Soccer players never get tired of playing the game.
That’s what this page is all about.
Where your FIRST TOUCH SOCCER book ends, the FREE KICK page begins.
It’s a chance for you to learn more about Manchester United … and for me to talk about some of the great stories I couldn’t squeeze into the book.
Scroll down to get the latest news … and to learn more about English soccer. And check out some of the cool collectibles I have in my home.
Enjoy this site, check back whenever you like, and contact me with any questions or comments.
Breaking News
What’s up with Manchester United
April 30, 2023: United edged Aston Villa 1–0 on a goal by Bruno Fernandes. It was the 100th league goal of his career, playing for top-flight clubs in Italy, Portugal, and England.
April 16, 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo scored all three goals in a 3–2 victory over Norwich City. It was his second hat trick in 25 days. He would score his 100th Premier League goal against Arsenal the following week.
January 19, 2022: ManU defeated Brentford to become the first Premier League club to win 300 “away” matches.
August 27, 2021: Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer’s all-time international goal-scorer, joined ManU from the Italian club Juventus. The transfer fee of 25 million Euros is one of the highest in history.
May 26, 2021: ManU fell just short of winning the UEFA Europa League championship. A 1–1 tie with Villareal went to a thrilling penalty kick phase, but the Spanish club won, 11–10.
May 23, 2021: A 2–1 win over Wolverhampton sewed up a second-place finish in the Premier League. It was ManU’s highest finish since 2013. Bruno Fernandes led the team with 18 league goals.
March 18, 2021: Paul Pogba scored the lone goal in a thrilling 1–0 victory over AC Milan, as ManU advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League tournament.
February 2, 2021: ManU equaled the biggest home win in their history with a 9–0 win over Southampton. Eight different players scored during the match.
January 24, 2021: Midfielder Bruno Fernandes came off the bench to break a 2–2 tie with a goal against arch-rival Liverpool in the FA Cup tournament. It was ManU’s first win over Liverpool in almost three years.
August 16, 2020: For the first time in a long time, Manchester United finished a season without some sort of league or tournament trophy. Their last hope ended with a loss to Spanish club Sevilla in the semifinals of the Europa League tournament. ManU’s top scorer in 2019–20 was Frenchman Anthony Martial, with 23 goals. He and Marcus Rashford tied for the team lead with 17 goals in Premier League play.
July 26, 2020: Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2–0 in the final match of the regular season. One of the goals came on a penalty kick. It was the 14th one of the season awarded to the club, which set a new Premier League record.
July 9, 2020: ManU beat Aston Villa 3–0. With victories by scores of 3–0, 3–0, and 5–2 in their previous three matches, the club became the first in Premier League history to win four games in a row by three goals.
August 11, 2019: Marcus Rashford scored twice in a 4–0 shutout of Chelsea to open the 2019–20 Premier League season.
February 3, 2019: 21-year-old forward Marcus Rashford scored the lone goal in an away victory over Leicester City. It was his fourth game-winning goal of the season.
November 11, 2018: Anthony Martial scored against Manchester City, finding the net for the fifth match in a row. He joins ManU legends Eric Cantona, Dwight Yorke, Robin Van Persie, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players in team history to score in five straight.
April 21, 2018: The club defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 to qualify for the FA Cup final against Chelsea. Newcomer Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera scored for ManU.
April 18, 2018: Goalkeeper David de Gea was named to the Professional Football Association’s Team of the Year.
January 20, 2018: Anthony Martial scored in his third straight game during a 1–0 victory over Burnley FC. He was the first ManU player to score in three straight wins during the 2017–18 season.
September 27, 2017: Romelu Lukaku scored twice against CSKA Moscow to give him 10 goals in his first 9 games with ManU. That broke a record set by legendary Bobby Charlton, who scored 9 times in his first 9 games.
September 23, 2017: Striker Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Southampton. It was his 6th goal in 6 games to start the 2017–18 season.
May 24, 2017: Manchester United defeated the Dutch club AFC Ajax in the 2017 Europa League championship final. Midfielder Paul Pogba played brilliantly and scored one of the team’s two goals in a 2–0 victory. Ander Herrera played his best game ever for ManU and was named Man of the Match.
Premier League & FA Cup
Collector’s Corner
More treasures from the author’s collection!
Fun Facts
Did You Know?
• In 1956, Manchester United won the league title with one of the youngest lineups ever. The average age of the players on manager Matt Busby’s team was just 22 years old. Soccer fans nicknamed them “Busby’s Babes.”
• On February 6, 1958, a plane carrying Manchester United players crashed trying to take off in a winter storm from the airport in Munich, Germany. Twenty-three passengers and crew members died. Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards were badly injured the crash; Charlton lived but Edwards died 15 days later. In all, eight players lost their lives.
• In a 1980 match against Ipswich Town, goalkeeper Gary Bailey did the impossible when he stopped three penalty kicks. Unfortunately, ManU still lost the game.
• In a 1996 game against Wimbledon, David Beckham scored a goal from behind the midfield line. He was voted Young Player of the Year at the end of the 1996–97 season.
• In 2016–17, Wayne Rooney passed Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Charlton scored 249 times for ManU—199 in league games and 50 more in FA Cup and other competitions.