The Story of Harry Maguire: A True Tale of Resilience
The story of Harry Maguire is one of resilience. It shows that if you truly want to turn your story around, you can—only you can.
Bought for a record fee of £80 million from Leicester City, he became the most expensive defender in Premier League history. He made his debut under Ole Gunnar Solskjær in 2019, helping Manchester United finish 3rd in the league. Can you imagine? Manchester United used to finish third!
Anyway, back to it.
After Ashley Young’s departure to Inter Milan, Maguire was named club captain in 2020 by Ole and took up the role. By November 2021, Ole was sacked and Ralf Rangnick appointed as interim manager. Then came the Erik ten Hag era, where United’s defense became chaotic—and Maguire became the center of it all.
Clips of Maguire’s mistakes began circulating on the internet: from accidentally hitting teammates like Ronaldo and De Gea, to misplaced passes that led to goals.
One viral clip showed David De Gea refusing to pass the ball to Maguire after a save, choosing instead to throw it out for a throw-in. The decision was actually cheered by fans in the stadium. Why? Because in previous matches, Maguire had mistakenly assisted the opposition or forced De Gea into difficult saves.
At that point, the name “Maguire” became associated with failure. By late 2022 and early 2023, most—if not all—United fans wanted him out.
In July 2023, Erik ten Hag made the bold decision to strip Maguire of the captaincy. Maguire announced it himself via social media, expressing his disappointment but also his resolve to keep working.
Soon after, he was dropped from the starting lineup and became a bench player.
Imagine that—from being the most expensive defender and captain of one of England's biggest clubs, to warming the bench. Any other player might have left after such humiliation. Not Maguire.
From the bench, Maguire fought his way back into the starting lineup under Ten Hag. Despite occasional boos and criticism from fans, he began to improve.
Of course, people still brought up the £80m fee—because let’s be honest: to whom much is given, much is expected.
By the end of the 2023–24 season, Maguire’s improvement was clear. Fast forward to the 2024–25 season, riddled with injuries under new manager Rúben Amorim, Maguire has been cooking—not just defensively, but offensively, using his height as a weapon.
Scoring late goals? That’s so Maguire now.
The latest came in the 120+1st minute against Lyon in the Europa League, a towering header that saved United from going into penalties and sent them into the semi-finals.
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