This article will tell you about the UEFA Champions League history of Manchester United
Manchester United is one of the most successful football clubs in the history of the UEFA Champions League. They have won the competition three times and reached the final on several other occasions.
In this article, we’ll take a look at Manchester United’s Champions League history, from their first appearance in the tournament to their most recent campaigns.
The Beginning
Manchester United’s first appearance in the European Cup, the predecessor to the Champions League, came in the 1956-57 season, but they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Spanish club Athletic Bilbao.
It would be another decade before Manchester United would make a serious impact on the European stage, with their first significant campaign coming in the 1967-68 season.
First Reign
Led by legendary manager Matt Busby and a talented squad featuring Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Denis Law, Manchester United reached the final of the European Cup for the first time in their history.
The final, held at Wembley Stadium in London, was against Portuguese club Benfica. Manchester United won the match 4-1, with Charlton scoring twice and Best and Brian Kidd adding the other goals.
It was a historic moment for the club, which had overcome the tragedy of the Munich air disaster just 10 years earlier, in which eight players had died.
Further Success
Manchester United continued to be a force in European football in the 1970s and 1980s, but they were unable to add to their European Cup triumph.
They reached the final of the competition again in 1969 and 1971, but were defeated by Italian clubs AC Milan and Juventus, respectively. They also reached the semi-finals of the competition in 1984 and 1985, but were eliminated by Juventus and Hungarian club Videoton, respectively.
The 1990s saw a period of relative decline for Manchester United in European football, but they began to reassert themselves in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the 1998-99 season, they reached the final of the Champions League for the first time in 31 years.
They faced Bayern Munich in the final, which was held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Manchester United trailed 1-0 going into injury time, but two late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for the English club.
Manchester United won their third Champions League title in the 2007-08 season, under the guidance of manager Sir Alex Ferguson. They defeated Chelsea on penalties in the final, held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring for Manchester United, but a late goal from Chelsea’s Didier Drogba forced extra time and penalties.
John Terry famously missed a penalty that would have won the game for Chelsea, and Manchester United eventually prevailed 6-5 on penalties.
The 2008/09 Final
In the following years, Manchester United continued to be a regular presence in the Champions League, but they were unable to add to their two European titles.
They reached the final of the competition again in the 2008-09 season, but were defeated by Spanish club Barcelona in the final. They also reached the final in the 2010-11 season, but were defeated by Spanish club Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Recent Performances
In recent years, Manchester United has experienced mixed fortunes in the Champions League. They reached the quarter-finals of the competition in the 2013-14 season, but were defeated by German club Bayern Munich.
They also reached the round of 16 in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons, but were eliminated by Spanish clubs Barcelona and Sevilla, respectively.
