History
The club formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F.C. At this time organised League football did not exist; "first class matches" were arranged on a largely ad-hoc basis and supplemented by cup competitions. Official records from these matches are sketchy at best, and are often extrapolated from newspaper reports at the time. In 1886, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, but were knocked out in the first round. The club entered The Combination in 1888, but the league was wound up before the season could be completed. The club then joined the Football Alliance in 1889, and in 1892 were elected to the newly formed Football League First Division. Upon joining the Football League, the club dropped the "LYR" from their name, before financial troubles forced the club to restructure in 1902, including a change of name to Manchester United F.C.
In 1956–57, the club became the first English club to enter European competition, entering the European Cup, following the Football Association's refusal to allow Chelsea F.C. to enter the previous year. Eleven years later, in 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, and only the second British side after Celtic F.C. had won it in 1967. Meanwhile, in 1960–61, Manchester United entered the inaugural Football League Cup, only to decline to enter for the next five years. In 1992–93, they became founder members and inaugural champions of the Premier League, and, in 1998–99, they won an unprecedented Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. This was followed by two more Premier League titles in 1999–2000 and 2000–01, making Manchester United only the fourth club to win three consecutive English league titles. The club picked up its tenth Premier League title in the 2007–08 season, and followed it with a third Champions League title ten days later. The following season, Manchester United became the first English club to win the FIFA Club World Cup, before claiming a third consecutive Premier League title for a second time in 2008–09. In 2010–11, Manchester United gained its nineteenth top division title while passing Liverpool's record. In 2011–12, United almost won the title but two goals in injury time for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers meant they will only finish second.
Read more about this topic: List Of Manchester United F.C. Seasons
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