- Address: Sir Matt Busby Way, Stretford
- Country: United Kingdom
- Capacity: 74,000
- Opened: 19 February 1910
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Manchester United (football)
Extra stadium info – Old Trafford
The stadium became one of the largest stadiums by capacity in Europe. It was nicknamed The Theatre of Dreams by the Manchester United legend Robert Charlton. It became a common nickname for the stadium, which has been the home of Manchester United Football Club since it opened in 1910. Robert Charlton, commonly known as Bobby Charlton, was born in 1937. He played 606 domestic league games for Manchester United. Charlton scored 199 domestic league goals for Manchester United. He won the 1966 FIFA World Cup final with the national football team of England. In 1968, Charlton played for Manchester United in his first-ever European championship final. He scored twice in the final.
The 1966 FIFA World Cup
Old Trafford was one of the eight 1966 FIFA World Cup venues. It hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup match on 13 July 1966. The national football team of the Portuguese Republic, commonly known as Portugal, won the match against Hungary 3-1. 29,000 spectators attended the world championship game. The second FIFA World Cup match at the venue was also won by the Portuguese Republic. They defeated Bulgaria in front of a crowd of 25,000. The third FIFA World Cup game at the stadium drew an attendance of 24,000. The national football team of Hungary won the game against Bulgaria 3-1.
Manchester United
During World War II, the venue suffered bomb damage. Manchester United, also known as The Red Devils, moved their home games to the home of their rivals Manchester City FC for several years because of the damage. The current home of Manchester United became an all-seater stadium in the early 1990s. Manchester United Football Club is among the most popular sports clubs in the world.
The Premier League
Manchester United Football Club won the first two editions of the English Premier League. The Premier League is widely regarded as one of the major sports leagues in the world. In 2013, MUFC became the first football club with 20 English top-flight league titles. They drew an average attendance of 75,000 in their 19 Premier League home games during that football season.
The FA Cup and Alexander Turnbull
In 1909, MUFC won the FA Cup for the first time in their history. They won the title after defeating Bristol City. Alexander Turnbull scored the only goal in the FA Cup final between Bristol City and Manchester United. He also scored the first goal at Old Trafford. Turnbull received a lifelong ban from football in 1915. He was involved in a match-fixing scandal. In 1917, Turnbull was killed during a World War I battle at the age of 32.
More FA Cup titles
In 1999, MUFC became the first English club with 10 FA Cup titles after winning against Newcastle United. The final between Manchester United and Newcastle United took place in London in front of a crowd of 79,000. Arsenal became the second English club with 10 FA Cup titles after winning a penalty shoot-out against Manchester United in 2005. The final between Arsenal and Manchester United took place in Cardiff in front of 71,000 spectators.
The European championship for football clubs
The Red Devils were crowned European champions several times. On 29 May 1968, they played their first-ever European championship final against SL Benfica from the Portuguese Republic. The final took place in the English city of London in front of 92,000 spectators. It was the first European championship final with a football club from England. Manchester United won the final 4-1. Robert Charlton, George Best and Brian Kidd all scored for MUFC in the final. Jaime da Silva Graça scored the only goal for Benfica in the match.
The world championship for football clubs and Wayne Rooney
Manchester United won their only Toyota Cup, the former world championship for football clubs, after beating the Brazilian side Palmeiras in 1999. They won their first FIFA Club World Cup title in 2008 after defeating Liga Deportiva Universitaria from Ecuador in the final of the world championship. 68,000 people attended the match, which was played in the Japanese city of Yokohama. The English football star Wayne Rooney scored the only goal in the game. Rooney left Everton FC in 2004 for The Red Devils. He played hundreds of matches for MUFC before he returned to Everton in 2017. One year later, Wayne Mark Rooney signed with DC United from the United States. He ended his professional football career with Derby County in 2021.
