New book reveals how Spanish giants Madrid courted Reds icon Sir Matt Busby only to be rebuffed
Sir Matt Busby, pictured with the European Cup on the Reds return to Manchester in 1968, was a target for Real Madrid Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said he wouldnt sell Real Madrid a virus. It was a comment borne out of the United managers frustration that the Spanish giants kept trying to pinch his stars.
But Madrids interest in Uniteds gems began well before Fergusons reign at Old Trafford, according to The Battle for Manchester, a new book by author Jon Reeves.
In fact, Fergie was barely out of short trousers when Madrid first came sniffing around Stretford.
Uniteds history might also have taken a vastly different path had Sir Matt Busby been tempted away from Old Trafford by Madrid before he had produced the Babes.
Busby took over in 1945, winning the First Division title in 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968.
But the team of home-grown players he famously produced in the 50s hadnt gone unnoticed on the Continent, as Reeves explains. Real Madrid had once tried to entice Busby to Spain as manager during the Busby Babes era.
But even the Spanish giants couldnt persuade Busby to leave.
He said: (The president) Mr Bernabeu and the officials there said it would be a tremendous salary and they would make Madrid a heaven for me.
I eventually said to Mr Bernabeu that I was very grateful, but heaven is here in Manchester.
In his book Reeves also documents how, if things had been different, City fans wouldnt have gone home disappointed on Sunday after the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.
And the United fans who suffered through a miserable journey back from Sunderland on the final day of last season might instead have been toasting another Premier League title su! ccess. Tom Cleverley is set to be Manchester United's centre of attention
Ryan Giggs: Derby triumph can inspire festive fillip
If events in 1965 had taken a different twist, City and United wouldnt be standing on each others toes in pursuit of silverware as they have since Sheikh Mansour turned City from also-rans into thoroughbreds.
Instead of competing for trophies, the two halves of Manchester would celebrate the success together.
According to Reeves, the idea of merging United and City was mooted during the 1963-64 season. With City stranded in Division Two, firmly in Uniteds shadow, City vice-chairman Frank Johnson floated the idea of joining forces with United.
Even though the rivalry between United and City was nowhere near as fierce at the time, there was still a tribal element involved.
The fans took great pride in following their own team and being part of an identity that both clubs had created, writes Reeves.
Johnsons idea wasnt made public until January 1965, prompting supporters of both clubs to send letters of complaint about the proposal and to voice their opposition.
City were struggling financially but their future wasnt in immediate danger, particularly with their significant fan base. Vice-chairman Johnson had already proposed that the Football League should be split into north and south sections and would follow that concept with a direct approach to United regarding the possible merger.
It was only after a group of City shareholders, headed by Peter Donoghue, joined the! board t o secure the clubs future that the idea was dropped.
And only three years later after United had won the European Cup and City the First Division title Manchester became the first British city to boast two teams in Europes top club competition.
Although a merger doesnt appear to have ever been that close to taking place, it remains one of the more remarkable but lesser-known twists in the battle for Manchester, adds Reeves.
A city with a huge appetite for football, the existence of two clubs of such significant size was far from a saturating factor.
On the contrary, it allowed them to feed off each other, developing a rivalry that would be embraced within the city and further afield.
The Battle for Manchester by Jon Reeves is published by New Holland in paperback at 16.99.
MEN readers will get 40 per cent off + free p&p if they quote Battle when they phone 01206 255 800 or at the checkout at the publishers newhollandpublishers.com website.
But Madrids interest in Uniteds gems began well before Fergusons reign at Old Trafford, according to The Battle for Manchester, a new book by author Jon Reeves.
In fact, Fergie was barely out of short trousers when Madrid first came sniffing around Stretford.
Uniteds history might also have taken a vastly different path had Sir Matt Busby been tempted away from Old Trafford by Madrid before he had produced the Babes.
Busby took over in 1945, winning the First Division title in 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968.
But the team of home-grown players he famously produced in the 50s hadnt gone unnoticed on the Continent, as Reeves explains. Real Madrid had once tried to entice Busby to Spain as manager during the Busby Babes era.
But even the Spanish giants couldnt persuade Busby to leave.
He said: (The president) Mr Bernabeu and the officials there said it would be a tremendous salary and they would make Madrid a heaven for me.
I eventually said to Mr Bernabeu that I was very grateful, but heaven is here in Manchester.
In his book Reeves also documents how, if things had been different, City fans wouldnt have gone home disappointed on Sunday after the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.
And the United fans who suffered through a miserable journey back from Sunderland on the final day of last season might instead have been toasting another Premier League title su! ccess. Tom Cleverley is set to be Manchester United's centre of attention
Ryan Giggs: Derby triumph can inspire festive fillip
If events in 1965 had taken a different twist, City and United wouldnt be standing on each others toes in pursuit of silverware as they have since Sheikh Mansour turned City from also-rans into thoroughbreds.
Instead of competing for trophies, the two halves of Manchester would celebrate the success together.
According to Reeves, the idea of merging United and City was mooted during the 1963-64 season. With City stranded in Division Two, firmly in Uniteds shadow, City vice-chairman Frank Johnson floated the idea of joining forces with United.
Even though the rivalry between United and City was nowhere near as fierce at the time, there was still a tribal element involved.
The fans took great pride in following their own team and being part of an identity that both clubs had created, writes Reeves.
Johnsons idea wasnt made public until January 1965, prompting supporters of both clubs to send letters of complaint about the proposal and to voice their opposition.
City were struggling financially but their future wasnt in immediate danger, particularly with their significant fan base. Vice-chairman Johnson had already proposed that the Football League should be split into north and south sections and would follow that concept with a direct approach to United regarding the possible merger.
It was only after a group of City shareholders, headed by Peter Donoghue, joined the! board t o secure the clubs future that the idea was dropped.
And only three years later after United had won the European Cup and City the First Division title Manchester became the first British city to boast two teams in Europes top club competition.
Although a merger doesnt appear to have ever been that close to taking place, it remains one of the more remarkable but lesser-known twists in the battle for Manchester, adds Reeves.
A city with a huge appetite for football, the existence of two clubs of such significant size was far from a saturating factor.
On the contrary, it allowed them to feed off each other, developing a rivalry that would be embraced within the city and further afield.
The Battle for Manchester by Jon Reeves is published by New Holland in paperback at 16.99.
MEN readers will get 40 per cent off + free p&p if they quote Battle when they phone 01206 255 800 or at the checkout at the publishers newhollandpublishers.com website.
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