Manchester United have had a long list of ultra-talented footballers who have also donned the captain’s armband, but only one was Harry Maguire’s pick for best ever.
The list of Manchester United’s captains from throughout history entails some of the biggest club legends Old Trafford has ever seen.
Harry Maguire is a former captain, and despite not being popular at the time, the defender is currently establishing himself as a club icon.
So, being part of this exclusive club, Maguire is well placed to pick out his best United captains of all time, and back in 2024, Maguire named his top five with a twist.
Who Harry Maguire picked as the greatest ever Manchester United captain
Appearing on talkSPORT, Maguire was tasked with ranking five Manchester United captains; the catch was that he didn’t know who would be coming next, so it was a blind ranking.
First, Maguire put Wayne Rooney third, while Michael Carrick was put in at number five. Maguire put Sir Bobby Charlton at number two, and then it was Roy Keane who took top spot.
This left Eric Cantona to be put in at number four by default.
- Roy Keane
- Sir Bobby Charlton
- Wayne Rooney
- Eric Cantona
- Michael Carrick
Maguire then admitted he’d be running away if Cantona were there to ask about his placement.
However, despite the joke, Maguire’s placement is difficult to argue with and, in many ways, is the perfect ranking from the names given.
David Beckham also hailed Roy Keane as a captain
Maguire isn’t alone in rating Keane above all others in terms of his quality as a captain.
This is because David Beckham had previously also hailed Keane, as quoted by the Irish Independent in 2013.
“You know I’ve never played with a player that has been so driven and talented, and the will to win, you know, there is no one that I’ve played with that is like Roy.
“He’s the best captain I’ve ever played with. The best midfielder I’ve ever played with.”
Keane is seen as the gold standard for captaincy, often passing judgment over Bruno Fernandes’ suitability for the role at United.
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