What song do Manchester United play before kick-off?

General view of Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium from the outside in October 2023.
Old Trafford is the biggest club stadium in the United Kingdom (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United's Old Trafford has overseen some of the most iconic moments in Premier League history over the past 30 years.

The Red Devils' success in the Premier League era has catapulted the team to become one of the biggest clubs in the world, with an enormous stadium to match. United's ground has seen England international fixtures, Champions League finals and major fixtures in women's internationals since the year 2000 as well as being home to the country's most successful team in that same period.

With a capacity of over 75,000, Old Trafford is also the biggest club stadium in Britain, further adding to the rich history which coats the walls of the Theatre of Dreams.

What song do Manchester United play before kick-off?

Wayne Rooney scores a spectacular bicycle kick goal for Manchester United against Manchester City at Old Trafford, February 2011

Old Trafford has witnessed some of the most important moments in Premier League history (Image credit: Alamy)

Manchester United's pre-match song is 'This is the One' by the Stone Roses, and has been since 2005.

The song was introduced by Gary Neville following his appointment as club captain, stating that he wanted to choose a song which reflected the true authentic spirit of the city of Manchester.

David Beckham Gary Neville Juventus

Gary Neville is an Old Trafford legend

Speaking in an interview with the club, Neville explained: “This is the One has stood the test of time because it's a great song. That's it first and foremost, and that album is legendary.

“But Manchester United helps keep it alive every single week. I'm up there now on the gantry and that guitar starts to play, and that moment still gives you goosebumps.

“If you're a Manchester United fan and you hear that song, then you know it's time for the match to start.

“You can have good times and bad times. But still, every United fan that walks over that forecourt into that stadium has a dream and hope that they're going to see something special.

“The song that's played in the tunnel is the start of that moment.”

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Stone Roses singer Ian Brown is a self-proclaimed boyhood United fan, adding yet another sentimental layer to the choice of song which has now become synonymous with Old Trafford match days.

If you want to know more about the most famous pre-match anthems in the Premier League, FourFourTwo collated a full list of Premier League clubs' pre-match anthems for you to check out.

James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.