ON THIS DAY

Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty signed Celtic's Lou Macari for £200,000, the most ever paid at the time for a player in the Scottish League. 19 th January

Three of the greatest players ever to lace their boots for Manchester United were Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Charlton made his debut for United on 6th October 1956, Law on 18th August 1962 and Best on 14th September 1963 but it wasn't until Saturday January 18th 1964 that the 'United Trinity' played together for the first time. The trio brought instant success to United with the Reds winning 4-1 away to West Bromwich Albion - the goals coming from Law (2), Best and Charlton! In later years the 'United Trinity' were honoured with a statue outside of Old Trafford which was unveiled on 29th May 2008 - forty years to the day after United won the European Cup for the first time.

A momentous date – the day the maximum wage was abolished in English football. In 1961 the most a footballer could be paid was £20 a week (£17 in the summer) and in its campaign to get the wage cap ended the Professional Footballers Association – led by Fulham’s Jimmy Hill – had called a players strike for Saturday January 21st 1961. Three days before the planned strike the League gave in and the maximum wage was no more allowing Hill’s Fulham team-mate, Johnny Haynes, to become the first £100 a week footballer in England. Ironically though the change didn’t see Hill get an increase in his £18 a week pay before he retired while Haynes didn’t get another pay rise in his remaining 9 years as a player.