How Harry Maguire has bounced back from embarrassing Greece arrest, public ridicule and being stripped of captaincy to play starring role in Man United's quest for European glory

It feels these days as though modern football throws up far fewer stories to warm the heart than any other era.

Yet, bizarrely given the historically poor domestic season Manchester United have had this term, one of the best comeback stories of the last 12 months has been busily brewing away.

It's actually quite difficult to imagine what Harry Maguire has been through over the last few years at Old Trafford. Stripped unceremoniously of the captaincy, thrust to the gutters in the court of public opinion, mercilessly mocked and berated for things far beyond his control, such as the transfer fee paid for his services.

Then there's the arrest in Greece in 2020, the agonising defeat in the European Championship final under Gareth Southgate in 2021 and the heartbreaking injury on the eve of the last summer's tournament. He's been through almost everything there is to experience as a player in only a few years.

Through it all he has largely kept to himself, never speaking out of turn, always treading the party line and staying faithful to his club, and there's not a football fan tuning into Wednesday's Europa League final that would begrudge at least one winners medal to go to Man United.

Nobody would have called it at the depths of his ordeal at the club back in 2023 when the armband was taken from him, but United would quite simply not be here without him.

Harry Maguire has fought through numerous setbacks during his time at Manchester United

Among other hurdles to overcome he has persevered despite having the captaincy stripped from him in 2023

However he is now arguably Ruben Amorim's most important central defender

Both literally and metaphorically. A defender by trade, it was his intervention at the other end of the pitch against Lyon at the absolute death that put United into the semis, deep into added time in the extra half-hour after the French side's remarkable comeback with just 10 men.

Then, after a cagey first few minutes in Bilbao in the first leg of the last-four, he put paid to all the years of ridicule over his mobility, and transformed into a writhing, wriggling right winger to set up United's opener.

It's worth noting he also only conceded once in two legs against an Athletic Club side that scored 22 goals in the tournament. Casemiro was majestic against the Basque side, and Bruno Fernandes has been, well, Bruno Fernandes, but without Maguire there's no denying United probably wouldn't even be in the final.

In many ways, his current prominence in the side likely tastes all the sweeter for what he has been through to achieve it, even before he was demoted by Erik ten Hag. From the moment he was signed for a world record fee of £80million, life at United has been a struggle for Maguire.

Naturally, there are certain expectations when you're brought in for that kind of fee, and the media's attention seemed to be on him from the start. Some less than impressive performances in big games, only enhanced the pressure on his shoulders.

But some off-field incidents have had their own impact, too. A year into his United career, he was arrested in Mykonos on suspicion of assaulting police officers and attempted bribery following an alleged brawl on a family holiday.

He had been held by the police and spent two nights in a cell before appearing in court, where his lawyers were given just two hours to prepare their case.

Maguire was handed a 21-month suspended sentence for his alleged involvement in a brawl, though his lawyers lodged an appeal - quashing the original verdict. The case has suffered a number of delays, with dates in February 2024 and March 2025 further postponed.

Maguire (baseball cap) is escorted by plain clothes police officers to the central police station on the island of Syros, west of Mykonos, after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting officers during a raucous night out

The Man United star allegedly attacked police officers after his younger sister (pictured) was stabbed in the arm, according to local media reports

Daisy Maguire, the footballer's sister, at the bar in Mykonos afternoon in August 2020

He scored the goal that got them through to the semi-finals of the Europa League against Lyon

Maguire also cast aside years of jibes at his mobility to set up United's opener in Bilbao

Maguire has denied any wrongdoing throughout the process, but it is not exactly the kind of thing someone can cast to the back of their mind on a whim.

Reports claimed Maguire's sister Daisy was stabbed in the arm with a sharp object during a brawl and the Manchester United star stepped in to defend her.

He allegedly attacked a policeman during the brawl and five officers were reportedly needed to wrestle him to the ground as he tried to protect his younger sibling.

The following two years saw a number of strong performances, but similarly struggles to produce his best in the biggest games. United finished second and sixth before Ten Hag was brought in in summer 2022.

It is worth pointing out that throughout his trials and travails on the club scene he remained a consistently strong performer for Gareth Southgate's England sides at Euro 2020 and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He just couldn't quite get that consistency into his United form.

The 2022-23 campaign was a bittersweet season; although he picked up his first piece of silverware with the club in the Carabao Cup final, Maguire started just eight Premier League games with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez the preferred central defensive duo.

'I played a few games last year, I just didn't play as many as I would have liked… I had two or three opportunities to get a run of games but I broke down with illness and broke down with injuries twice, so I never got the rhythm and never got the run of games so I could prove myself to the manager,' he admitted the following year.

Eventually, having fallen out of favour Maguire was replaced by Fernandes as captain of the club back in July 2023. There are many players who have been on the books at United who have thrown their toys out the pram at less, but stoically Maguire carried on.

And that even when the club tried to sell him to West Ham. A £30m fee was agreed in 2023, but the player remained steadfast that he would stay and fight for his place.

You can't point to too many situations when players have been successful in doing so, but fast-forward almost two years, and Maguire is perhaps the most important figure in an injury-ravaged defence heading into arguably their biggest game in two years.

He marshalled the defence and it's worth noting only conceded once to an Athletic Club side that scored 22 times throughout the competition

He didn't have the best of times under Erik ten Hag but refused to be forced out and fought for his place

He earned a Carabao Cup winner's medal but only played a very minimal role in the squad

As ever, Maguire has not exactly been perfect this season - you'd do well to find a single United player who has been anything remotely close - but he's stood up and fought when it mattered. The criticism levelled at him over the last few years has largely centred on his performances in the big games.

Scoring the winner at the death, when exhaustion has taken over body and mind, in the quarters, before taking the initiative to set up the opener in the semis - those criticisms seem to have quietened down a touch. Funny.

He might have two trophies on his shelf - the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - but he's never actually won a final that he's started in (he came on in the 88th minute in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle), including that gut-wrenching defeat by Italy at Wembley, though he did bury his piledriver penalty, remember.

Now, with so much at stake in just one game, this Python-esque Black Knight of a figure, who has shrugged aside blow after blow, slight after slight, as if it is but a scratch, has the chance to complete the arc.

Ground down by fans and critics in the media over the years, he bent but never broke. Now, in Bilbao, he's just 90 minutes from saving United's entire season, and potentially securing an era-defining victory.

Maguire's been through it all in his six years at the club; in comparison to all that this should be a cakewalk.

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