Manchester United long and famous FA Youth Cup history ahead of 2022 final v Nottingham Forest

BESTIE’S FAVOURITE FOOTBALL PHOTO

George Best was one of the most photographed sportsmen of the 1960s, but one snap that stood out came from his Youth Cup-winning run of 1964, as he recounted in Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths back in 2005…

“My favourite football photograph of all-time was when we played Man City in 1964. We played the second Youth Cup semi-final at Maine Road. A chance came and I steamed in hard. Mike Doyle slid in with me and the ball went skidding in off his foot. This great shot ended up in the Manchester Evening News. It shows the ball in the net and me leaning on a post, laughing!”

By the time the Youth Cup final of 1964 came round, Best was already established in the United first team but was desperate to play with his mates in the youth team. He had also been called up to the Northern Ireland senior side, thus creating a remarkable case of fixture congestion. On Saturday 25 April he played 90 minutes for the United first team. Just 48 hours later he was running out for the U18s in the first leg of the Youth Cup final on Monday 27th. On Wednesday 29th he starred at Windsor Park as Northern Ireland beat Uruguay 3-0. And the date of the second leg of the Youth Cup final? Thursday 30th! Georgie excelled as United beat Swindon 4-1 at OT, making it four full games in six days. But, as George said, “I would have played seven days a week if they’d let me.”

1992-2011: THE CLASS OF ’92 AND BEYOND

We would have to wait until 1992 for the next magical generation, but what a generation it would prove to be. Plenty of youth talent was produced during the fallow years, mind you – Mark Hughes and Norman Whiteside to name but two – and there were two defeats in finals, in 1982 and 1986. But in the early 1990s, Alex Ferguson hit one of the all-time youth talent motherlodes.

David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville were all part of the Youth Cup final victory over Crystal Palace in 1992, and Phil Neville captained the Reds to an eighth Youth Cup in 1995. By 1996, every member of that aforementioned quintet were Premier League champions, as was Paul Scholes, a Youth Cup finalist in 1993.