The football century has only been here for 20 years. Since the new Millennium arrived, however, the action has been spectacular. Record have been broken, new standards have been set and heroes have been set in bronze and will live forever in our memories.

In this series looking at some of the best football teams the century has seen so far, we’ll cast our eye over superstar strikers, midfield maestros and defensive deities. Most importantly, however, is the element of the team. We start with the most success English domestic side of the century so far, Manchester United.

A start born of frustration

The year earlier, United had languished to a third-placed finish in the Premier League, their lowest ranking since its inauguration in the autumn of 1992. Determined to wrestle back control of the league, Sir Alex Ferguson built his team on the cavalier values that had served him so well at the turn of the century. This met with mixed results in the early months of the season, with United beaten five times before 2002 was out. Four away defeats, including at bitter rivals Leeds United and Manchester City, condemned United to the European places rather than a genuine title challenge. David Beckham, in what would transpire to be his final season wearing the red of his boyhood club, was a problem position, and over the course of the season, Ferguson would often rely more on the versatility of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rather than the debonair looks and devilish delivery of the wing wizard Beckham.