11 Iconic Manchester United Images
Although it is unlikely to be remembered as one of the iconic moments in Manchester United's history, their victory over Southampton in the League Cup final did lead to an image which, if repeated with more storied silverware, could become iconic.
Paul Pogba, trophy in hand, hit a magnificent dab, straight in front of a nearby camera.
While the League Cup will never be important enough to the club to enter the pantheon of its greatest moments, daydreaming about Pogba dabbing with the Champions League trophy in hand brought to mind some of the Red Devils' most iconic moments.
There are too many to make a definitive ranking, but here is a look at some of the very best images associated with the club's most successful era, presented in chronological order. Jose Mourinho and Pogba will be hoping they can add to this list before their time at United is done.
Cantona's Kung-Fu
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Iconography is not universally associated with good news, and, in general, a flying kick over the advertising hoardings into the crowd is not something that players should be encouraged to do.
But it would be hard to argue that this is not one of the most memorable moments in the club's history and a key component in the legend of one of its favourite sons. Eric Cantona is remembered for a lot more than the day he kicked and punched Matthew Simmons at Selhurst Park, but no conversation about him would last too long before touching on that topic.
The angry and shocked faces in the crowd, the sense of fury unconfined, these are the images that stand out. The above picture shows Roy Keane running over to the scene, driven by the team ethic that says when one of us is in trouble we all join in.
Goals and trophies feature elsewhere on this list, but Cantona's conflict had to be included. Like the player himself, it is truly iconic.
The King in All His Majesty
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He did, of course, play a bit too. The chip against Sunderland seems as good a selection as any to highlight his brilliance.
It is particularly remembered for the celebration, of course. Collar up, arms outstretched, surveying the stadium around him; a king taking in his lands.
But this photograph of the chip itself is also a thing of beauty. The way blades of grass follows the ball through the air, necessary casualties in Cantona's battle against mediocrity. The player's incredible balance, as he harnesses the power in his tree-trunk thighs, finding perfect delicacy.
His face is captured at the meeting point between the concentration it took to pull off the move and the joy at the perfect execution that was about to follow, all under the shaved head which told the world he was not messing about.
It is pure Eric.
Giggs to the Rescue
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Like the Cantona goal against Sunderland, Ryan Giggs' extra-time winner in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal in 1999 is as much remembered for the celebration as the goal itself. Giggs, losing the run of himself, took his shirt off and twirled it around his head, displaying his hirsute form to the world.
But images of chest hair should not cloud the brilliance of the goal itself. Giggs was poetry in motion, carving through the Gunners' exhausted defence and finding a perfect finish. This photograph captures the split second before Giggs was able to celebrate, the last moment to check that this really was happening before the explosion of joy.
Tony Adams lies defeated on the ground, and David Seaman, by now, knows that all is lost. Giggs has won United the game, and set into motion a chain of events which would lead to the Red Devils' greatest triumph.
Roy Keane with a Captain's Goal.
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While Giggs might have provided United with an unstoppable injection of momentum, hefty challenges lay ahead. The Red Devils went two goals down to Juventus within the first 11 minutes of the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final. They had drawn the first leg 1-1 at Old Trafford, so now trailed 3-1, knowing two goals would be enough to get them through on the away goals rule.
But scoring two goals against Juventus at the Stadio Delle Alpi would be no mean feat.
Keane stepped up, opening United's account. The picture here tells us so much about the player. The raised fist is a symbol of celebration but also defiance—the look on his face tells us he—and his team—are not finished yet. It was arguably—or perhaps even inarguably—his best ever performance, and this moment sums up the whole thing.
David May on Top of the World
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Fittingly, given the number of trophies won, three of these 11 images come from the 1999 season.
We could have picked so many shots from the final. Sir Alex Ferguson on the sidelines as the fourth official displays how much stoppage time will be added, with United still one down. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's knee slide after his winner. The manager and Peter Schmiechel lifting the trophy for the first time or Gary and Phil Neville raising it aloft on the sidelines, all curtain haircuts and happiness.
But David May somehow stealing centre-stage tops it all. May was not even close to United's most important player that season but was nonetheless prepared to climb to the top of the pyramid during the festivities that followed the trophy lift. It was a funny, human and joyful moment as United ascended to the top of the football world.
Fergie Time
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There are three images of Sir Alex on the touchline which immediately compete for attention when he comes to mind. The first is his little hop of joy when United scored—a hop which grew ever more grandfatherly as the years progressed.
The second is him shouting a lot.
The third, of course, is him pointing to his watch. It had a few meanings. "Time up, ref," was one. "Don't forget to add this time on at the end," was another. The simplest means of translating which of these it meant was to look at the scoreline. If United were winning it was the former, if not, the latter.
His teams were so synonymous with late goals that time added on even after the allotted stoppage time was named after him. Fergie pointing at his watch will be remembered for a long time to come.
Ronaldo's Soul-Searing Celebration Against Portsmouth
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Flash forward a few years, and Fergie had built his next great team. At its heart was the brilliance of a young player who had arrived looking prodigiously talented but a bit, well, a bit spindly, a bit lacking in end product.
By the time January of 2008 had rolled around, Cristiano Ronaldo was neither of those things. He had transformed his body into a mass of muscle, and his end product was relentless.
He scored an incredible free-kick against Portsmouth, and the celebration summed up so much of what he had become. His neck bulged as he stretched his arms out wide, fingers far apart as power coursed through him. He looked like a superhero and played like one too. This was peak Ronaldo-at-United, and it was remarkable.
Scholes Celebrates a Screamer
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United's win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final in 2008 was very un-United-like. It was based on a well-drilled 4-5-1 designed to stifle the Catalans. It would take a moment of brilliance to propel them into the final.
Fortunately, one arrived, as Paul Scholes' spectacular strike found the back of the net.
The goal is iconic, but the celebration is magnificent for its sheer joy. Amid the joy there is surprise and hope, too, the realisation of what is potentially on offer. It would have meant a lot to all the players, but surely it was extra special for Scholes, who had missed the final in 1999 through suspension.
Nine years later, he more than made up for that.
A Moment in Moscow
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Edwin van der Sar saved a penalty, United won the European Cup again, and joy was unconfined.
The above tableau, taken a split second after the save, is not just one of the best photographs ever taken of Manchester United, it is one of the best photographs ever taken.
The expressions on every face are different, but all are wonderful. The fact that this is a photograph of people accelerating gives it a searing momentum. And the whole thing is drenched in fine droplets of rain, adding a beautiful, poetic resonance.
It simply does not get better.
Rooney Takes Flight
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No list of Premier League-era United iconography would be complete without at least one snap focused on the club's all-time record goalscorer.
And what better Wayne Rooney moment to pick than his incredible overhead kick against Manchester City in 2011? Fresh off a huge scandal involving his publicly stated desire to leave the club, Rooney was being reintegrated into Sir Alex's plans.
He rewarded his manager's acceptance with a moment of magic. Nani's deflected cross lopped high above the box, but Rooney realised he had the chance to pull off something truly remarkable. And he did.
Rooney is a United icon, and this is his most iconic moment.
Scaffold Reds
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The 2012/13 Premier League title celebrations were some of the most memorable in the club's history. It was a perfect combination of circumstances for an incredible party.
United had lost the league to City in agonising fashion the season before. That added huge satisfaction to getting the trophy back and added weight to parading it around Manchester. The city itself was being reclaimed.
And, of course, it was to be Sir Alex's last season. People wanted to say thank you.
So many people, in fact, that huge scaffolding works were overrun by United fans as the bus drove past. "Scaffold Reds," as they were dubbed, summed up just how much this one meant.
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