This sparked off a mammoth civil war known as the ‘War of the Roses’ between the two Houses in 1455 which lasted more than 32 years.īobby Charlton would dazzle for the Busby Babes against Leeds who themselves had Jack Charlton amongst their ranks. He was seen as a weak and incapable ruler which led to another rival house, that of Yorkshire or York, staking their claim. The ruler at that time was Henry VI who belonged to the House of Lancashire or Lancaster. The rivalry between the two clubs, and at large the two cities has its roots in 15 th century England.

But wait, why is it called that and why do these two teams share such animosity? The answers lie way back in history. With the Whites set to visit Old Trafford to kick off the new Premier League season, the stage is all set for the ‘Roses rivalry’ to reignite. The contests are always feisty when these two meet. There were the eras of Matt Busby and Don Revie which involved physical plays and landmark wins, the early reign of Sir Alex Ferguson including the shock signing of Eric Cantona, THAT Jermaine Beckford goal in the 2010 FA Cup. The two teams have served up some historically great matches for more than a hundred years beginning in the early 1900s. Leeds United and Manchester United share one of the fiercest rivalries in English football and across the wider context of the game.

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