Chelsea v Manchester United. The top two teams from the English Premiership in the finals of the UEFA Champions League. London’s Chelsea was purchased by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2005, and he proceeded to snap up top players throughout Europe at record transfer prices.
Those players have included Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack (above). Abramovich has churned through great managers as well, replacing José Mourinho after his runner-up finish in the 2007 Premiership combined with winning the FA Cup and League Cup. He was replaced early in this campaign by Avram Grant, who has received almost no love from any Chelsea fan.
Chelsea combines top global talent like Didier Drogba and Michael Essien with English footballers John Terry, Joe Cole, and Frankie Lampard (above).
While Chelsea is more the new gorilla on the block (think the Patriots or Spurs), Manchester United is the premier club arguably in the world. I won’t bore you with the history of the club (partly because I don’t know it), but this Man U squad was birthed, spanked, and nurtured by Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1992 FA Youth Cup winners. This group of youngsters served as the bedrock of Man U football for over a decade, including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, and Gary Neville. Add the enforcer, captain Roy Keane, and Man U was a perenial force.
The 1998-1999 season was the penultimate season of any English club, as Man U won the Premiership, the FA Cup, and in the most dramatic fashion the Champions League. I rushed into a hotel with my wife in Florence, Italy only to see Man U trailing Bayern Munich 1-0 in the 87th minute. Then, magic.
Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. If I wasn’t hooked before, I was after that evening. I was screaming deliriously as my wife tipped the bellman. Beckham corner to Sheringham to Solskjaer. The two goal scorers substitutes by Ferguson.
Whereas Chelsea has led the transfer market, Man U has been more deliberate. Ferguson has snapped up emergin youngsters while tossing away seasoned veterans. Wayne Rooney (above) was purchased from Everton in 2004 and has been a mainstay up front for the Red Devils. He has lacked the panache of Drogba and Thierry Henry but is the epitome of an English bulldog.
It is now Christiano Ronaldo that makes Man U sing. He’s matured dramatically since arriving from Sporting in Portugal in 2003. He was known as a ball freak who loved to dive and play fanciful football, but he has grown into a tremendous talent. He was immediately given the 7 jersey vacated by Beckham and worn by the greats of Manchester United, including George Best and Eric Cantona.
My hope for today is an early goal that gets the total goal up in the 5 range rather than a defensive 1-0 or 0-0 game decided by penalty kicks. Head to ESPN2 to see the kickoff in thirty minutes.
