Whilst traditionally amongst the stronger clubs in England, since the beginning of the 1990s Manchester United have, under manager Alex Ferguson achieved a degree of dominance in domestic competitions unseen since the great Liverpool F.C sides of the mid 1970s and early 1980s.
In 2003, Manchester United qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the eighth successive year, equalling a record held by Norway's Rosenborg. Unlike those Liverpool sides, however, Manchester United have been largely unable to transfer their domestic dominance to European competition ; in fact qualifying for the European Cup final, like Steaua and Reims, on only two occasions in their history.
Their last success in this competition was in 1999, when they came from behind in the last minutes of the UEFA Champions League final to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. United also won the League and FA Cup in that season, a "Treble" achievement which is unprecedented in English football.
The 1958 Manchester United team was nicknamed the "Busby Babes". On February 6, they were flying home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the plane crashed on takeoff in a snow storm in Munich, Germany (see Munich air disaster). Eight team members were killed, and 2 players suffered career-ending injuries. Amongst the dead was Duncan Edwards, a 21-year-old who many believe was on his way to establishing himself as one of England's greatest players ever. A survivor, Bobby Charlton would help lead England to the Football World Cup in 1966.
