If you’re a fan of football, you’ll be more than aware that two of the most iconic, world-leading football teams call Manchester home. Manchester United and Manchester City leave many people debating whether Manchester is red or blue, with the rivalry having gone on since the Victorian times! However, one thing that can’t be disputed is the fact both teams have performed extraordinarily over the years, having made some amazing accomplishments along the way.
We are only halfway into the year and we have seen both teams win some impressive titles making their millions of fans cheerful, but before we go through those achievements let’s go through some amazing statistics about each team.
Manchester United F.C. Facts and Stats
- Since it became the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United have won thirteen titles making them the team with the most premier league titles in the UK
- They have a famous nickname ‘The Red Devils’
- The club was founded in 1878 and was originally called Newton Heath LYR Football Club until 1902
- The Manchester United stadium has been Old Trafford since 1910 and has a capacity of over 74,000; obviously with many changes over the years!
- They have won a total of 67 trophies overall
- Other big rivalries are Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds United
- Many of the world’s most famous players have played for the team including:
- David Beckham
- Rio Ferdinand
- Christiano Ronaldo
- Wayne Rooney
- Roy Keane
- And more!
- In 2011, they discovered from a worldwide survey that one-tenth of the world are Man United fans; that’s over 650 million people!
Manchester City F.C. Facts and Stats
- The club was founded in 1880 as St. Marks (West Gorton), they then became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and then finally became Manchester City in 1894!
- The home to the club is Etihad Stadium which was formerly an athletic stadium and opened as a football one in 2003 holding over 50,000 people
- Manchester City holds seven premier league titles making them second to Manchester United
- The club had a rocky start with the premier league, having been relegated from 1996 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2002
- They have won 32 major trophies in total
- Manchester City also have Liverpool as a rival after United
- The fans are also known as Cityzens
- The current value of the club is £4.02 billion!
Now that you’ve got a better idea of how major both these teams are; if you didn’t already know, we can now get into the heat both these teams have bought in 2023 alone! So, without wasting any more time, let’s get into it!
Manchester United
Starting the year off with a bang, Manchester United beat Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in February and took home the Carabao Cup with a well-deserved win! The game was tense with Newcastle having majority possession, however, Manchester United put out a great performance. They also were a runner-up for the Premier League title this season coming third and also came second in the FA Cup final! We cannot wait to see what they have in store for the 2023-24 season.
Manchester City
This year Manchester City has come to claim the throne winning two major titles and leaving no space for anyone else to share their spotlight! For the third consecutive year, they claimed the Premier League trophy once again winning 1-0 against Arsenal in a tense final. The last time Arsenal won the league was in 2004. Therefore many of their fans were hoping to see success, but Man City were having none of it!
Next, we will be discussing a game that left millions of people on the edge of their seats. What is known as a ‘Derby’ is what the FA Cup final resulted in; this is when two teams that are local rivals face each other in a match. Manchester City took on Manchester United for a heated 96 minutes creating an intense atmosphere in Wembley Stadium! The match was held on 3 June and was filled with 89,000 supporters; it was even deemed “high risk” by the police due to the strong rivalry between the two clubs. The end result was 2-1, leaving Man City with another incredible win.
Would you believe us if we told you Manchester City won another big title, only one week after winning the FA Cup? Well if you said no, then you’ll be shocked to discover on 10 June they held the UEFA Champions League trophy up in the air with pride. Facing Inter Milan, the club took home their first-ever champions league title with ease after winning 1-0. Manchester now has earned the right to take on UEFA Europa League winners, Sevilla, in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup! We wish them well and hope they can claim yet another trophy after these last successful couple of months!
Overall
The aim of this blog wasn’t to make you pick a side, but instead to show you the true talent and energy that Manchester has to offer the world of sports. Even if you aren’t a football fan, you for sure now know that both Manchester teams are a force to be reckoned with. A bit of your own research will help you find out about all the upcoming matches both teams will be playing in so you know what dates to put into your calendar!
For more information regarding each team, follow the links below:
It’s down to you to decide whether you believe the city is red or blue… or you might love both!
