Northwest England’s Manchester United football club has long served as one of Europe’s premiere professional football teams, boasting long-time fans such as Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others. Regarded as “The Most Popular Football Team in the World”, Manchester United currently holds the largest average game attendance in Europe, among numerous other distinctions cementing its high-profile status in sports.

Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the football club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902. Now, aptly nicknamed the “The Red Devils”, the dynamic Manchester United’s club crest is derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms. As one of the world’s most widely supported sports franchises, Manchester United is renowned for its vibrant and devoted fan base.

Under the management of Matt Busby in 1968, Manchester United won the European Cup before going on to win an additional 28 major honours under manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose career of over 25 years thrived until his retirement in 2013. Leading his team toward the acquisition of 13 national championships, Ferguson remains one of the most well-known and respected managers in the history of English football.

With a record 20 League titles, four League Cups, 11 FA Cups, and 20 FA Community Shields, Manchester United won the continental treble, a brilliant accomplishment for an English football club.  Further demonstrating their outstanding impact in the world of football, Manchester United ranked first on the Forbes list of the world’s ten most valuable sports franchises in 2012. In the next year, Manchester United became the first sports team in the history to be valued at a staggering $3 billion – $1.2 billion more than the second ranked most valuable sports team in the world at the time. Although the team’s ranking has since slipped to the number two spot in 2013, Manchester United remains one of the world’s most wealthy clubs.

Whilst Manchester United has accomplished many fetes of incredible significance, the team has also experienced devastating loss. On February 6, 1958, a plane carrying the team crashed upon take-off in Munich, West Germany, killing twenty-three passengers, eight Manchester players among them. A shocking blow to the team and the world as a whole, Manchester United went on to rebuild and achieve great success in the following years. Adding to its worldwide fame is Manchester United’s all-time roster of international sports superstars including players Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Bobby Charlton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. Continuous football supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo are aware that the future of Manchester United remains bright as ever.

Many supporters of Man United, including Tunde Folawiyo, consider Ryan Giggs to be the team’s greatest member. Born in Wales in 1973, Giggs first played for the Red Devils in 1990, at the age of 17. He had been ‘discovered’ by Alex Ferguson just a few months prior to this, whilst playing for Deans FC. Quickly establishing himself as a left winger, Giggs continued to play in this position up until the 2000s.

His time with the club has been United’s most successful era, no doubt due in part to Giggs’s incredible talent; over the course of his career, he has been awarded more winners’ medals than any other United footballer. His ability to run at high speed, create scoring opportunities for other players, and retain possession of the ball has made him a great asset to the team.

Since he was signed in the early nineties, Giggs has made more appearances on the pitch than any other player in the history of the club’s existence; up until 2008, Sir Bobby Charlton held this record, having participated in a grand total of 758 matches.

However, Giggs surpassed this figure after taking part in the European Cup finals in Moscow. Today, he has played in over 950 matches; his 900th occurred in the spring of 2012, during the team’s away game against Norwich City. Giggs performed exceptionally well, providing United with the winning goal just minutes before the final whistle blew.

As an admirer of this player, Tunde Folawiyo is most likely aware of the many honours which Giggs has received throughout the years. In 2007, his services to football won him the OBE, and in 2009, he was given two titles; namely, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year. The following year, Salford council gave Giggs the Freedom of Salford, and in 2012, he was chosen as the Premiership’s greatest player.

Whilst he clearly has a natural aptitude for this sport, it is Giggs’s dedication which has prolonged his career with Manchester United, and enabled him to continue to play, despite being in his forties. He trains several times a week, has taken up yoga to improve his flexibility, and has retired from international football. Speaking to a news publication in 2012, Giggs explained that he will continue to participate in matches for as long as he can, but added that he eventually hopes to transition into management.

Following some frustrating losses over the past few months, supporters of Manchester United were thrilled with the team’s recent victory over Swansea. With a final result of 2-0, it certainly seems that Moyes’ unwavering faith in the players over the past few months has been justified. Although this means that United have now won five out of six games in the Premier League, it’s remains uncertain whether or not they will be able to win the title; Tunde Folawiyo, and any other loyal supporters, will know that the Red Devils’ performance since Moyes joined the club has been inconsistent, to say the least.

The first half was described by many as being mediocre, with neither side coming close to scoring. However, Swansea were named as favourites to win by several commentators, as they managed to retain possession of the ball for most of the first 45 minutes. But the Red Devil’s were in top form when they returned after the half-time interval, dominating the match from the moment they stepped out onto the pitch,  right up until the final whistle was blown, with goals being scored by Danny Welbeck and Antonia Valencia.

The run up to Welbeck’s goal was particularly thrilling; after Januzaj gained possession of the ball, he kicked it towards Welbeck, who then headed it in Evra’s direction, at which point Evra attempted to score. Swansea supporters rejoiced as his shot turned out to be miscued; however, their happiness was short-lived, as Welbeck once again took control of the ball and quickly fired it passed Tremmel, into the net. This goal, which doubled United’s advantage, probably came as quite a relief to many supporters, including Tunde Folawiyo.

Whilst both goal-scorers were commended for their contributions, the star of the match was Adnan Januzaj. It was his quick-thinking and skilful footwork that provided Valencia and Welbeck with their respective opportunities, and his persistent attacks on Swansea ensured that the opponents stood no chance of regaining control of the ball.  Whilst some have argued that Moyes should not become too reliant on such a young player (Januzaj is just 18 years of age), others contend that United should simply make the most of the winger’s talents.

Moyes appears to be doing precisely that; his decision to give Januzaj, rather than Kagawa, the number 10 role during the second half is a clear indicator of how much he trusts him, as Kagawa had been brought in specifically for this position, from Borussia Dortmund.