By Mohamad Hajj Shehadeh | Staff Writer 

Sir Matt Busby was a Scottish footballer and manager, whose managerial career achievements are written down in the books of football history. He is mostly adored by the family of Manchester United, the club which he managed and led to historic glory. As a footballer, he had two heroic spells on two different teams: Manchester City and Liverpool. The clubs mentioned are two of Manchester United’s biggest archrivals, which makes his appointment as United’s head coach daring and fearless.

Busby was appointed as a United manager in 1945, and he wasted no time in rebuilding the club after the devastating impacts of WWII. With no prior managerial experience, and at the young age of 36, Busby aimed on developing young talents instead of spending big bucks on professional players. His vision worked, as he built a young team famously known as the “Busby Babes”, consisting of renowned players such as Duncan Edwards and Albert Scanlon. The Busby Babes were known for their fearlessness, talent, and attacking football system. Under the management of Busby, the club dominated domestically, winning the FA Cup in 1948, its first major trophy in 37 years. Moreover, they won 3 league titles in 1952, 1956 and 1957. The last two league titles were back-to-back with an average squad age of 22 years. Busby’s managing style attracted eyes all over Europe, to the extent that Real Madrid’s President offered him to

coach Madrid, stating that it would be like “managing paradise.” Busby replied by saying: “Manchester is my heaven” – his famous quote.

Busby and his players were eager to win more – they wanted to win the first ever European Cup in the club’s history, which is now known as UEFA Champions League. In the season of 1957-1958, the club reached the European Cup semifinals after winning against Red Star Belgrade. Unfortunately, on February 6, 1958, the plane carrying the team from Belgrade crashed on the Munich Airport runway. The saddening event shattered the club’s progress, taking the lives of 8 United players. Busby was critically injured to the extent that he read the last rites twice, but he fortunately recovered later.

Just two months after the crash, Busby returned to managing United, aiming to restore its glory. Busby secured new legendary talents like Denis Law and George Best. The mentioned players formed the “United Trinity” along with Sir Bobby Charlton, who was one of the plane crash survivors. Sir Bobby was not the only plane crash survivor who continued playing for United; other players like Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes kept fighting for the badge. Busby and his team reworked the club from the bottom up. United won its first official trophy after the plane crash disaster in 1963, storing another FA Cup in its trophy cabinet. The FA Cup win proved United’s resilience and strength and encouraged the team to keep on pushing forward. United then won the league twice in 1965 and 1967, reestablishing dominance and greatness. Busby, however, wasn’t done; he wanted to lay his hands on the arguably greatest trophy in football: The European Cup.

On May 29, 1968, United won its first European Cup against Benfica in the final. This achievement made United the first English club to win the European Cup. Moreover, this historic victory highlighted United’s comeback in European football, and was a testament to Busby’s vision and management. Busby retired one year later after a renowned career spanning over 24 years at the club, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and success. https://soccerwizdom.com/2025/01/08/sir-matt-busby-the-architect-of-manchester-uniteds-legacy/ The inspiring story of Sir Matt Busby’s leadership and the rise of Manchester United | YourStory https://timepath.org/matt-busby Sir Matt Busby – Manchester United Manager (15/02/1945-11/08/1969 – 29/12/1970-08/06/1971)