That Night - 28th May, 2011(Part 2)

After the grandeur of the opening ceremony, the grand trophy was brought to the arena (where the two teams would wrestle it out to win it as the prize) - by 4 royal guards. As the two teams lined up for the splendid Anthem, the United end held up banners- thus forming the 'Spirit of 68.' Yes, that Spirit of 68 - that immortal spirit - which was forever edged in the hearts of every Manc, as Matt Busby got back from the dead to lift the European Cup. It was no less than a fairytale, and we expected the fairytale to be re-written. A club in decline to lift the European Cup by defeating the best club in the world - a club which never stopped  in the path towards glory.

As a shepherd takes his flock of sheep to graze in the broad daylight, the referee lead the two teams onto the green grass at Wembley, to battle it out amongst a spectrum of colours and celebration. And as about every layman would have predicted - FCB threw caution to the wind. The pillars of United's defence protected the wall from collapsing due to the sheer impact of the cyclone - but not for long.

Xavi, The Spanish Maestro - the conductor of the Catalonian orchestra put the Ice cool Pedro through, who finished with the calmness of a person in slumber. The belief took a hit, and the eye became wet - the brilliance of the Catalan outfit pierced it's way through the steel of Lancashire. 200 million hearts were broken, and the noise echoed around the realms of the atmosphere.

But, I knew for sure - a response was coming soon, and I was not let down at all. Rooney - our No 10, curled one before sliding on the Wembley Turf - his eyes reflected the burning passion, an unfulfilled desire - to be the best, and to defeat the best, feelings that were overflowing from the heart and eyes of every Manc - WE WANT TO WIN THIS. 

I, was well...numb. If there was anyone to do it...It HAD To be him..After all, he had the task of winning over his fans after what he had previously done..and win he did. Not only did he win, but he inscribed his name onto the heart and soul of every Manc..A goal(though of little consequence) which would never be forgotten by anyone.

Even Tyler could not hide his delight..'ROOOONNNEEEYYYY has equalized for Manchester United. He's struggled in previous finals, he's center staged now.'

That Night - 28th May,2011( Part 1)

It had been a bumpy season till then. From the zenith of winning the 19Th of  to the nadir of the annihilation at the Upton. But, at the end of it all - the Red half of 'Heaven' was beaming with smiles and shining as brightly as the giant Premier League trophy -  whose capture proved that the Wily Scot - Sir Alex Ferguson, is a man of his words.

But the champagne went on Ice at the home of English Football. Yes, the Great Wembley played host to the clash of titans - United and Barcelona, as the two fought it out for the ultimate trophy of club football - the trophy which many players dream to lift, the trophy - which engraves the name of a club in the history books, the trophy - which is the grandest of the lot, in football.

Barcelona V/S Manchester United - A fixture - a bittersweet cloud of memories for every Manc. The joy them of defeating them over2 legs in the semi-finals of the 07-08 season( the season in which Ronaldo mesmerized everyone that saw him play) brings along with itself, the gloom of the Rome - The night in which Ceaser's Rome became Futbol Club Barcelona's haven. And of course, there was no looking back from there.

And their cross-roads met again - and this time it was London and not Rome. Naturally, the first thing that came to my mind when this fixture was revenge - The Red Devils would do to Barcelona, what Barcelona did to us - 2 years back. It might be a tad two optimistic, but hey! I am a Manc - and being a Manc has taught me to be optimistic, if not anything else. If Fergie's men could resurrect from the dead in less than 2 minutes, then mauling Barcelona over 90 minutes seemed to small a task!

As the world outside the window blackened, the feeling of restlessness and anticipation seized my being. Each second seemed like an hour - and the wait for the hallowed anthem to ring around my room became intense, then intenser and then..well, I have run out of words now.

10:30 Pm - Ten Action was kind enough to me. As the Champions League advert was played, I stood up at once from my couch - the world around me came to a standstill.  'Sea, Sand and shore - with their numberless goings on life - all seemed inaudible to me.' For about 40 seconds, my world was confined to the eternal hymn - the hymn which can get the pulse of a dead man up and racing.

After listening to 2 hours of  some real nonsensical nonsense, Morrison declared, with an air of finality - 'We are moments away from the Kick-off' , and that probably brought the most tedious thing  that I had done that day - to a happy ending. The frame switched - from the studios of C2K to the Hallowed ground - which was shaking to it's foundations. 'United, United' and 'Ole Ola' filled the atmosphere and the picture resembled hell - where Satan's followers continuously  chanted his name to keep him happy.