How Meme Hero Harry Maguire Made Manchester United Fans Fall in Love with Him Again

Rúben Amorim has repeatedly defended the Englishman in front of the press, urging supporters to get behind their player — and Maguire has repaid that faith in full.

When Manchester United last left Anfield with three points, Wayne Rooney wasn’t yet the club’s all-time top scorer, David de Gea was at his peak, and Anthony Martial was still Europe’s “Golden Boy.” Louis van Gaal was in charge back then. Nearly ten years have passed since. Another failure seemed inevitable for crisis-stricken United.

But the Red Devils produced a fairytale — heroically surviving wave after wave of Liverpool attacks. Cody Gakpo hit the woodwork twice, Bryan Mbeumo twisted the home defenders inside out, and new goalkeeper Senne Lammens showed the kind of calmness United fans hadn’t seen in years.

It was pure cinema. Even Sir Alex Ferguson, once forced to watch a humiliating 0–7 defeat, finally smiled again. That night, every United player was a hero — but the man on every front page was the unlikely one: Harry Maguire. The long-time meme star adjusted perfectly to Bruno Fernandes’s late cross and scored the winner that silenced Anfield.

Now it’s time for fans to apologize for all the jokes — many of them cruel. Once upon a time, the club wanted him gone, pundits mocked his €87 million transfer fee, and yet he fought back, delivered a string of top performances, and made everyone smile again.

“I would’ve found it hard to deal with what Harry went through. He was a meme for years. He’s incredibly strong to overcome that. It was bullying — he was mocked everywhere. If he managed to rise above it, you have to admit he’s a strong man. It was hard for his family too, so I was really happy for him when he came back and showed what he can do,” said Wayne Rooney.

The Weight of a Price Tag

Like many before him, Maguire was crushed by expectations — the transfer fee, the captain’s armband, the leadership role. From 2019 to 2023, he was the most expensive centre-back in football history, and everything he did was judged through that price tag.

Didn’t make a tackle? Overrated.
Missed a run? Overrated.
Passed back to De Gea, who’s awkward with his feet? You get the idea.

To make matters worse, across the northwest, Virgil van Dijk — who cost slightly less — was dominating for Liverpool. The comparison never stopped. When Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United started to collapse and the manager’s job hung by a thread, Maguire’s errors multiplied, and he became the scapegoat.

Manchester Evening News once gave him a rating of zero, calling him a “walking disaster” and “the opponent’s best playmaker.” Erik ten Hag publicly told him: “If you’re not confident, you should leave.”

United even agreed a transfer with West Ham, but the deal fell apart — and the hatred intensified. Maguire’s mistakes cost trophies, and he received zero backing. The final blow came in 2023, when he was stripped of the captaincy.

Redemption Under Amorim

Then came Rúben Amorim — perhaps the most unlikely savior.

Despite his reputation for emotional outbursts, the Portuguese coach is seen by players as one of the kindest men in football. Looking at Maguire’s resurgence, that seems believable. Amorim constantly defended him in the media, asking fans to support Harry — and the defender responded in the best possible way.

He first delivered the winner against Ipswich in the Premier League, then scored the legendary decider against Lyon in a wild 5–4 Europa League thriller — a night that brought back songs and joy to Old Trafford.

And, of course, came the goal against Liverpool.

Sometimes all it takes is lowering a defender’s line to hide his weaknesses and sending him forward into the box to scare the opposition. But above all, what made the difference was belief — something Maguire had long been denied.

After the Anfield win, Amorim said Maguire would be “an example to every young boy — proof that any criticism can be overcome through confidence and hard work.”

From Meme to Manchester Hero

Harry Maguire’s story is a rare modern redemption arc in football — a tale of mockery turned into admiration. From being the face of every meme to the face of Manchester United’s biggest win in a decade, the man once laughed at has finally earned the right to be loved.

Published by Patrick Jane
22.10.2025