It has been 20 years since Glazers took over at Manchester United, spending more than £20bn over the years
Twenty years have passed since the Glazer family owns Manchester United’s ownership.
The acquisition went through May 2005, with about 300 joint fans protesting against Glazel outside Old Trafford, while Bobby Charlton was forced to apologize to the owners for their reception. Fast forward to 2025, and the family spent more than £20 billion on transfers to help the Red Devils chase the glory of the Premier League and Champions League, but they remain the root of frustration for Old Trafford loyalists.
Last February, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos acquired a minority stake in the club, hoping to breathe a new lease of life while in charge of football operations, but little changes were made in terms of progress on the court. Despite the board support, United finished eighth in 2023/24 under Erik Ten Hag, while the current semester looks to be Trump Trump, with some setting records with record Premier League positions.
If the board wants to turn the trend under new boss Ruben Amorim, though it isn’t always that tough in the Northwest, it’s certainly needed further investment. In fact, many names through the gate continued to maintain an incredible game against the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson under the new era of Old Trafford.
Edwin van der sar-2 million pounds
Edwin van der Sar signed Manchester United in June 2005 on a £2m contract after four years with Fulham. The shooter immediately ran at Old Trafford, playing every minute of his opening ceremony for 51 games in all competitions.
Van der Sar helped United win the Premier League in 2006/07 before winning the league, community shield and Champions League treble the following year – showing a special hero in a tense European final penalty with Chelsea.
Van der Sar has four Premier League titles and split with United in 2011, with a total of 266 appearances. He is the club’s best goalkeeper since Peter Schmeichel’s exit in 1999.
Since retirement, Van der Sar became Ajax’s marketing director in 2012, after being promoted to CEO position in 2016. However, in May 2023, he resigned.
Ji -Sung Park – £4 million
A month after Van der Sar arrived in the northwest, the Red Devils received service from PSV for £4m. The arrival of the midfielder made him the second Asian to sign the club from Dong Fangzhuo in 2004.
Despite failing to score as fans expected, Parker is an integral part of the Ferguson team, adding an advantage to the court in 45 games in his first season. Despite his injury hindered in the club’s second year, he still won the Premier League title medal after scoring five goals in 14 games.
He was also part of the team that won the 2008 Champions League, although Ferguson omitted his final in a tough decision. Parker’s most prolific season in his career was in 2010/11, when he scored eight goals in 28 games before entering QPR at the end of the season. He returned to the old club PSV Eindhoven to retire after participating in the 2013/14 campaign.
Park mastered the Under 16 part of QPR, completing the coaching badge as part of his Coach B license. After leaving the club, Park entered the K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai in 2022.
He then appointed former Chilean ace Dan Petrescu as manager, but the Romanian didn’t last long as he quit the mid-season. Parker then became the club’s advisor, which chose another former Chelsea player from former Chelsea Poyet, as he was announced as the new manager last year.
Ben Foster – £1 million
Ben Foster was brought to Manchester United in July 2005 for £1m after Ferguson won Ferguson’s attention in Ferguson’s final. However, instead of spending a long time in Greater Manchester, he gained some valuable experience on loan to Watford.
He spent two years on Vicarage Road in total, and he made 81 appearances before returning to his mother club in the summer of 2007. However, a ligament injury left him out of control for about six months before Foster finally made his debut in March 2008.
Unfortunately, he failed to play another game for the first team for the rest of the season. After a total of 23 games for the club and even won the League Cup twice with Manchester United, Foster joined Birmingham City in 2010 with a permanent deal.
After retirement, the 42-year-old enjoyed a brief spell with Wrexham before finally hanging up his gloves, and he gained a big name from the football world on his popular podcast Fozcast.
Nemanja Vidic – £7 million
Nemanja Vidic signed the Red Devils in January 2006 with a £7 million Spartak Moscow deal. He was immediately thrown into the battle by Ferguson, making his debut in the second game of the semi-finals second game against Blackburn.
The center went in and out of the side in his first six months before forming an alliance with Rio Ferdinand before the 2006/07 season. This partnership has since become one of the most iconic in football history.
Vidic won the Champions League in 2008 and won five Premier League titles while at the club. After 300 appearances with the team, Vidic left United at the end of the 2013/14 season with his name 21 goals – Central defender to say the least.
After an 18-month spell at Inter Milan, he didn’t show up for the last one – calling time in his career after a series of injuries. His contract was eventually terminated with the joint consent of San Siro.
Patrice Evra – £5.5 million
Patrice Evra moved to the UK for £5.5 million in January 2006 after falling into trouble with Inter Milan and Inter Milan. However, the French defender initially encountered the problem of adapting to the English game.
Despite initial setbacks, EVRA was able to correct his mistakes and became one of Manchester United’s most powerful assets, completing his first season with a total of 14 appearances. Although he was not a regular starter in 2007/08, he still managed to help United reach the Premier League title and then became furniture soon after.
Evra left Manchester United for Juventus in 2014, with his name having 10 major honors and 379 appearances. EVRA has been a television broadcaster since retirement (e.g. Sky movement.
