“A footballer has come into this house today”
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Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an English team to win the European Cup and is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
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sports · Scottish footballer, manager (1909–1994) · association football player · association football coach · also Matt Busby, Sir Alexander Matthew Busby, Busby
Born 26 May 1909 · Died 20 January 1994 · Q206237
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2026· 2 entries
Public attention spiked: 5,516 Wikipedia readers in one day, 8.5× the usual 647, with 0 article edits.
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2020· 1 entry
Busby, along with two other legendary managers, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein, were the subject of The Three Kings documentary
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2019· 1 entry
Won award: France Football 11th Greatest Manager of All Time (2019).
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2013· 2 entries
Won award: World Soccer 36th Greatest Manager of All Time (2013).
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Won award: ESPN 7th Greatest Manager of All Time (2013).
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2008· 2 entries
Won award: European Hall of Fame (Manager) (2008).
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The club won the Champions League again, 50 years after the Munich tragedy, and 40 years since Busby's own European glory
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2002· 3 entries
Won award: English Football Hall of Fame (Manager) (2002).
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Busby was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact on the sport
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And the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2004
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1999· 1 entry
In securing the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup, Manchester United won the European Cup on what would have been Busby's 90th birthday – the first time they had won the trophy since Busby's 1968 triumph
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1994· 1 entry
Died 1994-01-20.
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1984· 1 entry
It imagines Busby taking on the management of a boys' team competing in a local cup
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1980· 1 entry
Won award: PFA Merit Award (1980).
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1972· 2 entries
Won: Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (KCSG) (1972).
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Pope Paul VI made him a Knight of Order of Saint Gregory the Great
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1968· 2 entries
Won: European Cup with Manchester United (1967–68).
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Won: Knight Bachelor (1968).
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1967· 2 entries
Won: FA Charity Shield with Manchester United (1967).
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Won: Football League First Division with Manchester United (1966–67).
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1965· 3 entries
Won: FA Charity Shield with Manchester United (1965).
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Won: Football League First Division with Manchester United (1964–65).
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And again in 1967, with a defeat on the final day of the 1967–68 season seeing rivals Manchester City snatch the title away
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1963· 1 entry
Won: FA Cup with Manchester United (1962–63).
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1958· 1 entry
Won: Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1958).
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1957· 2 entries
Won: Football League First Division with Manchester United (1956–57).
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Won: FA Charity Shield with Manchester United (1957).
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1956· 3 entries
Won: FA Charity Shield with Manchester United (1956).
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Won: Football League First Division with Manchester United (1955–56).
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Just after United won another league title, Busby was offered the Real Madrid managerial role
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1952· 2 entries
Won: FA Charity Shield with Manchester United (1952).
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Won: Football League First Division with Manchester United (1951–52).
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1948· 1 entry
Won: FA Cup with Manchester United (1947–48).
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1947· 1 entry
1948, 1949 and 1951, and won the FA Cup in 1948, before winning the league championship in 1952
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1941· 4 entries
At a time when English clubs did not want their players in Scottish football unless they were insured
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Played for Hibernian F.C. (1941–1943) — 0 appearances, 0 goals.
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Played for Scottish Football League XI (1941–1941) — 1 appearances, 0 goals.
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While he was a guest player of Hibernian
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1939· 1 entry
And it was Busby who took him under his wing and showed him the ropes at Anfield
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1936· 1 entry
Played for Liverpool F.C. (1936–1941) — 115 appearances, 3 goals.
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1934· 1 entry
Won: FA Cup with Manchester City (1933–34).
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1933· 2 entries
Runner-up: FA Cup with Manchester City (1932–33).
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Played for Scotland men's national football team (1933–1933) — 1 appearances, 0 goals.
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1932· 1 entry
And the final in 1933 before finally winning the tournament in 1934
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1930· 2 entries
Became good friends with United's fixer, Louis Rocca; their relationship was helped by the fact that both were members of the Manchester Catholic Sportsman's Club
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Manchester United made an enquiry about signing Busby from their cross-town rivals, but they were unable to afford the £150 fee that City demanded
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1928· 1 entry
Played for Manchester City F.C. (1928–1936) — 204 appearances, 11 goals.
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1911· 1 entry
And had spent the interwar years bouncing between the First and Second Divisions
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1909· 1 entry
Born 1909-05-26.
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