Cut me deep and I bleed RED!

No words can describe what I felt when I saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wave goodbye to Man United. It gave me goosebumps, it brought tears to my eyes, yet at the same time, a proud feeling of having witnessed the 20LEgend play at the Theater of Dreams.

I used to be a casual football fan, with no loyalties per se till this happened.
It was back in 2000 while watching the daily sports bulletin that I first saw glimpses of the game Man United played within the hallowed confines of Old Trafford as well as beyond them. United has just won the European Cup, beating Bayern Munich in what had been an outstanding game of football and more importantly displayed the spirit with which the game is played at United. And history has it that it was Ole who came on as a late sub and scored what was his most important goal ever.
That had me hooked.
Well, you could say that it was akin to having a crush on the first girl you saw when you moved to a co-ed school from an all boys school but it could also be called love at first sight. That is what it has been for me. Watching the weekend games that came before the as frequently held Monday tests, week in and week out.. buying Man United books, stickers, shirts, jackets.. its just a part of it all but true love for United is more than just this and it stems from the professionalism, the passion and above all, the loyalty in the air that surrounds the red part of Manchester. For me, its the can of oxygen that I must buy to live a hundred years. I am sure, if Mozart had seen us play, he would've been inspired to compose a whole opera on us!

What I have seen all these eight years is that there are greater values of real life in the beautiful game and that is what United is all about. The real thing about Manchester United which sets it apart is that it stands for something more than any person, any player, any supporter. It is the soul of a sporting organisation, which goes on season after season, making history all the time!

And, you know when you're a true Mancunian:
You try to explain the greatness of Man Utd even to those people who don't even know the basic rules of football(happens everyday). You watch United do the double even if you have the worst possible paper the next morning and don't mind scoring a 47 in it! Even your Mum, when out to buy you a bag ensures that its got nothing to do with any of your rivals(happened just some time back!). You force yourself on your kid sister to be able to watch the United play even on her birthday(happened sometime in October!)! While watching the Flag show at an Iron Maiden concert, you wish you also get to see a MUFC flag. You like to wake up to "glory glory Man United.." People know when to avoid talking to you, when your team drops points. Its just impossible to ignore the odd looking stranger wearing the Red Devils' jersey...

Sir Alex, widely regarded as the best manager of all time and the individual who can be credited for making United stronger by the day continues to reign, unscathed by the wheels of time. That is where loyality starts, right at the top. His no-nonsense attitude, shrewd tactics and excellent eye for young talent are as famous as his 'fairly' (in)famous hairdryer treatment. United owes a lot to SAF and it'll be a sad day when he hangs up his boots.

Roy Keane once said about Eric Cantona, "Collar turned up, back straight, chest stuck out, he glided into the arena as if he owned the fucking place. Any arena, but nowhere more effectively than Old Trafford. This was his stage. He loved it, the crowd loved him." That is what the imposing structure of the Colloseum-like Old Trafford and the 75,000 odd die hard loyal supporters of the club does to you! This is where uncut jewels are transformed into real diamonds. Indeed, its the Theater of Dreams.

The torchbearers of this legacy come from within the system. They aren't poached from Spain and left to "walk alone" after some time. They aren't all members of the French National team and they definitely aren't bought using the Russian rouble! Indeed, the core of the United is still English. And that our first team comprises of products from our youth system is testimony to that fact.
Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, the Nevilles, Nicky Butt, all grew up together at Carrington and went on to represent United and even England.

Rio has grown into a world class player. Rooney, who gets better every season. And always learns to do more, more than just score. He’s deadly in the box, but most of all he’s growing in to the role of a player who can cover the whole pitch wisely. Not like in his first years years at Old Trafford when he ran over the whole ground and one wondered why he was at that spot now. Ronaldo was a talent. Nothing more. An expensive talent. Fergie made him the world’s best player. Looking even further back, Ruud was a talent. He became world’s deadliest striker at Old Trafford. Performing well in the Netherlands doesn’t make you a worldwide fear, just look at Robben's performance at Madrid. Giggs was a talent. Fergie made him good enough to play all the matches he has for us.No one knew who Vidic was, today he’s among the world’s defensive elite, together with Rio and Neville. I could go on for hours with more examples. Fact is, we buy young talents and grow them, turn them in to world’s best. That’s when the Abramoviches, the Mourinhos and the Calderons come into play : they want to buy the best players. We make them. Young talents at Chelsea fail. And when Ince, Staam, Beckham and Ruud turn to Madrid, its not because they want to, its because SAF decides its in in our interest.

From the treble in '99 to the disappointments at the hands of Arsenal and Chelsea, from the fallouts of Keane, Beckham and Nistelrooy to the rise of Rooney and Ronaldo, and the emergence of a new, vibrantly young United and most recently, the double in '08, its been a wonderful journey and its sure to continue for ever!

I feel close to the rebelliousness and vigour of the youth at OT. Time won't separate us and nobody can deny that here, behind the windows of Manchester, there is an insane love of football, of celebration and of music.
United until death!

Ciao!

P.S. Visit manutd.com ! ;-)