Friday, May 25th

Last update08:49:38 PM GMT

You are here Home
 

Classic Moments : A-Z of Football: Busby babes

E-mail

The B of the A-Z of Football is for Busby Babes.

The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by Assistant Manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under Sir Matt Busby's management.

They were notable not only for being young and gifted but for being developed by the club itself, rather than bought from other clubs as was then more customary. The term, supposedly coined by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson, usually refers to the players who won the league championship in season's 1955-56 and 1956-57 with an average age of 21 and 22 respectively, rather than later arrivals such as George Best.

Eight of the Busby Babes died in the Munich air disaster in 1958 including potentially the greatest of them all, Duncan Edwards. The last remaining player from the pre-Munich side, Bobby Charlton, retired from playing in 1975.


Click here

Add comment

Security code
Refresh