GARY n EVILLE
BIRTH DATE: 18 FEBRUARY 1975
DEBUT: 16 SEPTEMBER 1992
(VS TORPEDO MOSCOW)
Gary Neville was a United fan long before he became
a player. Many of us thought he would go back to
being a fan when he retired. Indeed, he said as much
himself: “I’d love just to travel around Europe
watching United with my mates. Watching the club
you love gives you feelings you can’t get from
anything else.” And no doubt that’s where we would
have found him had he not become quite possibly
the best football analyst on TV – highly thought of
even by those supporters who used to hate him as a
player. Only four players in history have made more
appearances for the club than Gary Neville, who
stayed at United for his entire career. Having left
school at 16, he signed as an apprentice on £29.50 a
week before making his senior debut in September
1992 against Torpedo Moscow in the UEFA Cup
(United lost on penalties after two goalless draws).
Gary puts much of his success down to his attitude,
always being the first to arrive at training and the last
one to leave, to compensate for the fact that he
wasn’t as naturally talented as some of his
teammates. Gary captained the 1992 FA Youth Cup
team and went on to captain the full side on many
occasions throughout his career. He also won 85
caps for the England national team.
DAVID BECKHAM
BIRTH DATE: 2 MAY 1975
DEBUT: 23 SEPTEMBER 1992
(VS BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION)Unlike the rest of the Class of ’92, David Beckham
was a Londoner, but both his parents were fanatical
United fans who often travelled to Old Trafford for
games, and Beckham signed schoolboy forms for the
club on his 14th birthday and a Youth Training
Scheme two years later. He was deemed too small to
play for England Schoolboys but quickly caught up
physically and was a major force in the 1992 FA
Youth Cup win, scoring in the first leg. This led to a
first-team debut early in the following season when
he came on for Andrei Kanchelskis in a League Cup
match against Brighton. At that stage, Beckham had
not even signed professional forms, but he did that
on 23 January 1993. In 1994 he played in the
aforementioned League Cup game at Port Vale, and
in December that year he made a first appearance in
the UEFA Champions League, scoring in a 4-0 home
win over Galatasaray. He spent a short period on loan
at Preston North End before becoming a regular in
the 1995–96 double-winning side.PHIL n EVILLE
BIRTH DATE: 21 JANUARY 1977
DEBUT: 11 FEBRUARY 1995 (VS MANCHESTER CITY)Phil Neville is another who wasn’t actually part of the
1992 FA Youth Cup-winning side, though like Scholes
he did play the following year. Phil was a born leader,
captaining his school team at Elton High School, just
northwest of Bury, for five consecutive years. But he
found it hard to break into the United first team as
the full-backs were his brother, Gary, and Denis Irwin.
He eventually got his break on 11 February 1995 in
the Manchester derby at Maine Road thanks to his
older brother’s injury. The 18 year old put in a solid
performance as United won 3-0 (to add to their 5-0
win at Old Trafford earlier in the season), through
goals from Andy Cole, Andrei Kanchelskis and Paul
Ince. That was Phil’s only appearance in the league
that season, but in 1995–96 he played 28 times in all
competitions and by the end of that season he had
the first of his six Premier League titles. Though
versatile and dependable rather than spectacular,
Phil played for England at all levels and age groups,
including U16, U18, U21 and ‘B’ team, and went on to
win 59 caps for the full England side.ImagesGetty Images“I DOn ’T WAn T YOU TO LEAVE,
THERE’S A COn TRACT THERE An D I
WAn T YOU TO STAY, BUT I
U nDERSTAn D FOR YOUR CAREER... YOU
SHOULD SIGn FOR EVERTOn THAT IS
THE BEST CLUB, YOU CAn KEEP YOUR
FAMILY Un IT TOGETHER.”
“IF HE WAS An I n CH TALLER HE’D BE
THE BEST CENTRE-HALF In BRITAIn.
HIS FATHER IS 6FT 2In – I’D CHECK
THE MILKMAn .”
“DAVID BECKHAM IS BRITAIn ’S FIn EST
STRIKER OF A FOOTBALL n OT BECAUSE
OF GOD-GIVEn TALEn T BUT BECAUSE HE
PRACTISES WITH A RELEn TLESS
APPLICATIOn THAT THE VAST
MAJORITY OF LESS GIFTED PLAYERS
WOULDn ’T COn TEMPLATE.”
THE CLASS
OF ’92FourFourTwo.com The Story of Man Utd 45