26th.May: The captain of Manchester United, Nemanja Vidic said, “It’s the biggest game of the whole year.” Few fans would argue with that. It’s the game which all football clubs in Europe want to be playing but sadly most clubs never get that far to the European Champions League Final. Unlike the semi-final where Manchester had possibly the weakest opposition it has ever experienced in the Championship, they will now have the strongest team for many a year to grace the Champions League Final – Barcelona Football Club. Manchester United have not done well against Barcelona in recent years, and only need to think back two years ago to 2009 when they lost in the Champions League Final in Rome. Barcelona enter the Wembley arena as favourites, only because they have the player, Messi, that puts fear into most back lines, and can cut through any number of defenders like a knife cuts through butter! The diminutive Argentinian has paraded his skills this season in the Spanish and Championship Leagues with commensurate skill and totalling 52 goals up to now.

Undoubtedly Sir.Alex Ferguson has not given up hope even though he concedes that Barcelona are “rich in experience and yet youthful enough to give them a good balance. Don’t write us off,” he says. “We have the players to win, too.”

Fortunately Sir Alex does have the choice of a fully fit squad of players. So expect back the stalwarts on such an important occasion – Park Ji Sung, Evan der Sar playing his last game for United at the age of 40, Ryan Giggs, Rooney and Hernandez, Nani, Vidic, Evra and Rio Ferdinand. Let’s hope it’s a classic game!