How do you define a cult hero? Well, usually a player who finds himself wearing that tag has bounced back from a difficult start at his club, silencing those critics while earning the respect of a fanbase either through hard work or a few big goals at big moments.
Manchester United certainly have a few befitting ‘cult hero’ status. Park Ji-Sung, for instance. Diego Forlan, too, that 27-game wait for a first Red Devils goal forgiven as he smashed a brace into the Liverpool net at Anfield.
Marouane Fellaini, meanwhile, will never be anyone’s favourite Man United player. In fact, for some, the bruising Belgian will always be seen as a symbol of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. A painful reminder of that disastrous – and short-lived – David Moyes reign.
Fellaini, however, will always retain a special place in the hearts of a few more forgiving United supporters. Those dramatic late contributions against Liverpool and Arsenal, that goal in the FA Cup semi-final win over his former employers Everton back in 2017, Fellaini certainly had his moments.
Is Fellaini a Manchester United cult hero
“The first year at Manchester United was very difficult for me,” Fellaini tells MUTV, the recently-retired midfielder reflecting 11 years after his £27 million arrival from Goodison Park made him the first United addition since Sir Alex hung up his hairdryer.
“I’m honest and I always said that the first year was very difficult for me, but for the team too. We did a bad season, you know?”
That would be an understatement. In the blink of an eye, United went from champions to seventh, Fellaini’s former Everton boss Moyes paying for his job.
“It was a nightmare (season) for a few months. It was not easy at all and, when you are in this situation as well, mentally it’s not good. It’s not easy,” adds Fellaini, who would go on to play nearly 200 games across six seasons at Old Trafford.
“I played five years for Everton, doing very well (and getting) respect from everybody. Then, you go to a big club. And mentally it’s difficult, as your football is not the same.
“You know, for me, it was the worst (season) in my career, my first year in Manchester. Mentally, too.”
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Former Everton ace retired a few months ago
Fellaini’s United career was transformed, ironically enough, by Moyes’ departure after just nine months in charge.
The Scot’s replacement, Louis van Gaal, told Fellaini that he was at risk of being the club’s fifth-choice central midfielder when he arrived but it’s testament to the Belgian’s never-say-die mentality that, through almost sheer force of will, he established himself as a valuable – if not particularly gifted – member of the United squad.