Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season. He established himself as a left winger during the 1990s, and continuing in this position well into the 2000s, though he has been increasingly used in a deeper playmaking role in his latter years. Giggs is known for his tireless running, ball possession and ability to create goalscoring opportunities for those around him.
Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. He also holds the club record for competitive appearances. During his time at United, he has won 12 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals and two Champions League winner's medals. He has two runner-up medals from the Champions League, three FA Cup finals and two League Cup finals, as well as being part of the team five times when it finished second in the Premier League. In recent years, Giggs has captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.
Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah "Danny" Welbeck (born 26 November 1990) is an English footballer who plays for Manchester United and the England national team. He is a centre forward who can also play on the wing.
Welbeck made his way through the youth teams at Manchester United before making his senior debut in 2008 and scoring in the process. He has since gone on to win the 2008–09 Football League Cup and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup before being sent on loan to Preston North End and more recently Sunderland.
He made his senior England debut in March 2011 in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ghana.
Born in Longsight, Manchester, England, to Ghanaian parents, Welbeck was first spotted by Manchester United as a six year-old. He joined United during the 2005–06 season,[citation needed] making his debut for the club's Under-18 side on 8 April 2006 in a league match against Sunderland. He then came on as a substitute in the next game, before being named as an unused substitute in the team's last two games of the season. The following season, he made a further 28 appearances for the Under-18s, scoring nine goals, including eight appearances and one goal in the FA Youth Cup, in which he helped the team to reach the final, despite being two years younger than some of the other players. He was not handicapped despite suffering from Osgood–Schlatter disease, and was making rapid progress, despite his pneumonia.
Nicholas "Nicky" Butt (born 21 January 1975) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder from 1992 to 2011.
He began his career with Manchester United and spent 12 years in their first-team before moving to Newcastle United in 2004. He spent one season on loan to Birmingham City in 2005–06. He is also a former England international; he won 39 caps in a seven-year England career. He finished his career abroad, playing 3 times for South China.
Born in Gorton, Manchester, Butt began his career at Manchester United as an important part of their youth team before turning professional in 1993.
He made his first-team debut in the 1992–93 season as a substitute against Oldham Athletic in a 3–0 Premier League win on 21 November 1992, but did not get his big break in the team until the 1994–95 season, often covering for Roy Keane in the event of injuries and suspension. One of his first appearances for the first team came in the FA Cup semi-final on 10 April 1994, also against Oldham as a substitute, this time in a 1–1 draw at Wembley Stadium. United won the replay 4–1 at Maine Road but he was not included in the squad.
Philip John "Phil" Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English footballer who captains Premier League club Everton. Neville also played for England from 1996 until 2007. He is the younger brother of former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, and the twin brother of England netball international Tracey Neville.
Neville won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League with his previous club, Manchester United. He can play in defence or midfield, and is often used as a full back. Due to this versatility he has operated in a number of different positions throughout his career.
Born in Bury, Greater Manchester, Neville, along with brother Gary, was one of "Fergie's Fledglings". Phil attended Elton High School where he was Deputy Head Boy. He started training with the Manchester United Academy along with his brother, then later joined as a trainee, making his first-team debut in the 1994–95 season but did not get many first-team opportunities until the following season.
Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and the England national team. He has made more than 300 Premier League appearances and played in 50 UEFA Champions League games as of April 2011. Carrick primarily plays as a centre midfielder and at the time of his move to Manchester United distinctive features of his play included his inventive distribution of the ball along with his passing and crossing abilities.
Carrick began his career at West Ham United, joining the youth team in 1997 and winning the FA Youth Cup two years later. He was sent on loan twice during his debut season, to Swindon Town and Birmingham City, before securing a place in the first team by the 2000–01 season. He experienced relegation in the 2002–03 season and was voted into the PFA First Division Team of the Year in the following campaign. He made more than 150 appearances for the Hammers, however, in 2004, he moved to rival London club Tottenham Hotspur for a fee believed to be £3.5 million. He was ever-present during his Spurs career, scoring twice in 75 appearances, before moving to Manchester United in 2006 for £18 million.