This is the first book to offer a rigorous, theoretically grounded treatment of the Manchester United phenomenon, with each chapter from a leading academic addressing a particular aspect of the central theme.

'A superb book and a must-read for any City fan.' - DANIEL TAYLOR, senior writer, The Athletic 'A thorough and delicious retelling of perhaps not the most successful of European journeys, but definitely the most interesting ... Fantastic.' - DAVID MOONEY, BBC Radio 5 Live 'A book that brilliantly explodes the myth that City have no history or pedigree in Europe.' - SIMON MULLOCK, chief football writer, Sunday Mirror THE ESSENTIAL NEW HISTORY OF MANCHESTER CITY'S EUROPEAN TRIUMPHS AND TRAGEDIES FEATURING A FOREWORD BY CITY LEGEND FRANCIS LEE As one of the first English sides to taste glory in Europe, lifting the Cup Winners' Cup in 1970, City looked set for life among the continent's elite. But as their domestic fortunes went from bad to worse to absolute calamity, the wilderness returned. Avid City fan and respected journalist Simon Curtis dusts off the details of some truly intoxicating away days. Filled with tales of the club's travelling support and the evocative accounts of the journalists who saw the team of the Seventies, Curtis tells the story of a club steeped in history, defiantly refusing to bow to pomp and ceremony as it goes about lifting the ultimate prize. After a spectacular rebuild and having achieved all there is to achieve on the domestic stage, including a record-breaking 100-point season in 2017-18, City's deep-pocketed owners have their sights firmly set on European glory once more. Yet for all their recent success at home, they are anything but welcome guests at Europe's top table.

This almanac gives a match-by-match analysis of the 2002-2003 season, telling how Europe and the Championship unfolded for players and fans. It also provides a supporters' diary for the 2003-2004 season.

Over the years, I have seen more than a thousand football matches at locations across Britain and Europe, from grounds that were little more than park pitches to some of the world's best stadia. This volume contains a further one hundred football ground visits, extending into Europe to visit some of the major stadia, as well as visiting new grounds in the UK as more teams relocated in the early years of the century.

'For me, he is England's greatest ever player' Gary Lineker 'Sir Bobby was a hero to millions, not just in Manchester or the United Kingdom, but wherever football is played around the world' Manchester United FC Sir Bobby Charlton was Manchester United through and through. He was a member of the original Busby Babes and devoted his career to the club, playing in 754 games over 17 years. During that period he won everything the game had to offer, played alongside some of the greats such as Best and Law, suffered devastating defeats and was involved in one of the greatest football tragedies of all time. Here is his story of those United years in his own words. With his beloved Reds he tasted FA Cup victory in the emotional final of 1963, won three first division championships and in 1968 he reached the pinnacle of club success, winning the European Cup. Inevitably, such highs are balanced with no less dramatic lows, such as the 1957 European Cup semi-final, the highly charged 1958 FA Cup loss which followed only weeks after the horrors of the Munich Air disaster, and the 1969 European Cup defeat by Milan. He was one of the true gentlemen of football and the legacy that Sir Bobby Charlton gave to United is beyond compare. RIP Sir Bobby Charlton 1937-2023

An intelligent and thought-provoking narrative of Manchester United exploring its cultural history within the broader cultural framework of globalization, working class traditions, mythology and the Munich Air Disaster, and pop culture. A unique thematic history of Manchester United from the club's creation as humble Newton Heath in 1878 to its status as the world's greatest football brand, this book gets to the essence of the heart and soul of the club. Key topics explored include the club's ability to rise from the ashes, commitment to youth, propensity for an adventurous style of football, glamour, and commercialization and aggressive marketing. Søren Frank introduces a football aesthetics that examines and discusses what sets Manchester United apart in regard to football philosophy. It contains microanalyses of some of the most fascinating matches or moments, as well as original portraits of some of the club's greatest players, all of this peppered with fascinating statistical facts in the club's history.