Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reluctantly called time on his United playing career on 28 August 2007 – eleven years and three days after it began with a goalscoring debut.
On the field, the Norwegian became an embodiment of United's never-say-die spirit in their most successful decade, often scoring late goals when points or trophies looked to have been lost. But off the field, he finally had to admit one defeat - in his battle with a persistent knee injury.
On retiring, Ole said: “I would like to thank the manager, the coaching and medical staff and most of all the supporters.
"The supporters have been fantastic and were a real inspiration to me when I was out injured. I feel proud to have represented United for 11 years and have some very special memories."
Ole's many career highlights include his four goals in 12 minutes as a substitute at Nottingham Forest, in United's record away win (8-1). But surely the most special memory of all would be the Champions League final in 1999 when he best exhibited his ability to seize the whisker of a chance. His injury-time toe-poke past Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn completed United's Treble and cemented his place in Reds folklore.