Paddy Crerand became a key player under Sir Matt Busby at Manchester United after a transfer from Celtic in February 1963.
Many Manchester United fans who weren’t fortunate enough to see Paddy Crerand play during his time at Old Trafford will remember him for his unapologetic bias on MUTV, but the Glasgow-born legend was one of the best midfielders of his generation.
By the time Crerand signed for United in 1963, five years on from the Munich air disaster, the stars included Tommy Dunne, Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law – but George Best was yet to make his debut.
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Crerand made 120 appearances for Celtic and scored eight goals before leaving for United.
He made his debut for the Hoops in October 1958 against Queen of the South, winning 3-1, and was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
To celebrate Crerand’s 87th birthday, United In Focus takes a look back at his eight years playing for the Red Devils.
Paddy Crerand played key role in Man Utd’s post-Munich revival
In 1963, Busby’s side beat Leicester City 3-1 to win the club’s first trophy post-Munich.
It was Crerand’s first chance to win silverware following his transfer from Celtic and, having settled in quickly at United, earned the man-of-the-match award at Wembley.
Crerand didn’t have much pace, but what he had in abundance was the ability to push the team forward with defence-splitting passes. The tenacious midfielder wouldn’t shirk away from any tackles, providing extra bite and steel to Busby’s side.
Crerand went on to win two First Division titles before playing an important role in United’s win over Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final.
Although a loyal servant to Busby, Crerand had issues with other managers, such as Frank O’Farrell and Tommy Docherty.
Crerand retired in 1971, after amassing 401 games with United. He is still remembered as one of the all-time great United characters, even if he doesn’t feature on MUTV anymore.
The former Scotland international earned 16 caps for his country.
The Busby Babes reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1957 and 1958
Were the Busby Babes destined to go all the way in the European Cup before the Munich air disaster?
Paddy Crerand describes George Best for the modern fan
Best is another player that many United fans missed out on seeing up close, but many of us fans love hearing stories about his mesmerising runs and how he’d leave defenders dizzy.
Crerand is quoted as describing Best as a mixture of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (via Mancunian Matters), which will give younger fans an idea of the Belfast-born winger’s genius.
“He was a mixture of (Lionel) Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Crerand said.
“(Alfredo) Di Stefano might have been better, but he’s one of the greatest ever, and George was certainly in that same class.”
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