Manchester United: 10 Coolest Players in Reds History

Manchester United are loved by a large number of people all over the world, with estimates of their global fanbase ranging from 70 million to a staggering 300 million.

Such widespread popularity was arguably born out of United's remarkable journey from the 1958 Munich air disaster to kings of Europe in 1968, and has continued to build with the spectacular successes under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Here are 10 players who've done more than most to spread the United gospel, strutting their stuff in the famous red shirt.

To qualify, these are not my 10 best United players in history. These are my 10 coolest.

10. Peter Schmeichel

The greatest goalkeeper in United history, Peter Schmeichel played a huge part in returning the club to former glories, under Sir Alex Ferguson.

An instinctive shot-stopper, fearless in the challenge and never afraid to tell his defenders what he thought of them, Schmeichel led from the back as United drove to the Treble in 1999.

9. Roy Keane

Roy Keane's snarling intensity helped drive United through a decade of unprecedented success under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Here was a player who would never back down, and whose fierce commitment rubbed off on all those around him.

8. Duncan Edwards

Duncan Edwards was just 21 when he died as a result of injuries suffered in the Munich air disaster of 1958. English football lost potentially one the greatest players it had ever produced.

United manager Jimmy Murphy called him "the most complete footballer I have ever known." They said he was a boy who played like a man, with two great feet, strength in the air and speed on the ground.

"He was the only player who ever made me feel inferior," said Sir Bobby Charlton.

7. Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes was often referred to as "a scorer of great goals, but not a great goal scorer," but in his time at United he scored some of the most important goals of the early Ferguson era.

A serious handful for any defender unlucky enough to come up against him, Hughes offered a combination of power and technique that made him a fan favorite at Old Trafford.

6. Sir Bobby Charlton

The great Sir Bobby Charlton survived the Munich air disaster in 1958 to lead United back to the summit of European football.

A supremely gifted midfielder, who could use both feet and pretty much do it all, Charlton set an example in professionalism that continues to live on at Old Trafford to this day.

5. Denis Law

Denis Law scored 171 goals in 309 appearances for United, and along with Bobby Charlton and George Best, was part of the legendary triumvirate that spearheaded a glorious run of success in the 1960s.

4. Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs' rise to fame in the early 1990s was part of a new wave of footballers being seen as pop stars.

Giggs, along with his teammate Lee Sharpe, were regularly featured in teen magazines and became pin-ups overnight as a result of their exploits on and off the pitch for United.

Billed as "the new Best" when he broke into the United team in 1991, Giggs was another to get you off your set every time he got the ball. That he's still doing it 20 years is one of the most remarkable feats of sporting longevity you're likely to come across.

3. Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson was the archetypal barnstorming midfielder. A player of quite remarkable drive and tenacity, with equal worth at either end of the field, Robson was a joy to behold in his pomp.

Still at United in an ambassadorial role, he remains revered by anybody who ever saw him play. Captain Marvel they called him, and he never let them down.

2. Eric Cantona

It says everything about Eric Cantona that well over a decade since he last played for the club the fans still chant his name at every game.

Before Cantona United were a team living on past glories, and without a league title in 26 years. Thanks to his inspiration they became the dominant force in English football.

"I am not a man, I am Cantona," he once said. To United fans he's practically a god.

1. George Best

Arguably the greatest player to put on the shirt, George Best was discovered as a frail boy in Northern Ireland and went on to become one of the most revered footballers in history.

Best was perhaps the first pop star football. His appetite for the celebrity lifestyle was legendary and he had an eye for the ladies almost as strong as his eye for a pass.

But while his passing could be sublime, it was Best's dribbling that truly got fans on their feet. Here was a player with such skill, balance and speed that he could humiliate the best on the planet.

My new book, Life with Sir Alex, tells the story of Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at United from the perspective of a fan. Order it here for shipping worldwide.

You can follow me on Twitter, @willtidey.