There have been many players, from the magnificent to the mediocre, who have lined up against Dundee United over the years.
In the past, footballing gods like Lionel Messi, George Best, Lothar Matthäus and Teófilo Cubillas have all dazzled against the Tangerines.
They are among the all-time greats but how many others have you forgotten?
Jerry Kerr turned United into a top-flight European team in the 1960s before Jim McLean took the club to unimaginable success in the 1970s and 1980s.
Those glory years saw United go up against great European sides but there were also unusual games including those in tournaments which no longer exist.
Who remembers the Anglo-Scottish Cup, for instance?
Then there was Dundee United playing as Dallas Tornado when America started its soccer revolution in the 1960s, and the Japan Cup of 1979.
But who were the best-ever players to come up against United?
Lifelong Arab and former club historian Tom Cairns has been looking back at some of the gods of the game that have shared a pitch with his boyhood heroes.
Tom has pulled together his 1-11 of the greatest opponents, along with five substitutes, and finishes by highlighting some of the players that didn’t make the cut.
Here’s Tom’s XI, in that tried and tested 2-3-5 formation…
Peter Shilton
Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Shilton won a record 125 caps for England during a 30-year career which included spells at 11 clubs.
Shilton was one of the best shot-stoppers of his generation and helped Nottingham Forest win two European Cup finals, the League Championship and the League Cup.
He played for Leicester against United in the Texaco Cup in 1972 and 1973.
Dani Alves
The outstanding Brazilian player, who was capped 124 times, won six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and the Copa del Rey four times with Barcelona.
Alves eventually left for Juventus in 2016 and then played for Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo before returning to the Nou Camp.
He played against United in the second friendly at Tannadice in 2008.
Bobby Moore
Moore lifted the World Cup as captain in 1966 and went on to lead the team 90 times out of a total of 108 appearances for England until 1973.
He made more than 500 appearances for West Ham including victories in the 1964 FA Cup final and the European Cup Winners’ Cup final of 1965.
Moore played against United in a friendly game in Portland in 1969.
Arie Haan
Haan won 35 caps for the Netherlands and finished runner-up at two World Cups.
The midfielder was a member of the famous Ajax side that won the European Cup for three consecutive years from 1971 to 1973.
He played for Anderlecht against United in the Uefa Cup first-round in 1979, which is remembered for Frank Kopel’s goal that sent the Tangerines through.
Andrés Iniesta
Generally considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta came through the ranks at Barcelona and spent nearly 22 years at the Nou Camp.
His 35 trophies during his time at Barcelona, which includes nine La Liga and four Uefa Champions League titles, make him the most decorated Spanish footballer.
The man given the nickname El Ilusionista by the Barca faithful played against United in the first friendly match at Tannadice in 2007.
Lothar Matthäus
Matthäus spent his formative years at Borussia Mönchengladbach before becoming a World Cup-winning captain with Germany in 1990.
He was a box-to-box midfielder who won a record 150 caps for Germany during a glittering career that included spells with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
He played against United for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Uefa Cup in 1981 when his team were beaten 5-2 on aggregate following a famous 5-0 win at Tannadice.
Sir Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley was European Footballer of the Year in 1956 and played 54 times for England during a career that carried on until he was the age of 50.
He was knighted in 1965 while still playing professionally, the only time this has happened.
Sir Stanley, who spent 19 years with Stoke City, made a guest appearance for Airdrie against United in the semi-final of the 1940 War Cup at Easter Road but couldn’t stop United winning 3-1.
Lionel Messi
Messi is often spoken of in the same breath as Pelé and Diego Maradona and has won the European Footballer of the Year award a record seven times.
He won 35 major trophies with Barcelona before moving to Paris Saint-Germain and won the Ligue 1 title, which was his first honour under Mauricio Pochettino.
He played against United in the 2008 friendly and scored a hat-trick.
Gary Lineker
Lineker was 26 when he signed for Barcelona for £2.8 million from Everton in 1987, after winning the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot with six goals.
In all, Lineker scored 48 goals for England in 80 appearances.
His three seasons in Barcelona were largely successful but he ended up on the losing side against United over two legs in the 1987 Uefa Cup quarter-final.
George Best
George Best will always be associated with Manchester United, where he won the European Cup in 1968 and was named European Footballer of the Year.
Best’s last appearance for United came at the age of 27, in 1974, before he took in spells at various clubs including joining Premier League strugglers Hibs in 1979.
He played against United during the 1979/1980 season, although he was never on the winning side and Hibs were eventually relegated to the second tier.
Jimmy Johnstone
Jimmy Johnstone made his first-team debut for Celtic in 1963 and was, of course, one of the famous Lisbon Lions which won the European Cup in 1967.
Johnstone was voted by Parkhead supporters as the greatest-ever Celtic player.
He played various times against United during his time with Celtic, including the 1974 Scottish Cup final win after completing nine league title wins in a row.
Who’s Who of footballing legends
Tom’s substitutes were Andoni Zubizarreta, Martin Peters, Ricky Villa, Ossie Ardiles, Roberto Falcao and Kevin Keegan with Ferenc Puskás as manager.
Puskás, of course, was one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game and won three European Cup titles and five La Liga titles with Real Madrid.
He retired from playing in 1966 and went into management. He guided Panathinaikos to the European Cup final in 1971 where they lost to Ajax.
Puskás was manager when United played Panathinaikos in a 1970 friendly in Athens.
Who were the players who didn’t make Tom’s bench, though?
Tom’s original long-list included goalkeepers Michel Preud’homme, Bruce Grobbelaar and Bert Trautmann, who played in a Tannadice friendly for Manchester City in 1962.
Outfield players who were also in contention were Alan Ball, Yaya Touré, Rob Rensenbrink, Willy van de Kerkhof, Geoff Hurst and Teófilo Cubillas.
With so many great players to choose from, Tom said it was always going to be a tough job.
“It truly was a difficult task to pick from so many outstanding talents, most of whom I had the joy to watch in person” he said.
“It will be difficult for those much younger than I to imagine the joy of watching even a few of those players named in the squad.
“Given the dearth of attacking football now on offer, it makes memories of games and players from the past even more enjoyable.”
So what do you make of Tom’s XI?
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