Manchester United have been blessed down the years with some of the greatest players to have graced a football field. Trying to pick the best ever XI is an impossible task, yet many try.
Now VAVEL are going to try and break it down into geographical best XI's starting with Britain. It doesn't make the task much easier! There are plenty of genuine world class players that don't make the cut.
The formation is a 3-5-2.
Goalkeeper - Alex Stepney
This was a difficult choice, yet there weren't too many candidates. Stepney was part of the historic 1968 European Cup winning team, and his wonderful save from Eusebio in the Final was crucial in helping United to victory. He only earned one England cap, but with Gordon Banks and then Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence to contend with, it was not a total surprise.
His competition came in the form of the legendary Harry Gregg. The Munich hero was signed for a world record fee for a goalkeeper, but injuries plagued his United career and ultimately Stepney replaced him.
A mention could go to Gary Bailey, but the ex-England international wasn't in the same bracket and injuries blighted his career.
Defender - Duncan Edwards
Possibly the best player ever to have worn the United shirt. If Sir Bobby Charlton is to be the judge, then he is. Charlton saw them all in his career and maintained that nobody was better.
He was a member of the inaugural FA Youth Cup winning side in 1953, but he was a colossus and looked like a man not a boy. So at 16 years and 185 days, Edwards became United's and the First Division's youngest ever player.
At 18 he was an England International. He was a sensation. He could play anywhere, and although he is in this XI as a defender, he is probably and arguably best used in midfield. HIs position was 'half-back'. That was a defensive position, but the way a half-back played meant that they also had to support going forward.
In essence, he did the role of a central midfielder. He could pass long and short and had a cannonball shot. Wilf McGuinness, a former teammate, said he was a blend of Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and Steven Gerrard. That would make him football's equivalent of Superman.
As a boy, he resembled a man. He was a colossus. Tragically, he lost his life in Munich at the age of 21 and the football world missed out on many more years of his greatness.
Defender - Rio Ferdinand
One of the classiest defenders ever to wear a United shirt. He was a central defender, but could so easily have played in midfield. He had the lot. Pace, skill, strength. He was comfortable and elegant on the ball, but was a good reader of the game.
He was excellent in one on one situations, because his positional sense and speed meant that he rarely lost out. He didn't have to tackle often, though he could, and if he had a flaw in his game it was concentration. That was generally confined to his early years, where he dallied a little in possession.
His hiccups, though, were magnified because of their rarity. He formed a memorable partnership with Nemanja Vidic, and he served United well winning six league titles, three League Cups, a Champions League and the World Club Cup.
He cost a huge amount of money, £30 million and change, making him the most expensive defender ever for a second time. The money United paid was well worth it.
Defender - Bill Foulkes
Bill Foulkes deserves the title 'Legend'. He was a gentle giant and a gentleman. He served United with great distinction, and while he started out as a fullback, he played the latter part of his career at centre-half.
Such was his unassuming nature, even having signed for Manchester United as an 18-year-old, and having broken into the first team at 20, he still worked part time in a coal mine. That in itself is amazing. It wasn't until he had been given a full cap by England - his only cap - that he gave up the pit work.
He was a 'Busby Babe' like Duncan, but unlike Duncan, he was one of the fortunate survivors. He assumed United captaincy after the crash and became part of the next great United side. He was an integral part of the rebuilding process in the wake of the disaster.
He won four league titles with United, but he played a huge role in helping United become the first English club to lift the European Cup in 1968. Trailing 3-1 at half time in the Bernabeu Stadium, it looked like United could be eliminated.
They had won the first leg 1-0 at Old Trafford, but David Sadler gave United the advantage when he made it 3-2, albeit a slender away goal advantage. With time running out, George Best crossed and for some reason Foulkes was there to put United through to the final.
Beating Benfica in the final represented a cathartic moment for both him and Charlton, and Sir Matt Busby himself, in achieving the Holy Grail. 688 appearances pre and post-Munich, Bill Foulkes deserves his place in United history and in this team.
Wide Right - George Best
Wide right is the description for this position. Not wing back, not winger. In this unconventional lineup, we have George as a wing back, but George being George can do what he wants.
He can do what he wants because he was a genius, so whatever he does is going to be special. Just as it always was.
In these fantasy lineups, you can debate endlessly about who was better than who, and what position people should occupy, but George Best simply has to be on the team sheet. If he is not the best player ever to play for United, he was the most entertaining.
And the most talented with a football. He could beat a player with a shake of the hips. He lost a boot, he picked it up and still beat his opponent. He goaded defenders into committing themselves and made them look like mugs. And many weren't mugs.
The shy Irishman came over as a 16-year-old from Northern Ireland, and quickly went back due to homesickness. He returned, and every football fan should be glad of that. In his early years at United, he was a phenomenon. His pace and skill and eye for goal made him unplayable at times.
When he defeated Benfica - it was a team effort of course but Best ran the show - by the tune of 5-1 to inflict the Portuguese first ever home defeat, he became a global sensation. He became known as 'El Beatle' due to him posing with a sombrero when United returned home. From that point on, it would never be the same.
He scored in the European Cup win in 1968, and was named European Footballer of the Year. He hadn't reached his peak, but others had and his brilliance couldn't prevent United from decline. That decline, combined with him being the first celebrity footballer, meant a road to self-destruction.
With Bestie, you have to look past the problems and just enjoy the sheer brilliance. He once said that Pele told him he was the best player he had ever seen, and it was good enough for him. It is good enough for anyone. Simply the Best.
Wide Left - Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs. The Welsh Wizard. Tearing you apart since 1991. What was extraordinary after he made his debut as a substitute against Everton in 2-0 home defeat was that he did not feature for United again until two months later in the Manchester Derby where he 'scored' the winner.
Why was it extraordinary? Because his debut as a 17-year-old in a United side that was inconsistent was outstanding. He was excellent against Everton, so it was a mystery why he seemingly disappeared. Sir Alex Ferguson deserves credit for giving him a taste only.
Giggs was utterly brilliant throughout his long and distinguished career. He was part of three great United sides managed by Sir Alex, and that in itself is incredible. 1994, 1999 and 2008. Giggs was there, playing his part.
He was in many ways like Best. A wonderful dribbler, wonderful balance. Sir Alex said he was like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of paper in the wind. He was. He gave full backs twisted blood as he drove at them and weaved one way then the next.
Giggs will always be known as a rapid winger, but 962 appearances after his debut don't tell the whole story. His pace was blistering, but as he got older he adapted his game to become a central midfielder.
Granted, he spent more time on the bench than on the pitch as the curtain drew to a close, but he was a driving force in midfield and excelled. It showed what a wonderful football brain he had, and what determination existed within.
United's record appearance holder and most decorated player ever say enough. His abiding memory in a United shirt was at Villa Park, and that goal - as well as the one against Juventus in the home leg of the semi-final - which were instrumental in United's glorious treble. Legend.
Centre midfield - Bryan Robson
Captain Marvel. Until the arrival of Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson was United's driving force. Yet Cantona's arrival did allow Robson to pick up two absolutely deserved league titles.
Though he played a bit part in those triumphs, there was not one player that deserved those medals more than 'Robbo'. He was a warrior and too brave for his own good. As a youngster at West Bromwich Albion, he suffered three broken legs in one season.
It never stopped him from throwing himself into challenges, usually coming out on top. When Ron Atkinson signed him for a British record fee in 1981, he said it wasn't a gamble, as Robson was "solid gold". Atkinson has made at least one huge faux pas, but that wasn't. He was dead right.
To try and put things in perspective, N'Golo Kante is considered to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He is. He is classed as a 'defensive midfielder'. He is quick around the ground, and can create problems going forward, when he ventures forward. He deserves the plaudits that come his way.
Bryan Robson did everything Kante does and more. His engine was a bigger version than Kante's, it had to be. Up and down, up and down. Robson was everywhere. And unlike Kante, he had the knack that many a great midfielder had of arriving in the box late to score.
When Robson was injured, and he was injured with regularity, United and England suffered. One game that sticks out is not one of glory, like Barcelona '84, but one of abject misery. Oxford United in the quarter-final of the League Cup in 1986.
United were abject. Robson was United. United lost 2-0, but it was a crying shame that Robson was on the losing side. He deserved better, because he covered every blade of grass and tried his heart out. The others didn't.
Captaining three FA Cup wins, a European Cup Winners Cup win and the two league titles, Robson easily makes the cut.
Centre Midfield - Paul Scholes
The 'Ginger Prince' has to be in the side. What a player. What an absolute gem of a player. His passing and vision and his ability to control the tempo of a game was a joy to behold.
He also scores goals, my Lord. And tackled. When he first retired from United, in a rare interview at the time he exploded the myth that he couldn't tackle by insisting that he was perfectly adept at the art. Which led to the conclusion that he had a nasty, sinister streak.
And there is no real problem with that. Scholes had eyes in the back of his head and his football is what people remember him for, but when he 'innocently' mistimed a challenge then it just illustrates what a football brain he had.
To cultivate a scenario, where every man and their dog believes the boy can't tackle, when the reality is something different shows how he was on another level.
Yet to talk about his misdemeanours is not correct. He was just a wonderful footballer. In April 2000, a reasonably talented West Ham United side came to Old Trafford. They included a 22-year-old Frank Lampard in their team that day, but the youngster would be schooled.
Although United were a far superior team anyway, Scholes scored a hat-trick in a 7-1 win and Lampard looked like a fish out of water. The debate about Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard is laughable in some ways. Lampard was a great player, but he could not do both sides of the game, attack and defence, like Scholes could.
Modern day greats such as Xavi, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero all heap praise on Scholes, and they are right to do so. He is third on the list of all-time appearance makers, with 718, and tenth on the list of goalscorers with 155. He is second behind Giggs in terms of trophies won.
Centre Midfield - Sir Bobby Charlton
Where to start? 'Busby Babe', Munich Survivor, World Cup winner. Until Ryan Giggs surpassed him in 2008, he was United's record appearance holder. Until Wayne Rooney surpassed him recently, he was United's record goalscorer. Rooney also took over from Charlton as England's record scorer.
Just as Bill Foulkes was a gentleman, so was Charlton. He didn't pick up any yellow cards throughout his career. Tackling wasn't his forte, but a wonderful range of passing and a thunderous shot were. He was a scorer of wonderful goals.
He broke into the United team as an 18-year-old in 1956, and helped United win the league title that year. His 14 appearances yielded 12 goals including two on his debut. Munich, of course, had tragic consequences, but Chartlon would become part of United's next great team.
In 1966, he won the World Cup and was the player of the tournament. He was also crowned European Player of the Year. He was in the team of the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. In 1968 he would score twice in the European cup final, as United became kings of Europe beating Benfica 4-1 at Wembley.
The Wembley triumph was the peak of his United career, and although he continued playing until the age of 35, United were slowly in decline. He was known throughout the world, and revered around the world. He was knighted and is now a United director and ambassador.
One of the greatest players to have pulled on the boots, and a shoe-in for this team.
Striker - Tommy Taylor
Another Busby Babe, although Taylor never came through the ranks like so many of the other great players. He was signed for Barnsley for a fee of £29,999. Sir Matt didn't want him to be burdened with the tag of a £30,000 player!
His large fee, even under £30k, was justified as the bustling centre-forward was a goal machine. Had the big Yorkshireman not perished in Munich, then Wayne Rooney may well still be chasing United's goalscoring record.
Taylor scored a phenomenal 131 times in just 191 appearances, and he had only just turned 26 at the time of his death. He played 19 times for England and scored 16 goals. Again, it is not inconceivable that he would have held the England record also.
He was an 'old fashioned' centre-forward and like all of the Busby Babes, it is unknown as to what they could have achieved. Taylor won two league titles, and would have undoubtedly picked up many more honours had it not been for the disaster. And many more goals.
His physical presence was also a huge problem for defences, and he would be ideal to spearhead the attack in this team.
Striker - Denis Law
The original 'King", Denis was the Stretford End darling. He was a fiery character on the pitch, and a predator too. He scored goals for fun, and with Charlton and Best formed what became known as 'The Holy Trinity'.
In 1964, he was crowned European Player of the Year, after scoring 46 goals in 42 games for United. It was only his second season with United. They had signed him the previous season for a mouthwatering British record fee of £115,000.
In his first season, he had helped United win the FA Cup, scoring in the 3-1 victory over Leicester City, and he also did well in his debut season, finding the net on 29 occasions.
He was quick and lively and deadly in and around the box. He was quite possibly United's most gifted player when it came to the art of goalscoring, and there have been many a good hit man in United's colours.
He was unfortunate to miss the 1968 European Cup final with a knee injury, so from an honours point of view, he finished with that FA Cup and two league titles.
His quick feet and quick brain would be a great foil for Taylor, and defences would have nightmares. They could both do the physical stuff, but most importantly they knew where the net was.
Legends miss out
Although the formation may be unorthodox, with Best and Giggs playing as wing-backs, it is fair to say that they may not have too much defending to do. The central midfield trio can create and can hit hard.
If anyone did get through to take on United's back three, then they would find two brick outhouses and a Rolls Royce to contend with. In essence, it is a team that would entertain, and score an abundance of goals.
It does mean full backs like Gary Neville and Roger Byrne missed out. Other notable defenders would have been Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.
In midfield, the likes of Paddy Crerand, Nobby Stiles, David Beckham and Norman Whiteside missed the cut. And up front Mark Hughes, Andy Cole and Wayne Rooney could easily have been picked. Rooney's omission was probably the toughest.
Still, it is a fantasy team that would have fans drooling and next up in the series will be a combined Ireland XI.