Five fantastic Sir Matt Busby facts on anniversary of his passing

Busby and Fergie alike

Much like future Man Utd managerial legend and fellow Scottish knight of the realm Sir Alex Ferguson, Busby had a short spell in charge of his home nation.

Busby took over from the Scotland national team in 1958, just before the Munich disaster, but was unable to lead them at the World Cup that year due to his injuries. Fergie, meanwhile, did manage them at the 1968 finals, after the unexpected death of Jock Stein, before taking over at Old Trafford that summer.

It should also be noted that Busby also coached a Team GB to the semi-finals at the 1948 Olympics on home soil, losing 3-1 to Yugoslavia, featuring mainly amateurs.

Sole Scotland cap against future friend

Unlike Sir Alex, however, Busby did manage an official cap for his country, which came in 1933 at the age of 24 while on Man City’s books.

Coincidentally, he was playing against Wales which featured future long-term assistant Jimmy Murphy in their XI.

Busby immortalised by Beatles

To finish off with, legendary Liverpool band The Beatles perhaps remembered Busby’s connections with the city, as they reference his name in the song ‘Dig It’ in the 1970 UK-released album ‘Let It Be’.

Featuring other famous names B.B. King and Doris Day, the track, a tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, is just 51 seconds long, but the full version is actually 8:20 and one of the very few songs credited to all four band members.

Related

Check out more in our trivia section.