Manchester — United through sport & history
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910. But the iconic venue was completely destroyed during the second World War II when Germans bombed Manchester. Except for the players’ tunnel, the stadium was razed to the ground. Situated in the center of the South Stand, where dugouts are located, the central tunnel, which survived the war, is no longer in use since 1993, when the existing tunnel was built. But it stands tall even now and is part of the club’s rich past.
That’s not the only lowest point in the club’s history as it has its share of ups and downs in the last century. Apart from the bombing, the Munich Air Disaster is one of the darkest days in its history. On that ill-fated day, February 6, 1958, 23 people including eight players and three support staff were killed when the plane carrying them crashed during takeoff in Munich. The team was travelling back from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade.
Be it the Munich Tunnel at Sir Bobby Charlton Stand from where the players and support staff emerged out boarding a bus for the last time before losing their lives in the crash or the clock that had been stopped or the commemorative plaque at East Stand to pay tributes to those died in the accident, they welcome the visitors when they enter the stadium and softly reminds them the of the club’s dark days.
In that devastating event in football history, the Busby Babes, as the team coached by legendary Sir Matt Busby was known, lost some of their finest players. The crash site in Munich is now a memorial, and United hold annual remembrance services to honor the victims.
Tragedies and difficult times apart, the club has given some of the most cherished moments to its fans across the world over several decades and the statue of Holy Trinity right in front of the stadium symbolises that. With that statue, the attacking trio of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton still stands outside the venue taking back the visitors to the glory days in the 1960s including the European Cup triumph in 1968.