The Manchester United badge is an iconic staple in English football, known all around the world.
But it didn’t always look the way it does now. It has a history that runs parallel with the history of the club.
Since the club’s formation as ‘Newton Heath’ in 1878, there have been many changes leading to the renowned badge it has today.
So, let’s take a trip back to the very inception of the club.
Newton Heath and the Club’s Railway Origins, 1878–1902
The designs often shown online as Newton Heath’s earliest badges are not as firmly documented as the club’s later crests.
What is clear is that the club was formed by workers from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, with the train representing those railway origins.
Green and gold also became strongly associated with Newton Heath, although surviving accounts of the club’s earliest kits are inconsistent, with white and blue also recorded during its early years.
More than 100 years later, United used the poignant green and gold colours again for their 1992–94 third kit.
Manchester United launch their new away kit, 1992. pic.twitter.com/nx065MPyfg
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) November 11, 2020
But this wasn’t the last time these colours would re-enter Old Trafford.
With the leveraged buyout of the club in 2005 by the Glazer family, unrest grew around the club.
Then in 2010, fans protested against the huge debt that had been placed on United.
These protests led to this iconic photo of David Beckham returning to Old Trafford as an AC Milan player wearing a green and gold scarf.
David Beckham puts on a Green & Gold scarf after United beat AC Milan 4-0 whilst Old Trafford protests against the Glazers (2010) #GlazersOut pic.twitter.com/Pub5V3QD7W
— 🇾🇪 (@ManUtdHeritage) August 16, 2022
Since then, the use of green and gold has remained a statement of fan protests against the club’s ownership.
The Manchester Coat of Arms, 1902–1960s
By 1902, United were on the brink of collapse due to a lack of financing and increasing debt.
But a famous tale involving an English businessman and a dog led to the survival of this iconic club.
According to club legend, it started at a fundraising event where club captain Harry Stafford’s St Bernard, Major, wandered off.
The dog was found by local brewery owner John Henry Davies, who took a liking to him. Davies later became involved with the club and, together with several other local businessmen, put money into it and kept it afloat.
Then, under his ownership, the club changed its name to Manchester United and its colours to red, white and black.
He also helped to fund the move to Old Trafford in 1910. During his ownership, Ernest Mangnall was appointed as club secretary, which was effectively the role of manager, and won United their first ever league titles.
For much of this period, United did not wear a permanent club badge on their shirts.
Instead, versions of the Manchester coat of arms were used on special occasions, particularly for major cup finals.
The Latin phrase ‘CONCILIO ET LABORE’ translates to ‘by wisdom and effort’ in English and was Manchester’s motto.
The design used by United was incredibly similar to the Manchester coat of arms.
The ship represents Manchester’s trade with the wider world. It is sometimes said to represent the Manchester Ship Canal, but the coat of arms was created before the canal had been built.
The three yellow stripes later became associated with the city’s three rivers: the Irwell, Irk and Medlock.
At the top is a globe surrounded by worker bees. The globe represents Manchester’s international connections, while the bees symbolise the working and industrial nature of the city.
Big Changes in the 1967–68 Season
During the 1967–68 season came the next big change.
The name ‘Manchester United’ was seen on the badge for the first time, while the Manchester ship was still shown.
It used a red, white and black colour scheme fitting with the club’s colours.
The Lancashire roses were a prominent part of the design, with three stripes remaining on the badge.
The crest was closely based on the City of Manchester coat of arms and brought together the identities of the city and the club.
However, it was not used on the players’ shirts.
Introducing the Red Devil
Two seasons later, United made another major change to the badge.
The club wanted to copyright its crest to protect it against pirated goods. As the previous badge was so closely based on Manchester’s coat of arms, United replaced it with a design that was more distinctive to the club.
The Lancashire roses were replaced by two footballs, while the Manchester ship remained.
Most importantly, this was the first appearance of the Red Devil on the badge.
The ‘Red Devil’ nickname came from the local Salford rugby league club, who were referred to by French journalists as ‘Les Diables Rouges’, which translates as ‘The Red Devils’.
United’s manager Sir Matt Busby believed the nickname could be intimidating to opposition teams, so the club began using it during the 1960s.
The new crest was used on official club memorabilia from the 1969–70 season, although it was not yet regularly worn on United’s kits.
Colour Scheme Change in the 1970s
Not long after, the colour scheme was changed again.
The red and yellow palette was introduced, creating a design much closer to the Manchester United badge used today.
The ship, footballs and Red Devil all remained, but their presentation was simplified and the colours became more consistent.
The 1972–73 season also marked an important moment in the history of the badge, as the new crest was regularly used on United’s kits for the first time.
Although there have been slight changes to its colour, shape and size since then, this was the first widely established version of the modern Manchester United crest.
Manchester United’s Current Badge: 1998–Present
In 1998, the club logo was changed for the last time so far.
It was a refresh of the previous badge, with the words ‘Football Club’ removed.
The fonts used were bolder and the colours more vivid across the badge, while the words ‘Manchester United’ were made more prominent.
Although the full badge has remained largely unchanged since then, United have occasionally experimented with the devil as a standalone symbol.
The 2023–24 third kit featured a simplified red devil without the ship, footballs or club name. It was the first time in more than 50 years that the devil had been used on its own as the main emblem on a United shirt.
However, the full red and gold crest remains the club’s official badge and one of the most recognisable symbols in world football.