Editing Manchester United F.C. (section)

===Busby years (1945–1969)===
{{Main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1945–1969)}}
[[File:Busby babes 1955.jpg|thumb|The Busby Babes in 1955. Manager [[Matt Busby]] is pictured front right.|alt=A black-and-white photograph of several people in suits and overcoats on the steps of an aircraft.]]
In October 1945, the impending resumption of football after the war led to the managerial appointment of [[Matt Busby]], who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers and training sessions.<ref>Barnes et al. (2001), p. 13.</ref> Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947, 1948 and 1949, and to FA Cup victory in [[1948 FA Cup final|1948]]. In 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years.<ref>Barnes et al. (2001), p. 10.</ref> They then won back-to-back league titles in 1956 and 1957; the squad, who had an average age of 22, were nicknamed "the [[Busby Babes]]" by the media, a testament to Busby's faith in his youth players.<ref>Murphy (2006), p. 71.</ref> In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]], despite objections from The Football League, who had denied [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] the same opportunity the previous season.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Glanville |title=The great Chelsea surrender |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1586242,00.html |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=27 April 2005 |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629133659/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1586242,00.html }}</ref> En route to the semi-final, which they lost to [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]], the team recorded a 10–0 victory over Belgian champions [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], which remains the club's biggest victory on record.<ref>Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 14–15.</ref>

[[File:Munich air disaster plaque.jpg|thumb|left|A plaque at Old Trafford in memory of those who died in the Munich air disaster, including players' names |alt=A stone tablet, inscribed with the image of a football pitch and several names. It is surrounded by a stone border in the shape of a football stadium. Above the tablet is a wooden carving of two men holding a large wreath.]]
The following season, on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against [[Red Star Belgrade]], the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich, Germany. The [[Munich air disaster]] of 6 February 1958 claimed 23 lives, including those of eight players&nbsp;– [[Geoff Bent]], [[Roger Byrne]], [[Eddie Colman]], [[Duncan Edwards]], [[Mark Jones (footballer, born 1933)|Mark Jones]], [[David Pegg]], [[Tommy Taylor]] and [[Billy Whelan]]&nbsp;– and injured several more.<ref>{{cite news |title=1958: United players killed in air disaster |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2535000/2535961.stm |work=BBC News |date=6 February 1958 |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-date=17 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917140201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2535000/2535961.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 16–17.</ref>

[[File:Manchester The United trinity.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''[[United Trinity]]'' statue of [[George Best]] (left), [[Denis Law]] (centre) and [[Bobby Charlton]] (right) outside Old Trafford]]
Assistant manager [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]] took over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries and the club's makeshift side reached the [[1958 FA Cup final|FA Cup final]], which they lost to Bolton Wanderers. In recognition of the team's tragedy, [[UEFA]] invited the club to compete in the [[1958–59 European Cup]] alongside eventual League champions [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]. Despite approval from The Football Association, The Football League determined that the club should not enter the competition, since it had not qualified.<ref>White, Jim (2008), p. 136.</ref><ref>Barnes et al. (2001), p. 17.</ref> Busby rebuilt the team through the 1960s by signing players such as [[Denis Law]] and [[Paddy Crerand]], who combined with the next generation of youth players – including [[George Best]] – to win the FA Cup in [[1963 FA Cup final|1963]]. Busby rested several key players for the League game before the Cup Final which gave [[Dennis Walker (footballer)|Dennis Walker]] the chance to make his debut against Nottingham Forest on 20 May. Walker thus became the first Black player to represent United.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hern |first1=Bill |last2=Gleave |first2=David |title=Football's Black Pioneers |date=2020 |publisher=Conker Editions |location=Leicester |isbn=978-1-9999008-5-4 |pages=168–169}}</ref> The following season, they finished second in the league, then won the title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] 4–1 in the [[1968 European Cup final|final]]<ref name="barnes_18-19">Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 18–19.</ref> with a team that contained three [[Ballon d'Or|European Footballers of the Year]]: [[Bobby Charlton]], Denis Law and George Best.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Rob |last1=Moore |first2=Karel |last2=Stokkermans |date=11 December 2009 |title=European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") |website=[[RSSSF]] |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/europa-poy.html |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-date=17 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217034637/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/europa-poy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They then represented Europe in the [[1968 Intercontinental Cup]] against [[Estudiantes de La Plata|Estudiantes]] of Argentina, but defeat in the first leg in Buenos Aires meant a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford three weeks later was not enough to claim the title. Busby resigned as manager in 1969 before being replaced by the reserve team coach, former Manchester United player [[Wilf McGuinness]].<ref name="barnes_19"/>