It’s a United tour so unlikely it could be the start of a pub joke. “Heard the one about the team that visited the southernmost nation in the world, scored 19 goals to one, but started a football renaissance?” It’s hard to believe, but true.
In the summer of 1967, one of United’s greatest teams — featuring the holy trinity of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law — circumnavigated the globe on a mammoth post-season tour, including a stop in New Zealand, the longest journey in our history.
The visit put football on the map in the land of kiwis and rugby, boosting the sport there to unprecedented levels.