View source for Matt Busby

{{short description|Scottish footballer, manager (1909–1994)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = {{br separated entries | {{small|{{nobold|[[Sir]]}}}} | Matt Busby | {{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR-cats|CBE|KCSG}} }} }}
| image          = Matt Busby 1957.jpg
| caption        = Busby in 1957
| full_name      = Alexander Matthew Busby
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1909|5|26|df=y}}
| birth_place    = Orbiston, [[Bellshill]], Scotland
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1994|1|20|1909|5|26|df=y}}
| death_place    = [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester]], England
| height         = 1.78 m<ref>{{cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Matt Busby (Player) |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/35501/Matt_Busby.html |access-date=11 September 2022 |website=national-football-teams.com }}</ref>
| position       = [[Wing half|Right half]], [[inside forward]]
| youthyears1    = |youthclubs1 = 
| years1         = 1928      |clubs1 = Denny Hibs                               |caps1 =     |goals1 = 
| years2         = 1928–1936 |clubs2 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] |caps2 = 204 |goals2 = 11
| years3         = 1936–1945 |clubs3 = [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]             |caps3 = 115 |goals3 = 3
| years4         = 1941–1943 |clubs4 = → [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] (guest)   |caps4 = 0   |goals4 = 0
| totalcaps      = 319 |totalgoals = 14
| nationalyears1 = 1933      |nationalteam1 = [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] |nationalcaps1 = 1 |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1941      |nationalteam2 = [[Scottish League XI]]                       |nationalcaps2 = 1 |nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 1942–1945 |nationalteam3 = [[Scotland national football team results (unofficial matches)#World War II|Scotland (wartime)]] |nationalcaps3 = 7 |nationalgoals3 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1945–1969 |managerclubs1 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
| manageryears2  = 1948      |managerclubs2 = [[Great Britain men's Olympic football team|Great Britain]]
| manageryears3  = 1958      |managerclubs3 = [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]
| manageryears4  = 1970–1971 |managerclubs4 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
}}
'''Sir Alexander Matthew Busby''' (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish [[association football|football]] player and manager, who managed [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an English team to win the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] and is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-united/story/1515804/greatest-managers-no-7-sir-matt-busby |title=Greatest Managers, No. 7: Sir Matt Busby – ESPN FC |publisher=Espnfc.us |date=7 August 2013 |access-date=17 September 2016 |archive-date=2 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902144213/http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-united/story/1515804/greatest-managers-no-7-sir-matt-busby |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/matt-busby |title=Matt Busby |work=liverpoolfc.com |publisher=Liverpool FC |access-date=14 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101105723/http://www.liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/matt-busby |archive-date=1 January 2016  }}</ref>

Before going into management, Busby was a player for two of Manchester United's greatest rivals, [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. During his time at City, Busby played in two FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. After his playing career was interrupted by the [[World War II|Second World War]], Busby was offered the job of assistant coach at Liverpool, but they were unwilling to give him the control that he wanted over the first team. As a result, he took the vacant manager's job at Manchester United instead, where he built the famous [[Busby Babes]] team that won successive [[List of English football champions|Football League First Division]] titles and challenged for the European Cup. Eight of these players died in the [[Munich air disaster]], but Busby rebuilt the team and won several more First Division titles as well as other domestic cups before he took United to [[1967–68 European Cup|European Cup]] glory a decade later. In a total of 25 years with the club, he won 13 trophies including five league championships and the European Cup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manutd.com/en/History/Munich-Remembered/Munich-Remembered/Features/profile-of-sir-matt-busby-in-munich-remembered-on-man-utd-com.aspx?pageNo=3 |title=Sir Matt Busby profile – Official Manchester United Website |publisher=Manutd.com |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref>

==Early life==
Busby was born to Alexander and Helen "Nellie" (née Greer) Busby in a two-roomed pitman's cottage in the mining village of Orbiston, [[Bellshill]], [[Lanarkshire]]. When he was born, Busby's mother was told by the doctor, "A footballer has come into this house today".<ref>{{harvnb|Barclay|2017|p=17}}</ref> Busby's father, Alexander, was a miner called up to serve in the [[World War I|First World War]] and was killed by a sniper's bullet on 23 April 1917 at the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]].<ref name=stuffof>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2290680/Matt-Busbys-philosophy-the-stuff-of-legend.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2290680/Matt-Busbys-philosophy-the-stuff-of-legend.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Matt Busby's philosophy the stuff of legend |first1=Robert |last1=Philips |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=2 February 2008 |access-date=18 December 2012 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His great-great-grandfather, George Busby, emigrated to Scotland from Ireland during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], while his mother's side of the family emigrated to Scotland from Ireland later on in the 19th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Barclay|2017|p=19}}</ref> Three of his uncles were killed in France with the [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders|Cameron Highlanders]]. Busby's mother was left to raise Matt and his three sisters alone until her marriage to a man called Harry Matthie in 1919.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Busby was raised Catholic. Always a devout Catholic, in 1972, [[Pope Paul VI]] made him a Knight of Order of Saint Gregory the Great. He had been appointed [[Knight Bachelor]] four years earlier.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jan/14/manchester-united-manager-matt-busby Profile], theguardian.com. Accessed 28 January 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.catholicarena.com/latest/knightbusby20210526 Profile], catholicarena.com. Accessed 28 January 2023.</ref>

Busby would often accompany his father down into the coal pits, but his true aspiration was to become a professional footballer. In his 1973 autobiography, Busby described himself as being as football mad as any other boy in Bellshill citing in particular the impression made on him by [[Alex James (footballer)|Alex James]] and [[Hughie Gallacher]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

His mother might have quashed those dreams when she applied to emigrate with Matt to the United States in the late 1920s, but he was granted a reprieve by the nine-month processing time.<ref name=stuffof/>

In the meantime, Busby got a full-time job as a collier and played football part-time for [[Stirlingshire]] [[Scottish Junior Football Association|Junior]] side Denny Hibs. He had played only a few matches for Denny Hibs, but it was not long before he was signed up by a [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] side that was a couple of games away from regaining promotion to the [[Football League First Division|First Division]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==Playing career==

===Club career===
Aged 18, Busby signed for Manchester City on a one-year contract worth £5 per week on 11 February 1928,<ref name="mre">{{cite book |last=Penney |first=Ian |title=The Maine Road Encyclopedia |publisher=Mainstream |location=Edinburgh |year=1995 |isbn=1-85158-710-1 |page=37 }}</ref> with the provision for him to leave at the end of the deal if he still wished to emigrate to the United States with his mother. He decided to stay and made his debut for City on 2 November 1929, more than 18 months after first signing for the Blues, when he played at [[inside forward|inside left]] in a 3–1 win at home to [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] in the First Division. He made 11 more appearances for City that season, all at inside forward, scoring five goals in the process.

During the [[1930–31 in English football|1930–31 season]], City manager [[Peter Hodge]] decided that Busby's talents could be better exploited from the half-back line,<ref name="mre"/> with Busby playing the right-half role. In his new position, Busby built up a reputation as an intelligent player and a finer passer of the ball.<ref name="murphy_62-63">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |publisher=Orion Books |year=2006 |location=London |isbn=0-7528-7603-1 |pages=62–63 }}</ref> In 1930, Manchester United made an enquiry about signing Busby from their cross-town rivals, but they were unable to afford the £150 fee that City demanded.<ref name="white_62">{{cite book |last=White |first=Jim |title=Manchester United: The Biography |year=2008 |publisher=Sphere |location=London |isbn=978-1-84744-088-4 |page=62 }}</ref> By the 1931–32 season, Busby was firmly established in the first team, missing just one match that season.<ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Gary |title=Manchester City - The Complete Record |publisher=Breedon |location=Derby |year=2006 |isbn=1-85983-512-0 |page=341 }}</ref> Indeed, Busby and [[Jackie Bray]] became such fixtures at wing-half that club captain [[Jimmy McMullan]] had to move to forward to keep his place in the team.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Andrew |title=The Manchester City Story |publisher=Breedon|location=Derby |year=1984 |isbn=0-907969-05-4 |page=32 }}</ref> In the 1930s Manchester City performed strongly in the [[FA Cup]]. They reached the semi-finals in 1932, and the final in [[1933 FA Cup Final|1933]] before finally winning the tournament in [[1934 FA Cup Final|1934]]. However, from the second half of the 1934–35 season, Busby's number 4 jersey was worn by [[Jack Percival (footballer, born 1913)|Jack Percival]] with increasing regularity, and Busby was sold to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]8,000 on 12 March 1936, having made more than 200 appearances for Manchester City.

He made his debut for the Reds just two days later, on 14 March, away to [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]; the match ended in a 1–0 Liverpool defeat. Busby opened his goalscoring account a month later – his 47th-minute strike helped his team to a 2–2 draw with [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] at [[Ewood Park]]. Busby soon made the number 4 shirt his own, ousting [[Ted Savage (footballer)|Ted Savage]] in the process. He rarely missed a game over the following three seasons. This consistency earned Busby the Liverpool [[captain (association football)|captaincy]] and he led the club with great distinction. Along with [[Jimmy McDougall (footballer)|Jimmy McDougall]] and [[Tom Bradshaw (footballer, born 1904)|Tom Bradshaw]], Busby made up what is considered by many to be the best half-back line Liverpool had ever had.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=557 |title=Matt Busby |publisher=LFCHistory.net |access-date=24 October 2009 }}</ref>

[[Bob Paisley]] joined Liverpool from Bishop Auckland in 1939, and it was Busby who took him under his wing and showed him the ropes at [[Anfield]]. This led to a lifelong friendship between two of the most successful managers in English football history. The [[World War II|Second World War]] arrived soon after, and with it came an end to Busby's playing days. Like many of the Liverpool playing staff, he signed on for national service in the [[King's Regiment (Liverpool)|King's Liverpool Regiment]].

=== War years ===

Busby carried on playing football during the war. A few days after helping [[Aldershot F.C.|Aldershot]] defeat [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] 4–3 in a [[benefit match]], Busby signed for Chelsea on 28 October 1939. He made four appearances in total.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/04/07/honoured-guests---part-two---the-story-of-chelsea-s-wartime-play | title=HONOURED GUESTS – PART TWO – THE STORY OF CHELSEA'S WARTIME PLAYERS | publisher=Chelsea FC | date=7 August 2020 | access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> He also turned out for Middlesbrough (13 matches),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/a-sign-of-evidence-3802968.amp | title=A Sign of Evidence | work=Gazette Live | date=23 March 2005 | access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> [[Reading F.C.|Reading]], [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]], and [[AFC Bournemouth|Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic]].

[[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] lured Busby back north in 1941<ref name = "three kings">{{cite web | url=https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2020/11/the-hibs-connection-to-the-three-kings/ | title=The Hibs' connection to the 'Three Kings' | work=Edinburgh Reporter | date=18 November 2020 | access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> at a time when English clubs did not want their players in [[Football in Scotland|Scottish football]] unless they were insured.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://playupliverpool.com/1941/06/25/matt-busby-for-hibernian/ | title=MATT BUSBY FOR HIBERNIAN? | newspaper=[[Dundee Evening Telegraph]] | publisher=PlayupLiverpool.com | date=25 June 1941 | access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> He played in 37 matches for the club and scored five goals (including one against city rivals [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]]).<ref name = "three kings"/> Busby appeared in back-to-back [[Summer Cup (Scottish football)|Summer Cup]] finals against [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] with a 3–2 victory in the [[1940–41 in Scottish football|1941]] competition.<ref>[https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1941/1941071202.htm 1940–41 Summer Cup Final], London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 29 June 2021.</ref><ref>[https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1942/1942070402.htm 1941–42 Summer Cup Final] London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 29 June 2021.</ref>

After returning to Liverpool, he was appointed assistant coach of the club in May 1944.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://playupliverpool.com/1994/01/20/alexander-matthew-busby-matt-busby-playupliverpool-com/ | title=Sir Alexander Matthew Busby, CBE, KCSG (Matt Busby) | publisher=PlayupLiverpool.com |  access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> While based in [[Catterick, North Yorkshire|Catterick]], he also starred for [[Portrack Shamrocks F.C.|Portrack Shamrocks]] in the 1945 Ellis Cup final as a war-time guest.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/other-sport/amateur-sport/ellis-cup-helped-mould-wealth-3731738.amp | title=The Ellis Cup helped mould a wealth of local talent | work=Gazette Live | date=30 June 2008 | access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref>

===International career===
Busby made only one official international appearance for [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]; he played in a 3–2 [[British Home Championship]] defeat to [[Wales national football team|Wales]] at [[Ninian Park]], [[Cardiff]], on 4 October 1933. Playing opposite Busby in the Welsh half-back line was his future assistant [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]]. Busby also made seven appearances for Scotland against [[England national football team|England]] during the Second World War, winning just one of them, but these are considered unofficial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/mattbusby.html|title=Scotland player Matt Busby [including unofficial matches]|website=London Hearts Supporters' Club|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> He represented the [[Scottish League XI]] in an inter-league match in 1941, while he was a guest player of Hibernian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/mattbusby.html|title=SFL player Matt Busby|website=London Hearts Supporters' Club|access-date=1 December 2011}}</ref><ref name=gh1941>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_T5AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1798%2C775716 Wins for England and Belgium], ''The Glasgow Herald'', 12 October 1941</ref>

==Managerial career==

===Arrival and early days at Manchester United===
During the [[Second World War]], Busby served as a football coach in the [[Royal Army Physical Training Corps|Army Physical Training Corps]], and the experience resulted in Liverpool offering him the job of assistant to their then-manager [[George Kay (footballer)|George Kay]]. However, the experience had also forged Busby's opinions about how football should be played and governed, and when it became clear that they differed from those of the Liverpool board, their chairman Billy McConnell allowed Busby to pursue alternative employment.

After Manchester United had tried to sign Busby from Manchester City in 1930, he became good friends with United's fixer, [[Louis Rocca]]; their relationship was helped by the fact that both were members of the Manchester Catholic Sportsman's Club. United were in desperate need of a manager to take over from club secretary [[Walter Crickmer]] after the war and a board meeting was called in December 1944 so as to ascertain who that new manager might be. Knowing that Liverpool had already offered Busby a job, Rocca convinced the United board to "leave it to [him]" and immediately wrote a letter to Busby, addressed to his army regiment. The letter was vague, referring only to "a job", just in case it fell into the wrong hands, namely the Liverpool officials.

In February 1945, still in uniform, Busby turned up at Cornbrook Cold Storage, one of the United chairman [[James W. Gibson]]'s businesses at Trafford Park to discuss the contents of Rocca's letter with the chairman. Busby requested that he be directly involved in training, pick the team on matchdays and even choose the players to be bought and sold without interference from the club directors, who, he believed, did not know the game as well as he did. Such a level of control over the team was unprecedented in the English game, but the United chairman was in no position to argue. Busby was originally offered a three-year contract but managed to secure himself a five-year deal after explaining that it would take at least that long for his revolution to have a tangible effect.

The contract was signed that day – 19 February 1945 – but it was not until 1 October that Busby officially took over the reins at Manchester United. In the interim, he returned to the Army Physical Training Corps, whose football team he took to [[Bari]], Italy, in the spring of 1945. There, he took in a training session for a football team made up of [[non-commissioned officer]]s led by [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]'s former half-back Jimmy Murphy. Impressed by the Welshman's oratory skills, Busby engaged him in conversation and offered him the job of chief coach at Manchester United, which Murphy accepted verbally there and then, before joining the club officially in early 1946. The two men immediately put their mark on the side, leading them to the runners-up spot in the league, behind Busby's former employers Liverpool, by the end of the 1946–47 season. Manchester United were runners-up in the league in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951, and won the FA Cup in 1948, before winning the league championship in 1952. This was a welcome success for a club which had last won a major trophy in 1911 and had spent the interwar years bouncing between the First and Second Divisions.

By 1952, however, the side captained by [[Johnny Carey]], was beginning to show its age, and a new set of players had to be found. Busby, who had achieved a great deal of success in spite of his lack of previous managerial experience, was expected to spend large sums of money on high-profile players. Instead, he gradually replaced the older players with players as young as 16 and 17. These included right-back [[Bill Foulkes]], centre-halves [[Mark Jones (footballer, born 1933)|Mark Jones]] and [[Jackie Blanchflower]], wingers [[Albert Scanlon]] and [[David Pegg]] and forward [[Billy Whelan]]. Among them was [[Duncan Edwards]], judged by many to be England's finest player of his era,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2008/02/01/edwards_duncan_charlton/ |title=Charlton remembers 'greatest ever' |publisher=Sportsnet.ca |date=1 February 2008 |access-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207014521/http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2008/02/01/edwards_duncan_charlton/ |archive-date=7 February 2009 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSL2719728120080202?feedType=RSS&feedName=inDepthNews |title=Edwards had everything but time on his side |publisher=Reuters |date=1 February 2008 |access-date=24 October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=James |last=Wright |url=http://www.thefa.com/England/MensSeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/2003/72868.aspx |title=Greatest England XI – Sir Bobby Charlton |work=TheFA.com |publisher=The Football Association |date=7 November 2003 |access-date=24 October 2009 }}</ref> and capped by England at 17 – setting a record for the youngest-ever full international that remained unbroken for more than 40 years. He made relatively few signings from other clubs between 1951 and 1957, rare examples being winger [[Johnny Berry]], forward [[Tommy Taylor]] and goalkeeper [[Harry Gregg]].

Busby managed the [[Great Britain men's Olympic football team|Great Britain team]] at the [[Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Summer Olympics]]. The team reached the semi-finals, but lost 3–1 to the eventual runners-up, [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]].

In 1956, just after United won another league title, Busby was offered the [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]] managerial role. The [[List of Real Madrid CF presidents|Real Madrid president]] at the time, [[Santiago Bernabéu Yeste]], told him that the role was "like managing paradise". Busby responded by declining the job and adding "Manchester is my heaven".

===The Busby Babes and the Munich tragedy===
{{Main|Munich air disaster}}
[[File:Manchester United FC 1957.jpg|thumb|Busby (back row, far right) in a [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] team photo in 1957]]
During this period, the team picked up the affectionate nickname the [[Busby Babes]], because of the youthfulness of many of the players he fielded. They won the league in both 1956 and 1957, and were runners-up to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] in the [[1957 FA Cup Final]]. The young side was so successful that centre-forward Tommy Taylor and goalkeeper Harry Gregg were United's only major signings over a spell of almost five years.

Busby and his team began the [[1957–58 in English football|1957–58 season]] ready for a second bid to win the treble of the [[The Football League|Football League]] title, FA Cup and [[European Champion Clubs' Cup|European Cup]]. On the way home from a European Cup tie against [[Red Star Belgrade]] on 6 February 1958, their plane [[Munich air disaster|crashed]] on the runway at [[Munich-Riem Airport]]. Seven United players and three club officials were among the 21 people who died at the scene, while Duncan Edwards died from his injuries two weeks later as the final death toll reached 23; two other players (Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower) were injured to such an extent that they never played football again. Busby's old friend from Manchester City, the goalkeeper [[Frank Swift]], who had travelled to Munich in his post-playing career as a journalist, also died. Busby suffered multiple injuries and twice received the [[last rites]], but he recovered from his injuries and left the hospital after nine weeks.

He was not aware of the extent of the Munich tragedy until some three weeks after the crash, as doctors felt he was not strong enough to know the truth until then. Towards the end of February 1958, he asked a Franciscan friar at the hospital how Duncan Edwards was faring; the friar was unaware that the news of Edwards's death had been kept from him and felt that it was his duty to inform Busby that Edwards was dead. His wife Jean then had to tell him of all the other players and officials who had lost their lives.

He reportedly told his wife that he felt like quitting the manager's job, as he had feelings of guilt over the disaster. Busby had gone against the wishes of [[Football League]] officials by pressing for Manchester United's participation in the European Cup and had not felt able to challenge the aircraft's pilot about taking off in heavy snow. Jean urged him to carry on with his duties in honour of the players who had died. In March 1958, Busby also had to face the torment of player Johnny Berry – who suffered career-ending injuries in the crash – complaining that Tommy Taylor was a poor friend for not visiting him in hospital, unaware that Taylor had been killed; Busby had been urged to keep the news from Berry at this stage, which he found particularly difficult.

In the meantime, the team was managed by [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]], who had been taking charge of the Wales team at the time of the crash, and so was not present. Busby attended a new-look United side's [[1958 FA Cup Final|FA Cup final]] defeat against [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] three months later, and resumed full managerial duties for the [[1958–59 in English football|following season]].

Busby had been appointed the manager of Scotland before the Munich disaster.<ref name="sfa"/> [[Dawson Walker]] took charge of the team during the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]] instead.<ref name="sfa"/> After recovering from his injuries, Busby managed Scotland in two games later that year against Wales and [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]].<ref name="sfa">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football_manager_profile.cfm?page=3087&managerID=2 |title=Matt Busby |work=scottishfa.co.uk |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |access-date=20 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831083954/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football_manager_profile.cfm?page=3087&managerID=2 |archive-date=31 August 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Busby gave an 18-year-old [[Denis Law]], then with Huddersfield Town, his first Scotland cap.<ref name="sfa"/> He had already expressed an interest in signing Law for United by this stage, although he had yet to be successful in doing so.

===The post-Munich side===
[[File:Manchester United FC 1960.jpg|thumb|Manchester United F.C. in 1960 – from the left, standing: [[Maurice Setters]], [[Bill Foulkes]], [[Ronnie Cope]], [[Harry Gregg]], [[Albert Scanlon]], [[Bobby Charlton]]. Front row: [[Warren Bradley (footballer)|Warren Bradley]], [[Albert Quixall]], [[Dennis Viollet]], [[Shay Brennan]] and [[Joe Carolan]].]]
After the crash, Busby built a new side around Munich survivors including Harry Gregg, [[Bobby Charlton]] and Bill Foulkes. A number of surviving players including Albert Scanlon, [[Kenny Morgans]] and [[Dennis Viollet]] resumed their careers but moved on to other clubs in the four years following the disaster.

As well as promoting reserve and youth players including [[Shay Brennan]] and [[Johnny Giles]] to the first team, Busby also delved into the transfer market to sign players including [[David Herd (footballer)|David Herd]], [[Albert Quixall]] and Denis Law. Northern Irish teenager [[George Best]] was scouted for Manchester United by Bob Bishop and signed to the club's playing staff by chief scout [[Joe Armstrong (football scout)|Joe Armstrong]], making his first team debut in September 1963.

Busby successfully rebuilt United, as he guided them to a 3–1 victory over [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] in the [[1963 FA Cup Final]]. They were league champions in 1965 and again in 1967, with a defeat on the final day of the [[1967–68 in English football|1967–68 season]] seeing rivals Manchester City snatch the title away.

During the [[1966 World Cup]], Busby compiled a scouting report on the Portugal side for England manager [[Alf Ramsey]]. Busby added a note saying: "Dear Alf... first of all congrats – keep it up. I know you have knowledge of Portugal but have included a report which may help. Wembley final the next stop is the wish of Yours Truly, Matt."<ref>{{cite news |last=Stringer |first=Connor |date=24 November 2024 |title=Sir Alf Ramsey's 1966 England World Cup 'masterplan' found in old suitcase |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/24/sir-alf-ramseys-1966-england-masterplan-found-in-suitcase/ |access-date=18 December 2024 |work=The Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

===European glory and retirement===
[[File:Matt Busby statue Old Trafford.jpg|thumb|upright|A statue of Sir Matt Busby in front of [[Old Trafford]] stadium]]
The biggest success of his career came on [[1968 European Cup Final|29 May 1968]] when the team won the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]. He retired as manager at the end of the following season, having announced his intention to do so on 14 January 1969,<ref name="otd">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/14/newsid_3334000/3334059.stm |title=1969: Matt Busby retires from Man United |work=BBC On This Day |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/01/15/archives/busby-ends-career-as-a-soccer-coach.html?sq=Matt%2520Busby&scp=4&st=cse |title=Busby ends career as soccer coach |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=52 |date=15 January 1969 |access-date=25 April 2009 }}</ref> but remained at the club as a director, handing over managerial duties to trainer and former player [[Wilf McGuinness]].<ref name="otd"/> When McGuinness was sacked in December 1970, Busby returned to the manager's seat on an interim basis until a new permanent appointment was made after the end of the season. The job went to [[Frank O'Farrell]] in June 1971 after United were unsuccessful in approaching [[Jock Stein]] and [[Don Revie]].

He carried on as a club director for 11 years, before being made president in 1980.<ref name="otd"/>

Busby was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1958 Birthday Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41404 |date=3 June 1958 |page=3521 |supp=y }}</ref> and was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] following the European Cup victory in 1968 in [[1968 Birthday Honours|that year's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=44600 |date=31 May 1968 |page=6299 |supp=y }}</ref> He was made a Knight Commander of St Gregory by the Pope in 1972.

==Later years and death==
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2022}}
Busby was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' on two occasions: in January 1958 (a month before the Munich tragedy), when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the BBC Studios in [[Manchester]], and in May 1971, when he became the show's first subject to be honoured for a second time. On this occasion, Andrews surprised him just ahead of his final game as interim manager, leading [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in a derby match with Manchester City at Maine Road.

His [[Testimonial match|testimonial]] was held at [[Old Trafford]] in August 1991. A Manchester United side featuring a new generation of star players including [[Mark Hughes]] and [[Steve Bruce]] took on a [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland XI]]. The result was a 1–1 draw.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

[[File:Sir Matt Busby Grave.JPG|thumb|upright|Grave of Sir Matt Busby and his wife, [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester]]]]
Busby suffered a mild stroke in July 1980 at the age of 71 but made a full recovery. Soon afterwards, however, his wife Jean became ill with [[Alzheimer's disease]]. She died, aged 80, in December 1988 in a Manchester nursing home. They had been married for 58 years. Busby died at the age of 84 on 20 January 1994 at the [[Alexandra Hospital (Cheadle)|Alexandra Hospital]] in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. He had been admitted to the hospital earlier that month to have a blood clot removed from his leg, and had appeared to be making a good recovery until his condition deteriorated after several days.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/21/obituaries/matt-busby-soccer-coach-84.html |title=Matt Busby; Soccer Coach, 84 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 January 1994 |access-date=25 April 2009 }}</ref>

He was buried in [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester]], alongside his wife Jean. His friend Willie Satinoff, who owned a racecourse and died in the Munich air disaster, is buried in the same cemetery. Two days after Busby's death, a minute's silence was held at the start of United's home game against [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in the Premier League. United finished that season as [[double (association football)|double]] winners, lifting the league title and FA Cup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk/GenLocDetails.aspx?ID=146985 |title=Search online &#124; Burial records &#124; Manchester City Council |publisher=Burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref>

The [[Sir Matt Busby Sports Complex|sports centre]] in Bellshill, his place of birth, was named after him shortly after his death. This opened to the public in 1995.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

In 1999, in securing the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup, Manchester United won the European Cup on what would have been Busby's 90th birthday – the first time they had won the trophy since Busby's 1968 triumph. Then, in 2008, Manchester United won the Champions League again, 50 years after the Munich tragedy, and 40 years since Busby's own European glory, when his United defeated Benfica.

The day after the centenary of Busby's birth, Manchester United played [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] in the [[2009 UEFA Champions League Final|2009 Champions League final]] and lost to the Spanish side 2–0. Busby was made an inaugural inductee of the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the sport.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

On 6 September 2009, the '''Sir Matt Busby Shield''' was contested between [[Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy|Manchester United Reserves]] and [[Motherwell F.C.|Motherwell]]. This was held at [[Fir Park]], two miles from Busby's place of birth, to mark 100 years since his birth. Motherwell won the match 1–0.<ref>{{cite news |title=Motherwell res 1 Utd res 0 |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/motherwell-res-1-utd-res-929215 |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=MEN Media |date=7 September 2009 |accessdate=4 November 2021 }}</ref>

His son Sandy died on 15 September 2014,<ref>{{cite news |title=Sandy Busby passes away |url=http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Club-News/2014/Sep/sandy-busby-son-of-manchester-united-legendary-manager-sir-matt-busby-passes-away.aspx |website=ManUtd.com |publisher=Manchester United |date=15 September 2014 |access-date=15 September 2014 }}</ref> followed nearly nine months later by his daughter Sheena, who had been married to former Manchester United player [[Don Gibson (footballer, born 1929)|Don Gibson]] for 59 years. He had a total of seven grandchildren, all female.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Hibbs |title=Sheena Gibson, daughter of Sir Matt Busby, passes away |url=http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Club-News/2015/May/Sheena-Gibson-daughter-of-Sir-Matt-Busby-dies.aspx |website=ManUtd.com |publisher=Manchester United |date=29 May 2015 |access-date=30 May 2015 }}</ref> He was the great-uncle of actor [[Brendan Coyle]].<ref name="Busby">{{cite press release|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/06_june/18/true_coyle.shtml|title=''True Dare Kiss'': Brendan Coyle interview|date=18 June 2007|publisher=BBC Press Office|access-date=18 March 2025}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Busby was portrayed by actor [[Dougray Scott]] in the 2011 television drama ''[[United (2011 film)|United]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/2011/02/06/pride-and-passion-behind-dougray-scott-s-portrayal-of-sir-matt-busby-86908-22903561/ |title=Pride and passion behind Dougray Scott's portrayal of Sir Matt Busby |work=[[Sunday Mail (Scotland)|Sunday Mail]]|access-date=25 April 2011 |date=6 February 2011 |last=Dingwall |first=John}}</ref> which was centred on the successes of the Busby Babes and the Munich air crash, as well as the rebuilding of the team by Jimmy Murphy while Busby recovered from his injuries. Busby's son Sandy told [[BBC News]] that he was "disgusted" by the film.<ref name="disgusted"/> He pointed out that the character of Busby, despite being the first "tracksuit manager" in English football, was never seen in a tracksuit throughout the film, instead wearing a camel coat and a fedora.<ref name="disgusted">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13181651 |title=Sir Matt Busby's son 'disgusted' at United TV film |publisher=BBC |work=BBC News |date=24 April 2011 |access-date=23 May 2011 }}</ref>
<br>

He was mentioned in the [[The Beatles|Beatles]] song "[[Dig It (Beatles song)|Dig It]]" from the band's final album, [[Let It Be (album)|''Let it Be'']], released in 1970.

[[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]] portrayed an older Busby (and Charlie Cook a younger Busby in flashbacks to 1958) in the 2013 film ''[[Believe (2013 film)|Believe]]''.<ref name="believe">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/24/believe-review-brian-cox-man-united-matt-busby |title=Believe review – Brian Cox stars as Man United's Matt Busby |first=Mike |last=McCahill |date=24 July 2014 |access-date=8 August 2014 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media }}</ref> Set in 1984, it imagines Busby taking on the management of a boys' team competing in a local cup.<ref name="believe"/>

==Career statistics==

===Playing career===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season
!colspan=3|League
!colspan=2|[[FA Cup]]
!colspan=2|[[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]]
!colspan=2|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="9"|[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|[[1928–29 Manchester City F.C. season|1928–29]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|[[1929–30 Manchester City F.C. season|1929–30]]
|First Division
|11||3||1||2||0||0||12||5
|-
|[[1930–31 Manchester City F.C. season|1930–31]]
|First Division
|20||0||1||0||0||0||21||0
|-
|[[1931–32 Manchester City F.C. season|1931–32]]
|First Division
|41||1||5||0||0||0||46||1
|-
|[[1932–33 Manchester City F.C. season|1932–33]]
|First Division
|39||1||7||1||0||0||46||2
|-
|[[1933–34 Manchester City F.C. season|1933–34]]
|First Division
|39||4||8||0||0||0||47||4
|-
|[[1934–35 Manchester City F.C. season|1934–35]]
|First Division
|35||1||1||0||1||0||37||1
|-
|[[1935–36 Manchester City F.C. season|1935–36]]
|First Division
|19||1||1||0||0||0||20||1
|-
!colspan=2|Total
!204!!11!!24!!3!!1!!0!!229!!14
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]
|[[1935–36 Liverpool F.C. season|1935–36]]
|First Division
|11||1||0||0||0||0||11||1
|-
|[[1936–37 Liverpool F.C. season|1936–37]]
|First Division
|29||1||1||0||0||0||30||1
|-
|[[1937–38 Liverpool F.C. season|1937–38]]
|First Division
|33||0||3||0||0||0||36||0
|-
|[[1938–39 Liverpool F.C. season|1938–39]]
|First Division
|42||1||3||0||0||0||45||1
|-
!colspan=2|Total
!115!!3!!7!!0!!0!!0!!122!!3
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!319!!14!!31!!3!!1!!0!!351!!17
|}

===Managerial career===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From
!rowspan=2|To
!colspan=5|Record
!rowspan=2|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
|align=left|1 October 1945
|align=left|4 June 1969
{{WDL|1120|565|263|292|decimals=1}}<sup>1</sup>
|<ref name="soceb">{{soccerbase (manager)|id=935|name=Matt Busby}}</ref>
|-
|align=left|[[Great Britain men's Olympic football team|Great Britain]]
|align=left|July 1948
|align=left|August 1948
{{WDL|4|2|0|2|decimals=1}}
|
|-
|align=left|[[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]
|align=left|15 January 1958
|align=left|December 1958
{{WDL|2|1|1|0|decimals=1}}
|<ref>{{cite web|date=8 September 2021|title=Matt Busby {{!}} Scotland|url=https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/managers/?mid=187813&lid=1|website=Scottish FA}}</ref>
|-
|align=left|Manchester United
|align=left|29 December 1970
|align=left|8 June 1971
{{WDL|21|11|3|7|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="soceb"/>
|-
!colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|1147|579|267|301|decimals=1}}
!
|}

<sup>1</sup>Does not include matches for which Jimmy Murphy served as acting manager following the Munich air disaster.

==Honours==

===Player===
'''Manchester City'''
* [[FA Cup]]: [[1934 FA Cup Final|1933–34]]

===Manager===
'''Manchester United'''
* [[Football League First Division|First Division]]: [[1951–52 Football League|1951–52]], [[1955–56 Football League|1955–56]], [[1956–57 Football League|1956–57]], [[1964–65 Football League|1964–65]], [[1966–67 Football League|1966–67]]
* FA Cup: [[1948 FA Cup Final|1947–48]], [[1963 FA Cup Final|1962–63]]
* [[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]]: [[1952 FA Charity Shield|1952]], [[1956 FA Charity Shield|1956]], [[1957 FA Charity Shield|1957]], [[1965 FA Charity Shield|1965]] (shared), [[1967 FA Charity Shield|1967]] (shared)
* [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]: [[1968 European Cup Final|1967–68]]

===Individual===
*[[PFA Merit Award]]: 1980
*[[English Football Hall of Fame|English Football Hall of Fame (Manager)]]: 2002
*[[English Football Hall of Fame|European Hall of Fame (Manager)]]: 2008
*[[ESPN]] 7th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013<ref name="espn">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/news/story/_/id/1515804|title=Greatest Managers, No. 7: Matt Busby|date=7 August 2013|publisher=ESPN FC|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>
*''[[France Football]]'' 11th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2019<ref name="franceff">{{cite web|url=https://www.givemesport.com/1462037-france-football-have-ranked-the-50-greatest-managers-of-all-time|title=France Football have ranked the 50 greatest managers of all time|date=19 March 2019|publisher=GiveMeSport|access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref>
*''[[World Soccer (magazine)|World Soccer]]'' 36th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013

===Orders and special awards===
*[[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)]]: 1958
*[[Knight Bachelor]]: 1968
*[[Order of St. Gregory the Great|Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (KCSG)]]: 1972

==See also==
* [[List of English football championship-winning managers]]
* [[List of longest managerial reigns in association football]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{citation |last=Barclay|first=Patrick|title= Sir Matt Busby: Thye Man Who MAde a Football Club |publisher=Ebury |year=2017 |isbn= 9781785032080}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220101609/http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/Hall%20of%20Fame/mattbusby.htm |date=dmy |title=English Football Hall of Fame Profile}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524123517/http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/busby/ |date=dmy |title=Player profile at Liverpoolfc.tv}}
*[http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=557 Player profile at LFChistory.net]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528181904/http://www.manutdzone.com/legends/SirMattBusby.htm |date=dmy |title=Player profile at ManUtdZone.com}}
*[http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/matthewbusby.html Player profile at LondonHearts.com]
*{{SFA profile}}
*{{Scottish Sports Hall of Fame|sir-matt-busby-cbe}}

{{Great Britain football squad 1948 Summer Olympics}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = Gold
| fg = navy
| list1 = 
{{European Cup winning managers}}
{{English Football First Tier League Championship winning managers}}
{{FA Cup winning managers}}
{{Scottish Football Hall of Fame}}
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list1 = 
{{Manchester United F.C. managers}}
{{Scotland national football team managers}}
}}
{{Munich air disaster}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busby, Matt}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
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[[Category:Military personnel from North Lanarkshire]]
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[[Category:Hibernian F.C. wartime guest players]]
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[[Category:Association football people awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Burials at Southern Cemetery, Manchester]]