Man Utd Fans 'Banned' From Having Names of 3 Ex-Players Printed on Shirts

 The football shirt printing business is continuing to boom and fans, ahead of every season, are keen to get their favourite players’ name on the back of their shirt – and Manchester United have prevented supporters from getting the names of three former players on the back of their new 2025/26 strip.

Led by Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils are currently in the United States for their pre-season tour. They will face West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton in their first-ever Premier League Summer Series before hosting Fiorentina at Old Trafford.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Last season (24/25) was Manchester United’s worst-ever finish in a Premier League season. They finished 15th – 17 points above relegation.

New boys Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are expected to be popular among the club’s fanbase – and, with Marcus Rashford on loan at Barcelona, their names are expected to be among the most-printed heading into an all-important campaign.

Three Names Banned From Being Printed on Man Utd 25/26 Shirts

All three are former players of the Red Devils

Manchester United have released a new home and away shirt for the upcoming season; and the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho (in the event he stays!) will all be well-used names on the back of shirts due to their popularity.

Like many others recently, Manchester United fan Simon Lloyd – on X (formerly Twitter) – insisted that he took his son to the club Mega Store at Old Trafford in order to purchase the newly-released shirt, just to be greeted with a three-man exclusion list.

According to the club’s rules, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo are the trio of names that the Old Trafford faithful are unable to get on the back of their shirts.

Of course, that may come as a massive surprise given their respective legendary statuses. And according to Manchester United’s shirt printing policy, the Premier League heavyweights are not allowed to use certain names – Ronaldo, Beckham and Cantona – by virtue of licensing restrictions.

“Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to print Cantona, Beckham, and Ronaldo.”

That will be unfortunate for Mbeumo, who revealed that Ronaldo was the first name he had on the back of his shirt. “My first top was one with Ronaldo behind [on the back]. It changed the time. When I was really young, the two best footballers were Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi,” the Cameroonian said.

Ronaldo – widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time – looks back fondly on his first time at the club, but perhaps not the second. He became world football’s most exciting talent in 2003 when he joined from boyhood club Sporting CP.

Cantona was a trailblazing figure when he moved to the Theatre of Dreams from Leeds United. The enigmatic Frenchman, now 59, retired after five years of playing for the club – and it’s said that he changed the entire complexion of England’s top flight.

Elsewhere, London-born Beckham was much more than a footballer: he was a global phenomenon. From trendy haircuts to a unique playing style, the Englishman played just shy of 400 times for the club, contributing to 206 goals.