Martin McLean Buchan is a Scottish former footballer. Buchan was a central defender for Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 in 1972–1983, and captained the late 1970s teams for six years. He was signed from Aberdeen

Aberdeen F.C.

Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...

 by Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell

Frank O'Farrell

Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...

 on 29 February 1972 for £120,000, and was the club's record signing then.

Buchan's first game for United came on 4 March 1972 against Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 in the First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

. He was unable to prevent United from suffering relegation to the Second Division

Football League Second Division

From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

 in 1973–74

1973-74 in English football

The 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England...

, his first season as club captain following the retirement of Bobby Charlton

Bobby Charlton

Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...

. However, United bounced back at the first attempt as Second Division champions.

He helped United win the 1977 FA Cup Final

1977 FA Cup Final

The 1977 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1976–77 FA Cup, the 96th season of England's premier cup football competition. The match was played on 21 May 1977 at Wembley Stadium, London, and it was contested by Manchester United and Liverpool. United won the game 2–1. All three goals came in a...

 against Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

, which they won 2–1. He also helped them reach another final

1979 FA Cup Final

The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...

 in 1979, where they lost 3–2 to Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

. He was in the team for the 1982–83

1982-83 in English football

The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...

 season when they reached another FA Cup final, beating Brighton 4–0 in the replay after a 2–2 draw, but did not make the team for the final.

He left the club in August 1983 after injuries caught up with him, signing for Oldham Athletic on a free transfer. He had played in 456 games, scoring 4 goals, one of which was a superb, yet somewhat uncharacteristic, long-range drive against Everton.

On 22 June 1985, Buchan was appointed manager of Burnley

Burnley F.C.

Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

, who had just been relegated to the Fourth Division

Football League Fourth Division

The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...

 for the first time in their history – 25 years after being league champions. Buchan lasted less than four months at Turf Moor

Turf Moor

Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...

, resigning on 10 October 1985. For a short time he worked with Paul Honeyford

Paul Honeyford

Paul Honeyford is an English biographer and writer who has worked on a number of music and sport related materials. His biography of Paul Weller's band The Jam was the first such biography, written in consultation with the band at a time when they were at the peak of their success...

 – an English writer – on a project to detail the history of Manchester United but this was never completed.

Buchan won 34 caps for Scotland

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

, making his international debut in 1971 against Portugal

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

 and his last appearance in 1978 against the same country. He played in the 1974 World Cup finals

1974 FIFA World Cup

The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...

 and 1978 World Cup finals

1978 FIFA World Cup

The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...

 and captained Scotland twice: in 1975 against Romania

Romania national football team

The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...

 and in 1977 against Argentina

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

.

Buchan is the only player to captain both Scottish and English FA Cup winning sides (Aberdeen, 1970; Manchester United, 1977).

Buchan's family have a history of involvement in professional football. His son Jamie

Jamie Buchan

Martin James Buchan is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Cove Rangers.-Career:...

, played with Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

 and is currently with Highland Football League

Highland Football League

The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...

 side Cove Rangers

Cove Rangers F.C.

Cove Rangers are a senior Scottish football club currently playing in the Press & Journal Highland Football League. They are based in Cove Bay, a suburb of Aberdeen and play their football at Allan Park.The current managers are Kevin Tindal and Colin Milne....

, while his father, Martin senior, and brother George

George Buchan

George Buchan is a Scottish former footballer. Born in Aberdeen, his regular position was as a forward. He played professionally for Aberdeen, Manchester United and Bury. While at Manchester United, he played briefly alongside his brother, Martin...

both played for Aberdeen.

Buchan currently works for the PFA in London, England.