“Football, bloody hell”.

The immortal words of Sir Alex Ferguson, spoken in the wake of Manchester United’s astonishing Champions League triumph in 1999, perfectly sum up the beautiful game that we know and love.

For Fergie’s beloved Red Devils the highs, such as that famous evening Barcelona, could not have been higher. But, as football gives so does football take away. The post-Ferguson years have been a rollercoaster to put it mildly with any budding optimism seemingly swept away before it can truly take hold. 

One thing any Manchester United fan can cling onto however is the club’s history.

Here are the most popular namesets fans and collectors have been getting on the back of their shirts to remember those good old days by. 

We have gone through the history booked to see who are the most popular Manchester United player shirts ordered on our site.  

Vintage David Beckham shirts

If you’re anything like me you thoroughly enjoyed the recent Beckham documentary on Netflix. One of the key themes of the doc was Beckham’s deep love for his boyhood team, and that love has clearly been reciprocated as more fans (181) choose Beckham as a nameset for United shirts than any other player.

Before Becks wore #7, he was in double digits. The superb 1996 Manchester United home shirt was a true gem from 90s kings Umbro, and the chunky typeface used for Beckham and co. couldn’t have been more fitting for the decade.

As United continued to soar to greater heights, so too did their blossoming superstar. Now wearing his famous #7, few can forget some of his performances wearing the 1998 home shirt, which featured arguably the greatest sleeve taping of all time. The zip on the front was a fun addition, too.

The arrival of Nike to the red side of Manchester was a seismic moment in the world of football kits and the 2002 United home has endured on account of it being the debut of the American brand. The vodafone sponsor (used from 2000) was another notable inclusion.

Vintage Eric Cantona shirts

It says a lot about Eric Cantona’s impact that he continues to be the reference point whenever a player pops their collar. “King Eric’s” reign was breathless and many of the shirts he wore continue to be highly sought after given his legacy. 156 fans chose his nameset, putting him just behind Beckham in the pecking order.

Though hardly a memory Cantona himself would like to be reminded of, the 1993 Manchester United away shirt is perhaps best associated for a certain scuffle in the stands. Don’t let the infamous kung-fu kick distract you though; this is an absolute beauty of a shirt which was rarely bettered at the time (and for me, the story only adds to its allure…).

Vintage Cristiano Ronaldo shirts

Rounding off our top 3 Manchester United namesets of all time in a somewhat distant third at 34 sales is many people’s greatest player of all time. You can guarantee that when CR7 eventually retires the demand for shirts of his will rise.

Shirts like the 2004 United home kit will bring back memories of a fresh faced Portuguese winger still finding his feet somewhat, but boy did he find them. This particular design was something of an evolution of the earlier Nike shirts, at a time when the Swoosh were kings of kits thanks to the Total 90 range.