League titles followed in 1965 and 1967, giving Busby the chance to conquer Europe in the following seasons. In 1965/66, United reached the semi-finals, just as they had done in 1956/57 and 1957/58. But in 1967/68 they went further, to the final at Wembley where they faced Portuguese side Benfica.

On another night of great emotion, United triumphed 4-1 after extra-time to win the European Cup for Busby. It was a fitting tribute to the players and staff killed and injured 10 years before and was Busby's crowning achievement as United manager. They almost retained the Cup in 1968/69, before bowing out to AC Milan in the semi-final.

Busby retired at the end of the '68/69 season, but stayed on as general manager while Wilf McGuinness became the man in charge of the team on a day-to-day basis. The new arrangement lasted little more than a year - on 28 December 1970, Busby was invited by the Directors to return to his old job and replace McGuinness until the end of the season.

A respected figure throughout his career, Busby was awarded the CBE in 1958 and made the 66th Freeman of Manchester in 1967. In 1968, he was named Manager of the Year and was knighted following United's European Cup triumph.

In 1972 he was made a Knight Commander