Meet the other Man Utd you’ve never heard of who Matt Busby allowed to use name

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    Manchester United are not the only football club to go by their iconic global name with Gibraltarian outfit Manchester 62 coining the same title.

    The Gibraltar National League side was founded in 1962, during the same era as Matt Busby's infamous 'Busby Babes'. The Red Devils claimed five league titles, two FA Cups and the 1963 European Cup during his stellar 24-year reign and the CBE-honoured manager proved the inspiration for the emergence of Manchester United (Gibraltar) Football Club.

    Formed by three close Man Utd friends, Clive A. Moberley, George Undery and Louis Ghio, in a local pub, Moberly wrote to Busby in May 1962 requesting permission to use the Red Devils' name and club colours.

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    After Busby approved their proposal, the trio began to build a side that would go on to claim the Gibraltar Premier Division just 12 years later, though MU(G)FC's early years proved a struggle.

    Raising money for club shirts through raffle money, the newly-formed outfit remained without a clubhouse for the first eight seasons of their existence, instead meeting in bars and social clubs.

    Despite going on to claim six league championships, the most recent of which came in 1999, one of the club's proudest days came at the end of the 2008/09 season when the Giblatrians, having re-branded themselves as Manchester United Digibet Football Club, welcomed legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson to Victoria Stadium.

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    "Sir Alex, together with our Patron Sir Peter Caruana, inaugurated our premises to the delight of our many members, signing numerous autographs and taking many photos," Moberly recalled to boxtoboxfootball in 2016.

    "At 11 am the next day we collected Mile Phelan and Bryan Robson to have a training session with our junior members."

    With UEFA introducing qualification spots to the Champions League and Europa League for Gilbatarian sides in 2013/14, hence the name change to Manchester 62, there is now a realistic possibility of the two Man Utd's meeting in Europe.

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