitude and mentality you want from the current group of defenders and the entire squad.
3. Paul Scholes - The Maestro 👨🏫
As an avid football lover (in case you didn't know) the aspect of the game I love most is to pass the ball. There was no one greater that I saw at this than Paul Scholes. It wasn't the through balls or the short, quick one-two passing that did it for me - although he was brilliant at that - but rather the long range passing.
Every time he got the ball in space, picked his head up and hit the ball cross field, everyone knew it was going to find the mark and that the rest of the team should be ready for the next phase of play without worry that the receiver might not receive the ball. Absolute pinpoint accuracy.
Whenever he'd receive the ball, all I'm thinking is 'someone make a run because he will find you'. And they did, and he found them. This passing accuracy is something that I never thought about with any other other United player except maybe Wayne Rooney and more recently Paul Pogba.
A lot of our play would come through the midfield with Scholes being at the heart of it. I love his passing and the way he could control the game, two things he did throughout his career so well. A fact that I love most about Scholes and which also shows his class, was when he came out of retirement.
He had no more boot sponsors because of the retirement so he had to go get just any pair of boots from a store. In the game he played upon his return wearing those boots, he had a 90+ per cent passing accuracy. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
He will always be the best passer of the ball I've ever seen and one of the best midfielders I've ever seen play the game of football. He is also one of the most important players in the most successful periods in Manchester United's history. He was absolute class.
You know that when players like Zinedine Zidane and Andres Iniesta are saying that you are the best midfielder in the world, then you're doing something right. Also, could he come out of retirement again as we desperately need someone in our midfield like Scholes.
2. Wayne Rooney - Master Wayne ☝
I still remember his debut as if it were yesterday. Hard to believe that it was 20 years ago now!
At 19-years-old, it was a big ask for a young lad to come to United and be the next big thing as there was a lot of hype around Rooney because of what he had done at Everton. He wasn't fazed one bit as he scored a hat-trick on his debut under the lights at Old Trafford in the Champions League against Fenerbache. That's when I and many others knew, that this guy was going to be something special.
And he was.
What I loved most about him was the aggression he had in his game. It kind of reminds of the hulk where when you make him angry, well......you know what comes next. When Rooney was riled up, it was almost as if the anger fueled him to go onto another level where his game just picked up and he became sort of unstoppable.
A good example of this was the game against Newcastle at Old Trafford where he scored that amazing volley. He kept this part of his game through his early years at United but as he matured, he became a lot more calm and discipline, not really flying into tackles and all that. I missed that angry Rooney as for me, it was the best version of him that I ever saw.
It's a pity that we saw that side of him disappear as he got older and eventually captain because had he reamined like that for longer, I do believe he could've done a lot more than what he had.
It's not as if he had a bad career though, winning 13 trophies including five league titles and one Champions League. He is also the club's all-time highest scorer with 253 goals surpassing the great Sir Bobby Charlton. Rooney is the only player in United's history to go beyond the 250-goal mark for the club.
There was a lot of passion to his game, heart and hard work that he showed every time he got onto that pitch. He was a player that could run for 90 minutes non-stop and you knew that if you told him to play at left-back, he would give you 100% in that position as well.
One of my big admiration of him was how much he loved/loves the game of football and no matter what, he just wanted to play which is why I feel that he would do well in every position. There were even talks that he was not that bad a 'keeper in training.
As a kid, when I watched him with all that passion and don't care sort of attitude, it just fueled some fire in me. He also had an eye for the spectacular goal now and then. Great volleys, half-way line goals, bicycle kicks, he had the lot. A true United great. Thank you for the memories Master Wayne.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - The Best 🐐
Was there going to be anyone else?
Perhaps it is a bit predictable, but I don't care. Cristiano Ronaldo is my favourite United player of all time and my favourite footballer of all time. Just like Rooney, he came to United around the time I started watching and supporting this club making it feel as though I went on this United journey with them.
At the time, I didn't know I was going to love him as much as I do now but I just felt that there was something special about him that I didn't see with any other player, even though I was really young. I guess we all knew there was something special about him.
I think as a young boy watching football, seeing this guy do all of these fancy tricks, flicks, step-overs, rabonas and all that stuff was just unbelievable. It was one of the first reasons why I fell in love with him.
As he got older, he smoothed out those rough edges and instead of being a completely flair player, he became more complete in his all round game as a wide forward. The ability to create and score, being on free kicks and penalties, was the guy we looked to when we needed a spark and was the main man, showed that this guy really was the complete package.
I really liked the fact that he wanted to be 'The One' so to speak, that he had to almost everything. I guess that's what made him become the great player that he is today and maintain his quality for all this time.
The major aspect of his game is actually something that he doesn't do on the pitch. It's his work ethic off it and his overall mentality, and that 'second is not good enough' attitude. The best or nothing as Mercedes say.
How he has managed to stay so driven, dedicated and motivated all these years is nothing short of incredible. 39-years-old and he could still play for another 30 years, probably. Amazing.
He is an inspiration to me and someone that I have admired for so many years. He is and will always be my idol. Thank You Cristiano.
Who is your favourite United player/s of all time?